This Show Grabbed the UK in a Chokehold—Now It’s Coming to the US

Following the viral success of The Traitors in the UK on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with the show being streamed more than 28 million times, the gripping game show is now coming to the US. In the UK, I cannot overstate the death grip this show had on the population. I literally got my nails done to match my favorite contestant from the show.

For those who don’t know, The Traitors is essentially real-life Among Us. First created in the Netherlands, the show sees twenty contestants play a murder-mystery-style game. Everyone takes part in missions to build up a prize fund that caps at $250,000. Among the contestants, there will be a number of Traitors. Their job is to eliminate the Faithful and claim the prize for themselves.

Each night, the Traitors will come together to murder the Faithful one by one. At the same time, the Faithful are trying to work out who the Traitors are and banish them from the game. This often (dramatically) results in them banishing fellow Faithfuls.

At the end of the game, If the Faithful contestants banish all the Traitors, they will share the prize fund but if a Traitor makes it to the end, they will steal all the money.

For the US version of the show, the contestants will be made up of a mix of famous faces and everyday Americans. Once again taking place in a remote Scottish castle, the show will be hosted by Alan Cumming. All ten episodes will air on January 12 on Peacock. To sate the Brits’ desire for more of the game show, it will also air in the UK the following day as a complete boxset on BBC iPlayer.

The concept of this show is simple but the chokehold it exerts is not. As the audience, you know who the Traitors are, so you can see the manipulation, the lies, and the betrayals play out in real-time. It’s truly a beautiful, beautiful thing.

Families were split over favorite contestants, emotions ran high at home and on-screen, relationships were tested, and you essentially won’t want to watch anything else until the finale. Buckle in, America—The Traitors is coming for you.

(featured image: The BBC)