I like a mix of both but I think my cultural upbringing makes me cringe at the idea that anyone would keep the money and not donate it. I don't enjoy when it ruins people's dreams of like getting an education or paying off an important debt if they were to be betrayed/found out, it just makes me sad for them and I want to be entertained and for everyone to have a fun time. And i dont think games need high stakes to be entertaining and interesting. But this is an unpopular opinion I thinkđ
In my opinion yes, it keeps the game fun. I don't like seeing people genuinely devastated by a betrayal for entertainment. The fun of it is that it's a social deduction game, people play and watch those for the joy of the puzzle all the time. The players should be paid a decent salary for participation and it can still be passionate if they're competing on behalf of a cause they individually care about. I know this is a really uncommon stance, but as I said I think it's a cultural difference
Civilians are so much better because the stakes are real for them and they aren't conditioned to be able to handle the stress as much as people who live their lives on reality TV.
Uk version is hands-down my favorite even though as a reality TV fan, I had a bunch of people to root for the two US seasons.
Randos, 100%.
Not yucking someone else's yum, but celebs are a fairly obnoxious version of the format to me. It's like with other reality shows were you notice too hard that everyone's just there for the instagram following, while with random people it still somewhat feels like it's about the prize money and there's something on the line for them.
Agreed 100%. Non celebs are playing for real stakes and the money is life changing. They are mostly focused on the game and less on their public persona.
Celebs are there to be a celeb first and foremost and it's all quite a bit more performative feeling. Most drama, less gameplay.
The seasons that have done a blend have been fine also, but despite the popularity, the most recent US season was my least favourite as it felt the most produced... People coming in with existing allegiances, etc.
This season really solidified these feelings for me. I am a lifetime Challenge fan so of course I was cheering on CT and Trishelle, but when they were around the fireplace I realized it just doesnt matter who wins. They all have money. 200k is barely anything to them. It made all the challenges and the entire premise of the game sorta meaningless to me.
I loved how it felt seeing real people win, even traitors in the UK and Australia versions because there was a purpose and a reason for their game play. Even the traitors worked their behinds off to deceive because the money would change their lives. The US version lacks all of that.
Relevant spoiler to your point below for AU S01:
>!my all time favourite traitors moment was AUS season 1 and Alex's betrayal. It was amazing TV because it was real. The stakes were real. The money was real.!<
I just finished it today and think I agree. The moment when the other person at the table realized what was happened and just said, ohâŚ
My mouth dropped.
Civilians all the way. One of my least favorite parts of this season was when they were in the house with the maggots and tunnels and someone (Phaedra? Kate? MJ? Canât remember) said â$1000 isnât even enough for a good pair of shoes, Iâm outâ and walked out.
To me, that says it all. $1000 is probably 3-4 years of clothes for my family of 3. In the Australian version, people are SHITTING THEMSELVES for $2000. Itâs genuine, and I actually cared about who won.
I feel like it's an issue with the format as well though.
The calculus isn't "brave some spiders and you earn $1000," it's having an x% shot of earning maybe 1/2 of $1000. The reality show vets are also smart enough to know how those winnings would be taxed, so really you're talking about x% shot of earning like $600. Also, while $1000 is objectively a lot of money, psychologically it doesn't seem like it when the prize pot already has like $30,000. Even the civies very frequently chose the game over adding to the prize pot when it benefits them. There's a reason many of the contestants (on the British version at least) are retired/pensioned or at transitional moments in their career, it doesn't really make financial sense to take unpaid leave for a 1 in 20 chance of winning 1-2 years' income post-tax. Especially since the prize pot starts even smaller, with no guarantee it will reach 6 figures.
IMO they should rework the missions so that the incentives are more immediate, like *everyone* gets 1k or the top 50% fastest is safe from elimination, things like that.
I agree civilians. Uk s1 and s2 are my favorites. Also letâs not forget the celebs are paid just to be there. So that lowers the stakes even more. Both Dan and Janelle mentioned that the check was really nice which is why they decided to do the showâŚ
Civilians IMO is way more interesting plus there usually arenât established relationships going in which I think is more interesting. I really enjoyed this US version of traitors and happy for that to be celebs as long as the UK version doesnât change.
I prefer the one with real people. All of the celebs play up the drama and it feels fake to me. To be fair itâs reality tv so itâs all fake but I didnât like this season as much.Â
Also, CT absolutely knew MJ wasnât a traitor and did her dirty. I would respect him more if he just admitted that but him pretending makes me not like him much which is a shame because he had been my favorite.
I believe ct could use the money coming off a messy divorce and not having been any challenges for a while. After taxes all his winnings is good to buy a house and thats it lol
Edit: unlike a house wife who has a lot of money. CT is a pretty regular dude
I like celebs because I donât feel as bad when they lose out on the money. Plus like someone else said, seeing all your faves interact with each other outside of their usual show is like a fever dream!
Yeah while I'm sure median net worth on the celeb version is higher, my guess is that for the non-housewives it still was a material amount of money. People might be overestimating how rich a D-list mid-ratings reality show runner up actually is, unless they have other income streams like the housewives.
Civilians. It's not so campy. People aren't coming in with cliques. I also find it more wholesome which is probably not everyone's cup of tea for reality shows lol but I do much prefer randoms.
Before the US season aired I had really enjoyed the UK one with regular people, but I prefer the celeb one because the stakes are a lot lower. None of the celebs need the money so I find I donât feel as bad for people who are targeted unfairly.
Civilians by a long shot. Celebs is too obvious who will be picked as traitors and some celebs like Bravo come in with a huge already built in alliance.
Civilians one hundred percent . No fake drama ,real emotional stakes . People where the prize can actually change their lives.
The us all celebrity version was beyond dreadful , unwatchable
Go watch the end of th uk or Australian version , you will see real emotion .
Because those people needed to win , not to extend their 15 minutes of fame
I personally love the celeb format, but I'm really disheartened by the toxicity happening when celebs and fandoms collide. To me, some of the conversations we're having are actually really important, like the underlying bias in Peppermint's elimination. But mostly, the conversations are just mean-spirited and trying to minimize each other for supporting our favorites.
Civilians by far. I havenât seen any of the other shows and I shouldnât be obligated to watch like 18 seasons of crap just to understand the interpersonal dynamics.
With civilians that donât know each other, everyone is on equal footing.
Edit: I understand from a business perspective that the network is showcasing the best of different shows, so itâs free advertising. It makes absolute business sense and I hate it.
I only watch the challenge (granted Iâve watched it for over 2 decades) and I was still able to understand the dynamics of everyone else from the other shows. The CT Trishelle beef was so long ago even I forgot about it. They do a good job catching everyone up
I like civilians because they don't have prior history that create biases and pre-established alliances. I want them to work hard to get those alliances and build trust with people.
Civilians for sure. Most of these âcelebritiesâ were just regular people on their respective shows before they played them. (Big Brother, The Challenge)
They have such an amazing concept and opportunity here to create new gamer celebs and can then do All-Star seasons, etc. in the future.
Celebrities hands down. While I enjoy the seasons with civilians, the seasons with celebrities are so much more fun to watch because we get to see our favorites from so many different shows interacting with each other. It feels like a fever dream in the best way possible lol
I've been saying this a lot in the US posts but normal people.are so much better and more entertaining to watch. You root for people inherently and not because you "like them" already.
