The third season of The Traitors UK drew to a close a couple months ago, and as we have now returned to our regular programming of Love Island: All Stars and the new season of The Apprentice, I can’t help but think: why does it not hit the same? Why do I keep hoping one of these innocent islanders or entrepreneurs will suddenly have a huge reveal they are actually a priest? Or not Welsh? Or not a nail tech? Or that Ross is actually their son?  Why has The Traitors been such a phenomenon to British television, and in what ways is it reshaping reality TV culture?

Ironically, despite the show being rooted in deception and betrayal, in many ways it is refreshingly genuine. Repeatedly, you will hear the contestants respond, when asked what is needed to be on the show, that all that is required is simply a real desire to play. This is evidenced in the show itself – there is no need to masquerade authenticity. The audience’s favourites are those who just know how to play the game well. As Claudia Winkleman herself has said, ‘the absolute star of the show is the game itself’.  Due to the way the game focuses on the psychological, and features twenty starting contestants, there are infinite ways in which the game may be played out. While this rejuvenating power of the show may wane depending on how many more series are made, it certainly promises more unpredictability than the arguably tired reality formats we are becoming so used to.

However, maybe what is also striking about The Traitors is that public opinion does not dictate the show. While it may be a clichéd complaint of shows such as Love Island, the producers of The Traitors seem to have been relatively successful in finding contestants that are not just using their screentime to get followers. In many ways, the ordinariness of the players makes the show what it is – it teaches us that when reality programmes are cast with diverse but also distinctly normal people, it creates a show so much more appealing to its audience. And perhaps what is so iconic about The Traitors is that it can launch the most unlikely individuals into ‘national treasure’ status. Take season three’s Alexander, for example – with a little help from the show’s fans on social media, the former British diplomat has transformed into the nation’s ‘sweet-prince-heartthrob.’  While some contestants have occasionally had to bear the brunt of the public’s frustration (cough – Libby – cough), the show’s earnestness allows the players to unapologetically indulge their desire for drama, mess, and betrayal – desires that the audience can relate to, but are unfortunately less socially acceptable to indulge in outside the parameters of a murder mystery game. It is the chosen traitors’ willingness to give into these urges that has produced the fun-to-hate pantomime villains, like the infamous Paul, who are essential to the show’s addictiveness.

And so, despite its grand castle, the players’ melodrama, and Winkleman’s infinite supply of campness, The Traitors remains strikingly down-to-earth. It is a show that engages with a game that genuinely captivates the nation, or if we consider its other versions, the world. While the likes of Made in Chelsea, TOWIE, and Big Brother defined the reality TV of the early 2010s, and do still remain somewhat relevant, there is a feeling that their formats, and often exclusive casting pools, are becoming tired. Their new seasons just cannot quite match their early golden years. Even I’m A Celeb, with its most recent series receiving huge audiences – peaking at 8 million live viewers during its first episode – still seems to be recovering from viewers’ boycotts in response to the casting of Nigel Farage and Matt Hancock in its 2023 and 2022 seasons.

The Traitors understands what is wanted from a light-entertainment reality show. It is both relatable and – perhaps crucially – escapist; the producers of other programmes appear to be becoming increasingly out-of-touch with the general public. The Traitors’ ever-growing popularity is evidenced in the 2025’s live launch attracting 9.2 million viewers, an increase of 3 million from the previous year. While older shows will always have their place in the UK’s TV pop culture (and I personally will obsessively rewatch and quote the early seasons of Made in Chelsea until the end of time), I do not believe it is an overstatement to suggest The Traitors is forming a new path as it reshapes the landscape of British reality TV.

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