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I’ve been yearning for civilians on the stateside iteration of The Traitors for years, and NBC has finally answered my calls with The Traitors: New Blood.
One thing that’s always set the celebrity-filled Peacock edition apart from its international counterparts is that every star is there to put on a show.
Whether they’re playing up for the cameras or throwing shade, they know how to work it to make the series entertaining.
After watching The Traitors: New Blood Season 1 Episode 1 and The Traitors: New Blood Season 1 Episode 2, it’s clear that stripping things back is allowing for a much better series.
Off the bat, the picks for The Traitors are fantastic. Joe and Tomica have a calming energy that should allow them to carry out their murders without breaking a sweat.
They didn’t seem to ruffle any feathers during the first two episodes, spending most of their time making allies and reacting to situations rather than doing anything that could make them a target.
The moment they realized they were working together, it felt like an alliance that could last the duration of the game.
I’m tired of the Traitor vs. Traitor schtick, and I hope these two can go the distance. I’m not too sure about their recruit picks, though.
Katie seemed a little out of her element, while Xavier seems poised to pop off if his back is against the wall.
Neither seems like the type to work well under pressure, which isn’t exactly ideal if they want to maintain tranquility in the Turret.
Xavier talks a big game, while Katie is more subdued, so from an entertainment standpoint, I hope he’s the one who survives murder and becomes a full-fledged Traitor.
The Traitors: New Blood Is Already Chaotic
You could cut the tension with a knife when they both tried to find the Crime and Punishment book, which would let them complete their quest.
Katie strikes me as someone who could fold like a deck of cards, so I hope she surprises me if she sticks around. Abandoning her mission doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that she’ll complete it.
Then again, Xavier didn’t fare much better.
He didn’t want to leave his seat because he was worried it would give Katie an opening to get in there before him.
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One thing that shocked me was how it sounded like Xavier was planning on throwing Katie under the bus at the round table.
In a sense, it would be a good way to get rid of her and allow him to become a Traitor by default.
But I’m getting a sneaking suspicion that production meddled here because I sincerely doubt he changed focus on his own.
It’s like when Big Brother contestants have a plan, hit up the Diary Room, and their strategy changes the moment they walk back out. It reeks of intervention from those who want the series to go a certain way.
But I digress. That first round table is one for The Traitors‘ history books in terms of drama.
Without that chat between Madeline, Kriste, and Victor, I genuinely don’t know where the votes might have landed.
Kriste was adamant that Madeline had proven she was a Traitor, and she told anyone who would listen.
She brought the chaotic energy that the mothership is known for and, honestly, I think she could thrive with a celebrity cast.
What surprised me was how she managed to take control of the round table and get people on her side against Madeline with what can only be described as one-sided beef.
Madeline was too shocked by what she was hearing to think about how to respond. If she’d had a heads-up, she might have steered the conversation in a different direction.
Losing Madeline so soon feels like a major misstep because she had that main character energy, and I figured she’d be an integral part of The Traitors: New Blood Season 1‘s overall arc.
Kriste has a lot to explain, and she’s not going to take being called a liar well.
Will she continue to unravel as the series progresses, or will she find a way to prove to her friends that she made a mistake?
Victor is 100 percent gunning for her because her admission could have also sent him out of the castle.
I can see the Traitors killing either Kriste or Victor, hoping the rest of the castle blames the other. That seems to be the only way forward.
But I don’t envision Joe or Tomica playing by the same playbook as other Traitors.
They both seem open to doing things differently, which should keep the show fresh and exciting.
Another big surprise is that Kim was the first person murdered.
Seriously. I thought Kim would be along for this ride for the majority of the season.
Sadly, the first two people out of The Traitors: New Blood Season 1 had the potential to give us some vintage reality TV.
All things considered, NBC has done a fantastic job of swapping celebrities for civilians.
The first two episodes have already delivered the kind of unpredictable drama that makes The Traitors so compelling, and I’m excited to see where this civilian cast takes things next.
What are your thoughts on NBC’s take on the Peacock hit? Do you think it’s compelling enough without the stars?
Let’s keep the conversation going — it’s the only way the good stuff survives.
Say something in the comments, share if you’re moved to, and keep reading. Independent voices need readers like you.
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