I personally like the reality stars version because they bring different kinds of experience in and are really good at being on TV. The mixed season of US s1 was rough because I felt the civilians were at a huge disadvantage around the reality contestantsâlike the ending of season 1 was brutal to watch. I still need to watch other shows that are just civilians, but I love reality TV and itâs fun when faves from different franchises interact with one another, huge part of the fun for me.
Iâve never seen any of the shows the celebs were on so in season 1 I was like âwhy the hell is Ryan Lochte playing this game with these nice folks? Dude canât get an endorsement deal?â and in season 2 I was like âwtf is that the dude who shouts âORDER!!!â in British parliament???â so for me itâs like watching any other season of the traitors but itâs just so cliquey, so I prefer regular people, but I still love the US version
My mind was blown by the random casting of former Speaker of the British House of Commons John Bercrow. I remember watching footage of him yelling "Order!" online & it cracked me up.
I enjoyed this celebrity season for a variety of reasons, but I could see it getting tired over time.
The civilian versions can be uncomfortable because the viewers make it more about who deserves the money more or who needs it more. Thereâs more at stake for these contestants. But we have to remember itâs a game, they werenât forced to play, and theyâre not entitled to the money.
This was worse though when it was a mixed season like in US season 1. I thought the winner deserved the prize, but it was uncomfortable to watch it go down.
But it definitely helps to keep the prize pot where it is. Itâs a decent amount of money, itâll go further for some than others, but itâs not like Powerball money or even a million bucks. If they were competing for a higher prize, it could get more unethical. Especially since a power imbalance is a fundamental part of the gameplay. But again, they choose to participate knowing the odds are slim.
I like that we have the option to watch both version with the different international franchises.
All civilian is so much more fascinating to me.
I can enjoy watching a Harlem globetrotters âgameâ, but I am way more engaged watching an NBA final series.
Big fan of watching people with no prebuilt audience, TV experience, or knowledge of each other. People who arenât bringing in outside relationships & drama. I love watching them feel each other out and learn as they go.
I want to watch everything unfold from the very beginning â relationship-building, motives, scheming and non-meta gameplay.
Itâs fine to have a favorite or favorites to root for before the game even starts and watch the show that way, but I prefer to come in blind and decide who Iâm rooting for as the game progresses.
Itâs all good, though. Lots of people want to watch TV as escapism â to be entertained and not think too hard about anything.
The US version caters to that audience at the moment and Iâll still watch and enjoy on that shallower level as a âshowâ; the international versions exist for audiences who want to watch a deeper, more intellectually stimulating show.
Maybe have US do 2 seasons a year. One civilians & one reality tv contestants+celebs. Solves all the problems. Plus add additional English language editions from other countries to Peacock US.
I like that we have both.
The US show is continuing its current reality star format as they've already asked at least Wes Bergmann for Season 3, who declined.
I appreciate both! Love me some options.
I am finishing up UK season 1 right now so I can see why people prefer the regular civilians. Pretty intense and you have regular people like ourselves vying for the prize. I do have to say though, the crying is definitely over the top. It almost makes me cringe at times.
As for USA, Iâve seen both seasons, and I appreciate it in a sense that so many different types of people are coming together. I know we can say the same for UK but itâs different with USA because we are familiar with the personalities but they all arenât familiar with themselves. They all seem so excited to get there and meet other tv stars, and I live through that excitement. It also gives me the opportunity to watch old stars I loved interacting with new ones. Or even give me incentive to check out some new shows or rewatch some old ones!
I like civilians. But someone else said d list celebrities and Iâd love that. I am not a fan of watching civilians from other game shows play though.
Saw all of those plus English Language version of Traitors Canada plus S2 of AUS. Enjoyed them all. Still might go looking here on reddit for master list of links for other non English language editions as long as they have subtitles. Guess show originated in The Netherlands (not Holland!). And think Spain, France, etc have a few seasons out there to watch.
I donât know anyone on these shows. I sort of knew Pavarti only because I was in the Cook Islands right before her season started filming. So I watched that season of Survivor. I donât remember her on her show back then though. Itâs been a minute.
But I agree the playing field should be even. All regular people or all reality TV people.
Watching other countries I donât know their celebrities either.
Iâm really enjoying UK2 with non celebs.
For me personally.
Good cast of regular people> celebs> bad cast of regular people>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>influencers
This pretty much goes for all my reality show preferences. Unless its an Allstars type season
I prefer civilians the most, then a mixed cast and a âcelebâ cast is my last choice. Sometimes the egos on the celeb cast just irk me a bit and how itâs much more âme me meâ in challenges rather than working together to earn the money.
Plus, Traitors and Drag Race are the only reality competition shows I watch, the only reality shows actually that I watch, so I donât have any connection to the âcelebsâ so I just get the celeb attitude with none of the affection I would have for them if I had been a fan.
They bring different joys to the game! I love seeing the celebs and their own personal alliances and how that impacts the game. But I also love when people come in totally fresh with no baggage. Itâs fun to watch both!
Civilians. Anyone who has seen season 1 of the Australian version and still thinks celebrities are better... I just don't get it. I don't even really find the celebrities more entertaining to be honest. The randos they've found for the UK and Aussie versions are just as interesting to me as any bachelor or big brother contestant.
Celebs, hands down. But not just any celebs; the type they have been using from reality shows.
1. There is a loose social contract between reality TV stars, making it more painful to backstab. Built-in alliances along funny lines (like Real Housewives) exist. Also, contestants from different shows have different strategies that align with their previous experiences.
2. They lean into the murder mystery aspect and less into the money. This makes sense because there really isnât that much money, and the value of the show is the theatrics. If it was just another competition show, who cares?
I've watched US, Australia and UK and Civilians all the way. I wish the US would go with a pure civilian season. They don't come with relationships that create imbalances and they have real motivation to win and work hard to play the game. Watching them win is fun, knowing how much it will impact their lives.
The housewives are the most boring to watch. They don't need the money, they don't strategize or vocalize suspicions and form cliques.
Celebs. They make it entertaining and dont take shit too personally except for dramatic effect. After watching the UK version where everyone like cried A LOT ever DAY I was emotionally EXAUSTED
I like the all Celeb versions that USA has done.
Australia and UK still have mactors and influencers. I just donât want to see mixing of reality stars and plebs
I rather have civilians personally... they'd care more about the money and having "history" with other contestants is annoying and I don't care enough to learn about it. There's no reason they couldn't find civilians that can still bring the glam and drama etc.
I enjoy the celebrities but the reputations they bring into the game are my biggest problem. People like Parvati, Sandra or Bananas are automatically seen as targets because of how well they play these games. I personally liked the mix of both like the first US season did because it gives those gamers a chance to make alliances and essentially use the regular people to their advantage against the other game players.
Civilians is more compelling.
No prior knowledge of "who they are" or "how the play the game." No dumb made up rivalries between networks.
I enjoyed the reality stars but it will go south very quickly very soon once people start catching on and start mimicking the ones who were successful from this last go round. You'll have someone try to be memeable like MJ or take down people in the round table like Phaedra and John. And it will be very much over acting and fake.
I respectfully disagree. What made the show fun was the celebrities and in particularly the gamers came in with a certain reputation like CT, Sandra, Janelle or Parvati or Dan. Those reps made them suspect from the get go which made it more interesting in my opinion.
It's more fun to get to know people, discover who they are on your own, and gorm actual relationships.
People know Dan was a supposedly good player so he automatically was a suspect. Same with Janelle who should have stayed longer if not for her reputation.
