Reality TV gets a big injection of authenticity with “The Traitors: New Blood,” NBC’s all-civilian spinoff of the hit Scottish castle-set, fake-kill-or-be-fake-killed Peacock competition show and Emmy magnet.
The “Traitors” casting team pulled off a coup in this 2026 cultural landscape by finding 22 “everyday Americans” who appear free of the usual reality-contestant guile — at least judging by the two episodes made available to the press.
They aren’t babes in the Highlands. The newbies appear familiar with “Traitors,” and some posture in that “I am not here to make friends” way. Or they clamor to become “traitors,” the secret chosen few who don cloaks and “Eyes Wide Shut” masks to target non-traitors, known as “faithfuls,” to eliminate. The faithfuls’ role is to root out traitors so they don’t steal away with the $250,000 prize.
But nary a serious alliance nor strategy is attempted in the first two episodes. Camaraderie seems to outweigh cunning. When one player beelines for an immunity shield before assisting others in a group challenge, the sense of communal disappointment is palpable. Maybe they are here to make friends?
Either way, the civilians’ emotional transparency is refreshing. They appear incapable of the artifice that comes second nature to the “Survivor” and “Real Housewives” veterans who populate the “Traitors” mothership. For viewers, knowing there will not be a Boston Rob or Lisa Rinna around the next corner opens new possibilities for thrills, surprises and maybe even some moving moments.
The normies give little indication of chasing fame. When host Alan Cumming asks a competitor what he would do with the prize money, he says he would use it to give his bride-to-be the wedding of her dreams before adding, almost as an afterthought, that he would also help his family.
The goal of a lavish wedding, which some might find frivolous, is not necessarily something on which big followings are based. Yet the contestant’s obvious lack of media training endears in our overly camera-ready world. And at least he can count his future bride, and her parents (or whoever would otherwise pay for the wedding), in his fan base.
There are no discernible influencer types among the competitors, and I counted only one job title with “marketing” in it. Instead, “New Blood” counts a physician, airline pilot, therapist and a few lawyers in its cast.
Again, this is smart casting. Accustomed to handling high-pressure situations, these civilians seem less likely to grow distressed by being duped. Season 1 of “The Traitors” integrated everyday Americans with professional game players, and some of the former became upset at having been played by the latter. (Maybe the show was still untitled when they shot it?). In subsequent seasons, “The Traitors” avoided such issues by casting only celebrities, plus whatever classification Donna Kelce falls under.
Thankfully for those who appreciate “Traitors” gut-punch moments of unhappy discovery, this spinoff’s exuberant contestants seem to outnumber those of even keel. Without giving anything away, there are garment-rending levels of regret and recrimination within the first two episodes.
These episodes are gloriously full of “table” action, both breakfast and round, and light on challenges. Maybe producers got wise to us fast-forwarding through sequences that rarely make it beyond escape-room level, apart from being outdoors.
Another huge draw is of course Cumming, who was just voted best reality host at the Emmys for the third consecutive year. Surrounded by non-showbiz types in the spinoff, Cumming tones down his signature arch theatricality and seems authentically charmed and amused.
But not to worry: he still dresses to the nines, and the show’s cinematography is crisper than ever, showcasing the vibrant greens, blues and reds of the Scottish landscape and castle’s interior. In a lovely touch, the first episode starts with the competitors entering Scotland by train, marveling at the surroundings they previously only viewed on television, before the more familiar, and duller, caravan of black SUVs transports them to the castle.
Some visual choices should be reconsidered, like the use of coffins, or at least wooden boxes shaped like coffins, to indicate fake deaths. This imagery is too evocative of real-life tragedies to be appropriate for a game show — especially in a spinoff with real people. You don’t realize how much the sheen of celebrity can soften some elements until it is no longer there.
The whole “Traitors — they’re just like us!” feel also ebbs when the traitors choose their first victim. The ejection could be due to an early decision to deceive from the start. That’s just not the vibe of “New Blood.”
“The Traitors: New Blood” premieres Thursday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and streams the next day on Peacock.
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