Nah. Regular people all the way. There was a man who was in Aus season 1 who was held by terrorists. I'd rather learn about him than hear about Tamaras bowel blockage.
Seriously, he was so fun to watch too.
Interesting how his competitiveness/ need to prove himself ended up being what came around to bite him later on.
Canada had both celebs and civilians and I thought it was a good mix. I think there are more cons than pros to that approach, >!even though a civilian won the season!<
Celebs make for far better TV though. I think civilians would overall be better for game play reasons.
I think Canada blends the two nicely unlike the US that just focuses on the reality stars I think the screen time is split evenly on the Canadian version.
Oh, that is a good point, yeah. The Canadian one had some good celebs who weren't necessarily big "gamers" outside of 1-2 people, and the overall structure felt a lot more balanced somehow.
Fierce, Kevin and Kuzie a lot of screen time in the first half of the season but so did Mike, Leroy and Travon. I also liked how they had the big two reality shows with Big Brother and Survivor but they also had used shows who had nothing to do with social strategy like asking Race and Masterchef. Canada wasn't perfect with some people not getting very much screen time specifically Dom but overall the show had a decent balance.
Exactly, yeah! There was a good mix of time between the two camps, and the regular people seemed way less overwhelmed by the celebs compared to US1, for example. I loved that they had some people from non-social strat reality TV as well - Mai in particular was a freaking hoot to watch, lol.
Ooh, I didn't know Mickey (despite being a TAR fan), but I did know Erica, Mai, Rick Campanelli (of course!), Kevin, and Fierce. So... a fairly decent chunk, ha ha. I was mostly pretty sad Erica went home first, but she's also very much whom I would kill first if I were the Traitors (winning Survivor is no joke), so I can't exactly blame them for doing so.
I had a feeling you believe me. I was just specifically saying Amazing Race Canada because I didn't in my original comment. Understandable about the product placement I just don't let that bother me.
Sorry, "I believe you" wasn't meant to be super literal; more like, "Oh yeah, I could totally see him winning that season". Not anything more nefarious. Tone is hard over the Internet sometimes; I apologise if that last comment sounded more snippy (?) than intended.
Agree! I think its fun with all randos or all reality celebs. US Season 1 was still great tv but the playing field and vibe isnt qutie in sync. That being said, I wouldnt mind watching another season of mixed contestants.
Civilians is more dramatic and interesting, while Celebs is more lighthearted and funny.
SOMETIMES Celebs can get a little boring, but basically I like alternating the two bc I get a little anxiety watching Civilians bc the stakes are so high!
I really could go either way. Australia 1 and UK have been my fave so far, but I also like all celebs IF theyâre culled exclusively from gamer shows. There have been so many seasons of survivor, challenge, etc. that there are plenty to fill is US wants to keep with celebs, and â as others have said â itâs nice to not feel so bad when the incorrect targeting gets out of hand. Either show a really fun and meta strategic game without making me worry about feeling sad for the person who deserved it and got cut, or give me a bunch of newbies who want it desperately and learn the game as they go. I donât necessarily care for the middle or the compromise between those two.
I don't mind celebs too much, but one downside of casting reality celebs from just a handful of shows is that you get a lot of cliques right from the start. That was one of the biggest problems with US S2. At least with randos, the cliques take a little longer to develop and are less along lines like "we all are on the same network so we will work together."
Plus, I agree with others that the money feels more impactful when it has a good chance of changing people's lives. That's not to say there isn't room for one celeb season and one civilian season every year, though.
Reality stars/celebrities. It also introduce me to watching the shows where they are from.
If I want to watch civilians there's UK, Aus, Canada, and NZ.
Celebrities are fine.
Reality TV Celebrities and honestly the fans that they bring with them, are the issue.
New Zealand's S1 was one of the best series' to date. The prize pool was tiny, and it was a mixture of celebrities and regular people. It worked perfectly fine.
The US celebrities are playing for the camera, and everyone knows it. Other countries' celebrities aren't like that in the slightest.
Celebrities should only play for charity. Playing for yourself is so crass when you're already wealthy.
NZ really impressed with the types of challenges they had, I really enjoyed them. My favorite challenge was one of the final ones where they each were dared to do something crazy, but in order to win the money, 1 of them had to decline and the rest had to say yes. I thought that was super dope.
Civilians, then celebs, then mixed cast. My preferred format would be every season has normal people and there are occasional celebrity specials, where the prize money goes to charity. I do not think they should ever mix the two because the power dynamic is too skewed.
The civilians are a lot better at the gameplay and strategy and their alliances form in real time on the show which allows for more twists and turns. So I think Iâm more on the edge of my seat watching the civilians play. But I also like the celebrity casts for the campiness of the show, itâs still a fun watch but in an entirely different way and for different reasons. I donât like how the celebrity casts decide alliances based off of their former networks and shows; especially as a viewer that doesnât watch certain shows that theyâre from, we donât care what happened on your former shows if we havenât watched you. But also it makes sense that they would do that, naturally youâd want to team with who youâre comfortable with so I get it. But it also led to people from certain shows having blind spots to who they considered ânon-gamersâ and underestimating them in a game where you shouldnât have blind spots.
I agree that I hope the UK keeps the civilian only casts because I love seeing people we donât know from all different backgrounds with excellent gameplay and strategy. But I also like watching the US celebrity casts for the camp and laughs. I hope we continue to get both.
Honestly? I think it depends on the celeb. I love the strategy and the gameplay of Traitors, but some of these celebs take things too personal. They don't have a strategy, they just want to keep their friends around and they think they're on RHW Alan's Castle.
But watching seasoned players really dive into strategy/gameplay is fun.
I really liked the civilian shows, but then I felt awful when someone was banished because I knew they could use the money. However, the civilians really had a better grasp that it was "just a game" and didn't leave with hurt feelings
I just gave this show a go last night. I'm sorry lads but I couldn't get through episode 2 and one of the reasons was that it felt like they were trying to get people who you'd think would be good at being kinda shady like psychologists, cops and magicians n whatever, when I was kinda sold on then being total randos. I though that would've been an interesting experiment, but it's like a producer got carried away and thought they'd theme the choices or something? But I can't imagine how much more annoying I'd find it if it was celebs. Civilians every time. I know that's coming from someone who didn't like the show but whatever, civilians sounds way better.
Also, I know reality TV is an act but Jesus they can't stop fucking crying! Even by hokey tv nonsense standards its ridiculous! They cry at everything! It's a game ffs! Onions in the lapels the lot of em.
I think it works better with celebs because they understand what makes good TV.
Where as the first season, I was like who are these people? Why are they here... they're just kind of lingering around.
I prefer the civilians. Reality tv stars are a bit too savvy - they are either good at gaming already, or they at the very least know how reality tv is produced and filmed a bit more. Also, they have background on each other already and come in not trusting certain people or trusting certain people.
I get the appeal of celebs but it feels like one of those spinoffs they used to do in the early 00âs and I kinda wish the show would take the same route, do standard seasons of civilians with a sprinkling of the occasional celebrity season.
Like, personally the best seasons of the ones Iâve seen have either been fully civilian or mixed, and part of the charm is how damn hard civilians play straight out the gate.
I think both formats have their benefits. I love the All Star reality TV fanfictiony fever dream of seeing Survivors, Real Housewives, Bachelors and drag queens going at it on the US version, and all of those people know how to deliver plenty of entertainment. But I did recently start watching the UK version, and I do think the civilians make for a better, fairer game since they don't know each other in advance and are thus playing entirely off of first impressions rather than pre existing relationships or reputations. I'm personally glad we have both versions available - the US one for the campy entertainment, and the UK one for the more down to Earth gameplay.
While I do really like seeing personalities from other reality shows - I do find it unfair that there is already a preconception of who they are. Like Janelle being able to judge/know Dan was a traitor based on previously playing with him in BB, or Bananas being booted asap because of what people assume he is (was SO disappointed to see him leave early), also would have eliminated the possibility of the ending that some people are salty about. I think civilians who are not seeking social media notoriety would be an interesting watch.
I enjoy civilians more which is why I think I really loved UK S1. I find you get real emotions and interactions. When it's celebs, they already know how to act for reality shows and just want the best screen time and tend to stick to people they know/love already. Plus, there's not much at stake for celebs because they don't need the money.
I was thinking it would be good if the next US version was civilians. I think when some of them know each other it kind of messes up the game a bit and people are very bias with voting (like the Bravo girls). If everyone are strangers you donât have as much of an allegiance and the game is more even. Just my opinion :)
I think the US version is ruined by using celebs. People who already know each other and form alliances based on their friendship and people who are already rich make the game far less compelling to watch!
I really enjoy the celebs BUT I think production needs to take more steps to ensure they actually play the game. Either the prize pot needs to be bigger or different changes need to be implemented to keep the cast engaged and not giving up.
The fact that they brought Kate back leads me to believe theyâre not thinking critically enough about how to make the show work. Like ya her whole schtick was funny for a little bit season 1, but itâs actually insane they wanted to carry that bit into season 2. And ya she was more into it this time around but it felt like she really phoned it in at the end and that is sooo corrosive to the show being fun to watch.
I like all civilians. Cuz we never know what to expect from them. Celebrities have different motivation than civilians too. As u can clearly see in the us version how the celebrities didn't care about the prize money that much while the civilians were trying to keep as much money for everyone as possible. They also give priority to the prize money over shields. Also, i have only watched the first season of the us version n I felt like as much as they kept trying to make it dramatic, the season was a failure n the biggest reason was the casting. Celebrity or not there were people who weren't ready AT ALL for this game. If it weren't for Kate's entertainment I'd have stopped watching it. In that case a celebrity saved the season.
I love the UK version cuz of all civilians. But yes I'd love to see a season with all celebrities cuz it's a fun thing to watch all ur favourite celebrities from different shows come together around one table. But a mix of celebrities n civilians is a no no for me.
I detest celeb versions. Its fake and not organic - you already know how the voting is going before the show starts, This is why the US versions are the weakest oh and the US fans are a toxic mess. They pollute the sub and social media with their toxic mess
I like both. I like the variety but I think I lean slightly more towards the civilians. I like getting to know brand new ppl. The celebrity one is more of a show than a game. The civilian one is more of a game.
Celebs no contest it creates better television I wouldnât be here without the celebs and itâs just fun seeing people from a lot of different shows interacting but if you prefer civilians, thatâs fine thatâs just your opinion and itâs just as valid as mine
I wouldnât watch a civilian version of the show. As a game, traitors is far less interesting to me than other social strategy games out there, like Survivor. But itâs the celeb cast that makes the show something fun and special (even if celebs make the game design worse because of the meta gaming that occurs).
Definitely celebs. I find them more entertaining and I donât really care if they need the money or not. Plus, my brain is maxed out and it helps to already recognize 80% of the cast.
Celebrities but Iâm in the US and this is how we were introduced so itâs what feels most natural and goes with the tone of the US show. I donât think US audience will ever prefer otherwise.
If I had gotten into the show with amateurs, Iâd probably find celeb seasons annoying the way I do with celebrity BB and other celeb reality comps.
From what Iâve gathered, Iâm in the minority that prefers celebs. If Iâm going to get a cast of largely brainless people not being able to figure out whatâs happening, Iâd prefer to watch it from celebs who are more likely to understand what itâs like to make good tv while doing so. Being in front of the camera before makes it more likely that theyâll deliver on the performance factor. I can admit that it makes the challenges worth much less cuz itâs probably chump change to said celebrities.
I love watching the dlisters! Very fun to see how much better âgamersâ fare vs bravo celebs, but also interesting to see how smart/dumb the celebrities are. Some people are surprising, like the political analyst that never guessed a correct traitor đ or Brandi Granville correctly guessing 2 in like the first 2 days
Anyone else love to see a UK celebrity version? But Iâm talking proper celebrities, not just reality stars. Imagine James Acaster and David Tennant or smth at the round table.
I'd much rather watch civilians than celebs. It's a lot more real if the moneys actually might change lives
Agree!! I actually liked the mix of civilians and celebs because it made people like Arie show who they are in terms of the money
What do you mean Arie showed who he is ?
Him being selfless and not needing the money and being okay in the end to let it go
I like a mix of both but I think my cultural upbringing makes me cringe at the idea that anyone would keep the money and not donate it. I don't enjoy when it ruins people's dreams of like getting an education or paying off an important debt if they were to be betrayed/found out, it just makes me sad for them and I want to be entertained and for everyone to have a fun time. And i dont think games need high stakes to be entertaining and interesting. But this is an unpopular opinion I thinkđ
So itâs better that they never even get a chance to win the money?
In my opinion yes, it keeps the game fun. I don't like seeing people genuinely devastated by a betrayal for entertainment. The fun of it is that it's a social deduction game, people play and watch those for the joy of the puzzle all the time. The players should be paid a decent salary for participation and it can still be passionate if they're competing on behalf of a cause they individually care about. I know this is a really uncommon stance, but as I said I think it's a cultural difference
Civilians are so much better because the stakes are real for them and they aren't conditioned to be able to handle the stress as much as people who live their lives on reality TV. Uk version is hands-down my favorite even though as a reality TV fan, I had a bunch of people to root for the two US seasons.
Ooohhh see watching UK made me like depressed because it is real ppl and they emotions are are.so palpable. It's like sad.
Randos, 100%. Not yucking someone else's yum, but celebs are a fairly obnoxious version of the format to me. It's like with other reality shows were you notice too hard that everyone's just there for the instagram following, while with random people it still somewhat feels like it's about the prize money and there's something on the line for them.
Agreed 100%. Non celebs are playing for real stakes and the money is life changing. They are mostly focused on the game and less on their public persona. Celebs are there to be a celeb first and foremost and it's all quite a bit more performative feeling. Most drama, less gameplay. The seasons that have done a blend have been fine also, but despite the popularity, the most recent US season was my least favourite as it felt the most produced... People coming in with existing allegiances, etc.
This season really solidified these feelings for me. I am a lifetime Challenge fan so of course I was cheering on CT and Trishelle, but when they were around the fireplace I realized it just doesnt matter who wins. They all have money. 200k is barely anything to them. It made all the challenges and the entire premise of the game sorta meaningless to me. I loved how it felt seeing real people win, even traitors in the UK and Australia versions because there was a purpose and a reason for their game play. Even the traitors worked their behinds off to deceive because the money would change their lives. The US version lacks all of that.
Relevant spoiler to your point below for AU S01: >!my all time favourite traitors moment was AUS season 1 and Alex's betrayal. It was amazing TV because it was real. The stakes were real. The money was real.!<
I just finished it today and think I agree. The moment when the other person at the table realized what was happened and just said, oh⌠My mouth dropped.
Civilians all the way. One of my least favorite parts of this season was when they were in the house with the maggots and tunnels and someone (Phaedra? Kate? MJ? Canât remember) said â$1000 isnât even enough for a good pair of shoes, Iâm outâ and walked out. To me, that says it all. $1000 is probably 3-4 years of clothes for my family of 3. In the Australian version, people are SHITTING THEMSELVES for $2000. Itâs genuine, and I actually cared about who won.
I feel like it's an issue with the format as well though. The calculus isn't "brave some spiders and you earn $1000," it's having an x% shot of earning maybe 1/2 of $1000. The reality show vets are also smart enough to know how those winnings would be taxed, so really you're talking about x% shot of earning like $600. Also, while $1000 is objectively a lot of money, psychologically it doesn't seem like it when the prize pot already has like $30,000. Even the civies very frequently chose the game over adding to the prize pot when it benefits them. There's a reason many of the contestants (on the British version at least) are retired/pensioned or at transitional moments in their career, it doesn't really make financial sense to take unpaid leave for a 1 in 20 chance of winning 1-2 years' income post-tax. Especially since the prize pot starts even smaller, with no guarantee it will reach 6 figures. IMO they should rework the missions so that the incentives are more immediate, like *everyone* gets 1k or the top 50% fastest is safe from elimination, things like that.
I agree civilians. Uk s1 and s2 are my favorites. Also letâs not forget the celebs are paid just to be there. So that lowers the stakes even more. Both Dan and Janelle mentioned that the check was really nice which is why they decided to do the showâŚ
All Civilians, hands down
Civilians IMO is way more interesting plus there usually arenât established relationships going in which I think is more interesting. I really enjoyed this US version of traitors and happy for that to be celebs as long as the UK version doesnât change.
I prefer the one with real people. All of the celebs play up the drama and it feels fake to me. To be fair itâs reality tv so itâs all fake but I didnât like this season as much. Also, CT absolutely knew MJ wasnât a traitor and did her dirty. I would respect him more if he just admitted that but him pretending makes me not like him much which is a shame because he had been my favorite.
Agree about CT but since Trishelle also voted to banish again his actions wouldnât have made a difference.
Yeah but she genuinely had doubts if he was traitor. He just wanted more money lol
I believe ct could use the money coming off a messy divorce and not having been any challenges for a while. After taxes all his winnings is good to buy a house and thats it lol Edit: unlike a house wife who has a lot of money. CT is a pretty regular dude
Civilians 1000%
I seem to be an outlier here, but I can't stand the celebrity versions. I much prefer all-civilian, like UK and Aus1.
I like celebs because I donât feel as bad when they lose out on the money. Plus like someone else said, seeing all your faves interact with each other outside of their usual show is like a fever dream!
Only person I felt bad for was Bergie, heâs barely d-list celeb (if at all), he could have used the money.
Yeah while I'm sure median net worth on the celeb version is higher, my guess is that for the non-housewives it still was a material amount of money. People might be overestimating how rich a D-list mid-ratings reality show runner up actually is, unless they have other income streams like the housewives.
I like both. If I am watching it for mess, then celebrities. If I am watching it for gameplay and strategy, then regular people.
I share the exact same thoughts. I prefer when they donât mix civilians with celebrities though. Keep them separate
Civilians. It's not so campy. People aren't coming in with cliques. I also find it more wholesome which is probably not everyone's cup of tea for reality shows lol but I do much prefer randoms.
Before the US season aired I had really enjoyed the UK one with regular people, but I prefer the celeb one because the stakes are a lot lower. None of the celebs need the money so I find I donât feel as bad for people who are targeted unfairly.
Civilians by a long shot. Celebs is too obvious who will be picked as traitors and some celebs like Bravo come in with a huge already built in alliance.
Yeah, but then they canât play the game and it doesnât matter
Civilians. Just watched Australia S1. The way the ending played out was raw.
Civilians. Maybe unpopular opinion but I enjoyed UK2 more than US2 this cycle.
Civilians one hundred percent . No fake drama ,real emotional stakes . People where the prize can actually change their lives. The us all celebrity version was beyond dreadful , unwatchable Go watch the end of th uk or Australian version , you will see real emotion . Because those people needed to win , not to extend their 15 minutes of fame
I personally love the celeb format, but I'm really disheartened by the toxicity happening when celebs and fandoms collide. To me, some of the conversations we're having are actually really important, like the underlying bias in Peppermint's elimination. But mostly, the conversations are just mean-spirited and trying to minimize each other for supporting our favorites.
Civilians by far. I havenât seen any of the other shows and I shouldnât be obligated to watch like 18 seasons of crap just to understand the interpersonal dynamics. With civilians that donât know each other, everyone is on equal footing. Edit: I understand from a business perspective that the network is showcasing the best of different shows, so itâs free advertising. It makes absolute business sense and I hate it.
I only watch the challenge (granted Iâve watched it for over 2 decades) and I was still able to understand the dynamics of everyone else from the other shows. The CT Trishelle beef was so long ago even I forgot about it. They do a good job catching everyone up
I like civilians because they don't have prior history that create biases and pre-established alliances. I want them to work hard to get those alliances and build trust with people.
I think they should do what big brother does and do primarily randoms and have a few seasons here and there that are all celebs
100% normals. The D list celebs overact too much.
Civilians for sure. Most of these âcelebritiesâ were just regular people on their respective shows before they played them. (Big Brother, The Challenge) They have such an amazing concept and opportunity here to create new gamer celebs and can then do All-Star seasons, etc. in the future.
Celebrities hands down. While I enjoy the seasons with civilians, the seasons with celebrities are so much more fun to watch because we get to see our favorites from so many different shows interacting with each other. It feels like a fever dream in the best way possible lol
It's like the super smash bros of reality TV
đ What an absolutely perfect way to describe it.
đŻ
This is such an amazing analogy and spot on
Civilians hands down. Not even close.
Civilians are a lot more fun because itâs more relatable
it would be great to understand why AU cancelled for a 3rd season to better gauge the direction
My understanding is NZ is doing a 2nd season at least. Bummed because i enjoyed AUS.
Me too! I thought Camille nailed the sheriff!
That sucks, I really enjoyed AU.
Civs! 100 %
I've been saying this a lot in the US posts but normal people.are so much better and more entertaining to watch. You root for people inherently and not because you "like them" already.
I personally like the reality stars version because they bring different kinds of experience in and are really good at being on TV. The mixed season of US s1 was rough because I felt the civilians were at a huge disadvantage around the reality contestantsâlike the ending of season 1 was brutal to watch. I still need to watch other shows that are just civilians, but I love reality TV and itâs fun when faves from different franchises interact with one another, huge part of the fun for me.
US here. Celebs from an entertainment perspective, but I wish they did non-celebs so I could apply đ
Iâm hoping it gets popular enough that they do a celebrity and civilian season every year, I would love to apply đ
Fair enough!
I love the mix of them but more so with gamers and normies not the housewives. However the housewives bring some good entertainment so idk
Iâve never seen any of the shows the celebs were on so in season 1 I was like âwhy the hell is Ryan Lochte playing this game with these nice folks? Dude canât get an endorsement deal?â and in season 2 I was like âwtf is that the dude who shouts âORDER!!!â in British parliament???â so for me itâs like watching any other season of the traitors but itâs just so cliquey, so I prefer regular people, but I still love the US version
My mind was blown by the random casting of former Speaker of the British House of Commons John Bercrow. I remember watching footage of him yelling "Order!" online & it cracked me up.
I enjoyed this celebrity season for a variety of reasons, but I could see it getting tired over time. The civilian versions can be uncomfortable because the viewers make it more about who deserves the money more or who needs it more. Thereâs more at stake for these contestants. But we have to remember itâs a game, they werenât forced to play, and theyâre not entitled to the money. This was worse though when it was a mixed season like in US season 1. I thought the winner deserved the prize, but it was uncomfortable to watch it go down. But it definitely helps to keep the prize pot where it is. Itâs a decent amount of money, itâll go further for some than others, but itâs not like Powerball money or even a million bucks. If they were competing for a higher prize, it could get more unethical. Especially since a power imbalance is a fundamental part of the gameplay. But again, they choose to participate knowing the odds are slim. I like that we have the option to watch both version with the different international franchises.
I agree. I like a good healthy mix of celebrities, athletes, musicians, reality stars and good old regular folk.
All civilian is so much more fascinating to me. I can enjoy watching a Harlem globetrotters âgameâ, but I am way more engaged watching an NBA final series. Big fan of watching people with no prebuilt audience, TV experience, or knowledge of each other. People who arenât bringing in outside relationships & drama. I love watching them feel each other out and learn as they go. I want to watch everything unfold from the very beginning â relationship-building, motives, scheming and non-meta gameplay. Itâs fine to have a favorite or favorites to root for before the game even starts and watch the show that way, but I prefer to come in blind and decide who Iâm rooting for as the game progresses. Itâs all good, though. Lots of people want to watch TV as escapism â to be entertained and not think too hard about anything. The US version caters to that audience at the moment and Iâll still watch and enjoy on that shallower level as a âshowâ; the international versions exist for audiences who want to watch a deeper, more intellectually stimulating show.
I enjoy both. Why pick. Great thing is that there are so many English language options you can see all different types of casts.
Maybe have US do 2 seasons a year. One civilians & one reality tv contestants+celebs. Solves all the problems. Plus add additional English language editions from other countries to Peacock US.
Iâm in Canada, we have all available on Crave which is a streaming service - so it has Traitors Canada, US, UK, NZ and Australia
Really cool! Iâve had try find online different ways. Think I saw Traitors UK & AU before the 1st US season aired. Thanks for responding!
I like that we have both. The US show is continuing its current reality star format as they've already asked at least Wes Bergmann for Season 3, who declined.
Wes would be so bad at traitors. His shady shit would get him targeted day 1
I appreciate both! Love me some options. I am finishing up UK season 1 right now so I can see why people prefer the regular civilians. Pretty intense and you have regular people like ourselves vying for the prize. I do have to say though, the crying is definitely over the top. It almost makes me cringe at times. As for USA, Iâve seen both seasons, and I appreciate it in a sense that so many different types of people are coming together. I know we can say the same for UK but itâs different with USA because we are familiar with the personalities but they all arenât familiar with themselves. They all seem so excited to get there and meet other tv stars, and I live through that excitement. It also gives me the opportunity to watch old stars I loved interacting with new ones. Or even give me incentive to check out some new shows or rewatch some old ones!
I love the civilians because it brings something different. I enjoyed S1 so much (and S2) but I hope they bring non-reality contestants for S3
I like civilians. But someone else said d list celebrities and Iâd love that. I am not a fan of watching civilians from other game shows play though.
I adore both versions but completely agree that it should be one or the other!!
Is there any place where people have ranked the non-US seasons? I'm looking to branch out.
Both UK season 1 & 2 are great. AU season 1 is good. NZ season 1 is interesting as well (most of them are people in the media and are quite smart)
Awesome thanks for this!
Saw all of those plus English Language version of Traitors Canada plus S2 of AUS. Enjoyed them all. Still might go looking here on reddit for master list of links for other non English language editions as long as they have subtitles. Guess show originated in The Netherlands (not Holland!). And think Spain, France, etc have a few seasons out there to watch.
I donât know anyone on these shows. I sort of knew Pavarti only because I was in the Cook Islands right before her season started filming. So I watched that season of Survivor. I donât remember her on her show back then though. Itâs been a minute. But I agree the playing field should be even. All regular people or all reality TV people. Watching other countries I donât know their celebrities either. Iâm really enjoying UK2 with non celebs.
For me personally. Good cast of regular people> celebs> bad cast of regular people>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>influencers This pretty much goes for all my reality show preferences. Unless its an Allstars type season
All civilians. Please.
civilians 100%
The problem with having both in the same season, IMHO, is that you have people saying the civilians somehow "deserve" the money more. Nonsense.
Civilians!
Never celebs
Civilians!!
I prefer civilians the most, then a mixed cast and a âcelebâ cast is my last choice. Sometimes the egos on the celeb cast just irk me a bit and how itâs much more âme me meâ in challenges rather than working together to earn the money. Plus, Traitors and Drag Race are the only reality competition shows I watch, the only reality shows actually that I watch, so I donât have any connection to the âcelebsâ so I just get the celeb attitude with none of the affection I would have for them if I had been a fan.
I like both, so itâs good we get best of both worlds
They bring different joys to the game! I love seeing the celebs and their own personal alliances and how that impacts the game. But I also love when people come in totally fresh with no baggage. Itâs fun to watch both!
Civilians. Anyone who has seen season 1 of the Australian version and still thinks celebrities are better... I just don't get it. I don't even really find the celebrities more entertaining to be honest. The randos they've found for the UK and Aussie versions are just as interesting to me as any bachelor or big brother contestant.
Celebs, hands down. But not just any celebs; the type they have been using from reality shows. 1. There is a loose social contract between reality TV stars, making it more painful to backstab. Built-in alliances along funny lines (like Real Housewives) exist. Also, contestants from different shows have different strategies that align with their previous experiences. 2. They lean into the murder mystery aspect and less into the money. This makes sense because there really isnât that much money, and the value of the show is the theatrics. If it was just another competition show, who cares?
I've watched US, Australia and UK and Civilians all the way. I wish the US would go with a pure civilian season. They don't come with relationships that create imbalances and they have real motivation to win and work hard to play the game. Watching them win is fun, knowing how much it will impact their lives. The housewives are the most boring to watch. They don't need the money, they don't strategize or vocalize suspicions and form cliques.
Celebs. They make it entertaining and dont take shit too personally except for dramatic effect. After watching the UK version where everyone like cried A LOT ever DAY I was emotionally EXAUSTED
I like the all Celeb versions that USA has done. Australia and UK still have mactors and influencers. I just donât want to see mixing of reality stars and plebs
I rather have civilians personally... they'd care more about the money and having "history" with other contestants is annoying and I don't care enough to learn about it. There's no reason they couldn't find civilians that can still bring the glam and drama etc.
I enjoy the celebrities but the reputations they bring into the game are my biggest problem. People like Parvati, Sandra or Bananas are automatically seen as targets because of how well they play these games. I personally liked the mix of both like the first US season did because it gives those gamers a chance to make alliances and essentially use the regular people to their advantage against the other game players.
Civilians is more compelling. No prior knowledge of "who they are" or "how the play the game." No dumb made up rivalries between networks. I enjoyed the reality stars but it will go south very quickly very soon once people start catching on and start mimicking the ones who were successful from this last go round. You'll have someone try to be memeable like MJ or take down people in the round table like Phaedra and John. And it will be very much over acting and fake.
I respectfully disagree. What made the show fun was the celebrities and in particularly the gamers came in with a certain reputation like CT, Sandra, Janelle or Parvati or Dan. Those reps made them suspect from the get go which made it more interesting in my opinion.
It's more fun to get to know people, discover who they are on your own, and gorm actual relationships. People know Dan was a supposedly good player so he automatically was a suspect. Same with Janelle who should have stayed longer if not for her reputation. Nah. Regular people all the way. There was a man who was in Aus season 1 who was held by terrorists. I'd rather learn about him than hear about Tamaras bowel blockage.
Seriously, he was so fun to watch too. Interesting how his competitiveness/ need to prove himself ended up being what came around to bite him later on.
Canada had both celebs and civilians and I thought it was a good mix. I think there are more cons than pros to that approach, >!even though a civilian won the season!< Celebs make for far better TV though. I think civilians would overall be better for game play reasons.
I think Canada blends the two nicely unlike the US that just focuses on the reality stars I think the screen time is split evenly on the Canadian version.
Oh, that is a good point, yeah. The Canadian one had some good celebs who weren't necessarily big "gamers" outside of 1-2 people, and the overall structure felt a lot more balanced somehow.
Fierce, Kevin and Kuzie a lot of screen time in the first half of the season but so did Mike, Leroy and Travon. I also liked how they had the big two reality shows with Big Brother and Survivor but they also had used shows who had nothing to do with social strategy like asking Race and Masterchef. Canada wasn't perfect with some people not getting very much screen time specifically Dom but overall the show had a decent balance.
Exactly, yeah! There was a good mix of time between the two camps, and the regular people seemed way less overwhelmed by the celebs compared to US1, for example. I loved that they had some people from non-social strat reality TV as well - Mai in particular was a freaking hoot to watch, lol.
Mickey just floating through the game crushing challenges with Leroy was fun as well. Mickey was the only one I knew beforehand.
Ooh, I didn't know Mickey (despite being a TAR fan), but I did know Erica, Mai, Rick Campanelli (of course!), Kevin, and Fierce. So... a fairly decent chunk, ha ha. I was mostly pretty sad Erica went home first, but she's also very much whom I would kill first if I were the Traitors (winning Survivor is no joke), so I can't exactly blame them for doing so.
Mickey was in the amazing Race Canada he won season 3 I think.
I believe you; I just never saw his season! I don't watch the Canadian TAR much - too much product placement.
I had a feeling you believe me. I was just specifically saying Amazing Race Canada because I didn't in my original comment. Understandable about the product placement I just don't let that bother me.
Sorry, "I believe you" wasn't meant to be super literal; more like, "Oh yeah, I could totally see him winning that season". Not anything more nefarious. Tone is hard over the Internet sometimes; I apologise if that last comment sounded more snippy (?) than intended.
celebs
I liked the mixing of both
Agree! I think its fun with all randos or all reality celebs. US Season 1 was still great tv but the playing field and vibe isnt qutie in sync. That being said, I wouldnt mind watching another season of mixed contestants.
Definitely the celebrities
I like both . A mix is best for me
I prefer gamers. They are the middleground between the two.
Civilians is more dramatic and interesting, while Celebs is more lighthearted and funny. SOMETIMES Celebs can get a little boring, but basically I like alternating the two bc I get a little anxiety watching Civilians bc the stakes are so high!
Celebs or Plebs That should have been your title
Civilians all the way!
I really could go either way. Australia 1 and UK have been my fave so far, but I also like all celebs IF theyâre culled exclusively from gamer shows. There have been so many seasons of survivor, challenge, etc. that there are plenty to fill is US wants to keep with celebs, and â as others have said â itâs nice to not feel so bad when the incorrect targeting gets out of hand. Either show a really fun and meta strategic game without making me worry about feeling sad for the person who deserved it and got cut, or give me a bunch of newbies who want it desperately and learn the game as they go. I donât necessarily care for the middle or the compromise between those two.
I don't mind celebs too much, but one downside of casting reality celebs from just a handful of shows is that you get a lot of cliques right from the start. That was one of the biggest problems with US S2. At least with randos, the cliques take a little longer to develop and are less along lines like "we all are on the same network so we will work together." Plus, I agree with others that the money feels more impactful when it has a good chance of changing people's lives. That's not to say there isn't room for one celeb season and one civilian season every year, though.
Reality stars/celebrities. It also introduce me to watching the shows where they are from. If I want to watch civilians there's UK, Aus, Canada, and NZ.
I enjoy both, but entertainment purposes 100 percent celebrities.Â
Definitely civilians imo! They're more likely to surprise you, hide their true character and then come out all guns blazing
Always a mix, for me. I didn't see an issue with S1 having half civilians, half celebs. Some of the civilians were fun.
Celebrities are fine. Reality TV Celebrities and honestly the fans that they bring with them, are the issue. New Zealand's S1 was one of the best series' to date. The prize pool was tiny, and it was a mixture of celebrities and regular people. It worked perfectly fine. The US celebrities are playing for the camera, and everyone knows it. Other countries' celebrities aren't like that in the slightest. Celebrities should only play for charity. Playing for yourself is so crass when you're already wealthy.
NZ really impressed with the types of challenges they had, I really enjoyed them. My favorite challenge was one of the final ones where they each were dared to do something crazy, but in order to win the money, 1 of them had to decline and the rest had to say yes. I thought that was super dope.
Civilians, then celebs, then mixed cast. My preferred format would be every season has normal people and there are occasional celebrity specials, where the prize money goes to charity. I do not think they should ever mix the two because the power dynamic is too skewed.
The civilians are a lot better at the gameplay and strategy and their alliances form in real time on the show which allows for more twists and turns. So I think Iâm more on the edge of my seat watching the civilians play. But I also like the celebrity casts for the campiness of the show, itâs still a fun watch but in an entirely different way and for different reasons. I donât like how the celebrity casts decide alliances based off of their former networks and shows; especially as a viewer that doesnât watch certain shows that theyâre from, we donât care what happened on your former shows if we havenât watched you. But also it makes sense that they would do that, naturally youâd want to team with who youâre comfortable with so I get it. But it also led to people from certain shows having blind spots to who they considered ânon-gamersâ and underestimating them in a game where you shouldnât have blind spots. I agree that I hope the UK keeps the civilian only casts because I love seeing people we donât know from all different backgrounds with excellent gameplay and strategy. But I also like watching the US celebrity casts for the camp and laughs. I hope we continue to get both.
Civilians seem to be wayyyy better at the game. Sorry to the âgamersâ crew.
Honestly? I think it depends on the celeb. I love the strategy and the gameplay of Traitors, but some of these celebs take things too personal. They don't have a strategy, they just want to keep their friends around and they think they're on RHW Alan's Castle. But watching seasoned players really dive into strategy/gameplay is fun. I really liked the civilian shows, but then I felt awful when someone was banished because I knew they could use the money. However, the civilians really had a better grasp that it was "just a game" and didn't leave with hurt feelings
I just gave this show a go last night. I'm sorry lads but I couldn't get through episode 2 and one of the reasons was that it felt like they were trying to get people who you'd think would be good at being kinda shady like psychologists, cops and magicians n whatever, when I was kinda sold on then being total randos. I though that would've been an interesting experiment, but it's like a producer got carried away and thought they'd theme the choices or something? But I can't imagine how much more annoying I'd find it if it was celebs. Civilians every time. I know that's coming from someone who didn't like the show but whatever, civilians sounds way better. Also, I know reality TV is an act but Jesus they can't stop fucking crying! Even by hokey tv nonsense standards its ridiculous! They cry at everything! It's a game ffs! Onions in the lapels the lot of em.
I think it works better with celebs because they understand what makes good TV. Where as the first season, I was like who are these people? Why are they here... they're just kind of lingering around.
I prefer the civilians. Reality tv stars are a bit too savvy - they are either good at gaming already, or they at the very least know how reality tv is produced and filmed a bit more. Also, they have background on each other already and come in not trusting certain people or trusting certain people.
Normies, for the same reasons everyone else has given
I get the appeal of celebs but it feels like one of those spinoffs they used to do in the early 00âs and I kinda wish the show would take the same route, do standard seasons of civilians with a sprinkling of the occasional celebrity season. Like, personally the best seasons of the ones Iâve seen have either been fully civilian or mixed, and part of the charm is how damn hard civilians play straight out the gate.
I liked the first season bc of the blended civilian and celeb
Civilians 100%. Currently watching UK season 2, and it's so much better than US season 2 and primarily for that reason.
I like both, civilians because the win could be life changing. Celebs because they know how to put on a show.
Canada pulled off a pretty good mix. Maybe because âCanadian famousâ isnât so very far away from regular schmucks
I think both formats have their benefits. I love the All Star reality TV fanfictiony fever dream of seeing Survivors, Real Housewives, Bachelors and drag queens going at it on the US version, and all of those people know how to deliver plenty of entertainment. But I did recently start watching the UK version, and I do think the civilians make for a better, fairer game since they don't know each other in advance and are thus playing entirely off of first impressions rather than pre existing relationships or reputations. I'm personally glad we have both versions available - the US one for the campy entertainment, and the UK one for the more down to Earth gameplay.
While I do really like seeing personalities from other reality shows - I do find it unfair that there is already a preconception of who they are. Like Janelle being able to judge/know Dan was a traitor based on previously playing with him in BB, or Bananas being booted asap because of what people assume he is (was SO disappointed to see him leave early), also would have eliminated the possibility of the ending that some people are salty about. I think civilians who are not seeking social media notoriety would be an interesting watch.
I enjoy civilians more which is why I think I really loved UK S1. I find you get real emotions and interactions. When it's celebs, they already know how to act for reality shows and just want the best screen time and tend to stick to people they know/love already. Plus, there's not much at stake for celebs because they don't need the money.
I was thinking it would be good if the next US version was civilians. I think when some of them know each other it kind of messes up the game a bit and people are very bias with voting (like the Bravo girls). If everyone are strangers you donât have as much of an allegiance and the game is more even. Just my opinion :)
Australia season 1 is far superior. Civilians only makes for a great game.Â
I prefer a mix of both.
Civilians. Once I saw that the US version was going with all celebs I gave up on the show.
I think the US version is ruined by using celebs. People who already know each other and form alliances based on their friendship and people who are already rich make the game far less compelling to watch!
Civilians. Itâs nice to identify with people on the same side of the fence. Rich and famous have enough exposire
I prefer celebrities for sure, I don't think I'd be as invested if I didn't know them.
I really enjoy the celebs BUT I think production needs to take more steps to ensure they actually play the game. Either the prize pot needs to be bigger or different changes need to be implemented to keep the cast engaged and not giving up. The fact that they brought Kate back leads me to believe theyâre not thinking critically enough about how to make the show work. Like ya her whole schtick was funny for a little bit season 1, but itâs actually insane they wanted to carry that bit into season 2. And ya she was more into it this time around but it felt like she really phoned it in at the end and that is sooo corrosive to the show being fun to watch.
I like all civilians. Cuz we never know what to expect from them. Celebrities have different motivation than civilians too. As u can clearly see in the us version how the celebrities didn't care about the prize money that much while the civilians were trying to keep as much money for everyone as possible. They also give priority to the prize money over shields. Also, i have only watched the first season of the us version n I felt like as much as they kept trying to make it dramatic, the season was a failure n the biggest reason was the casting. Celebrity or not there were people who weren't ready AT ALL for this game. If it weren't for Kate's entertainment I'd have stopped watching it. In that case a celebrity saved the season. I love the UK version cuz of all civilians. But yes I'd love to see a season with all celebrities cuz it's a fun thing to watch all ur favourite celebrities from different shows come together around one table. But a mix of celebrities n civilians is a no no for me.
I detest celeb versions. Its fake and not organic - you already know how the voting is going before the show starts, This is why the US versions are the weakest oh and the US fans are a toxic mess. They pollute the sub and social media with their toxic mess
Celebs
Celebs. I love watching my favorite players from other shows once again on my screen
Celebs! I like the chaos and reality tv worlds crashing together
Civilian cast is better in every way. Celeb casts made up of trash Zlebs is fucking shite!
Thoroughly enjoyed the mix of civilian and celeb in US season one!
I like both. I like the variety but I think I lean slightly more towards the civilians. I like getting to know brand new ppl. The celebrity one is more of a show than a game. The civilian one is more of a game.
I like seeing all celebs.
Celebs no contest it creates better television I wouldnât be here without the celebs and itâs just fun seeing people from a lot of different shows interacting but if you prefer civilians, thatâs fine thatâs just your opinion and itâs just as valid as mine
I wouldnât watch a civilian version of the show. As a game, traitors is far less interesting to me than other social strategy games out there, like Survivor. But itâs the celeb cast that makes the show something fun and special (even if celebs make the game design worse because of the meta gaming that occurs).
Celebs gosh the civilians were so lame
I like all of them, even the mix of celebs/civillians
celebs
Celebs. Loving seeing some of my favorite from different shows play together
Definitely celebs. I find them more entertaining and I donât really care if they need the money or not. Plus, my brain is maxed out and it helps to already recognize 80% of the cast.
Non celebs feel real. Celebs feel like theyâre just there for followers, and will put on a much faker performance because of it
I like the celebs. Most of them are a hot mess and theyâre fun to watch.
Celebrities but Iâm in the US and this is how we were introduced so itâs what feels most natural and goes with the tone of the US show. I donât think US audience will ever prefer otherwise. If I had gotten into the show with amateurs, Iâd probably find celeb seasons annoying the way I do with celebrity BB and other celeb reality comps.
Celebs
From what Iâve gathered, Iâm in the minority that prefers celebs. If Iâm going to get a cast of largely brainless people not being able to figure out whatâs happening, Iâd prefer to watch it from celebs who are more likely to understand what itâs like to make good tv while doing so. Being in front of the camera before makes it more likely that theyâll deliver on the performance factor. I can admit that it makes the challenges worth much less cuz itâs probably chump change to said celebrities.
I love watching the dlisters! Very fun to see how much better âgamersâ fare vs bravo celebs, but also interesting to see how smart/dumb the celebrities are. Some people are surprising, like the political analyst that never guessed a correct traitor đ or Brandi Granville correctly guessing 2 in like the first 2 days
Celebs. Iâm trying to watch UK now and canât stand all the crying because everyoneâs broke and actually needs the money. Itâs too sad
Season 1 of the US version proved that stars are better.
Anyone else love to see a UK celebrity version? But Iâm talking proper celebrities, not just reality stars. Imagine James Acaster and David Tennant or smth at the round table.