Three people with strong Atlanta ties are competing on the hit Peacock reality show “The Traitors,” which returned for its second season last week.
The series, set in a Scottish castle, features three secret “traitors” trying to knock the other 17 contestants (dubbed “faithfuls”) out of the game before they’re found out. In other words, it’s like a blend of “Clue,” “Survivor” and “Big Brother.” The word “murder” is, in fact, facetiously used to nix players.
Of the three contestants with Atlanta ties, two ended up being initial traitors: current “Married to Medicine” and former RHOA castmate Phaedra Parks and “Survivor” winner and Atlanta native Parvati Shallow. The third is Sherêe Whitfield, who has been on “Real Housewives of Atlanta” for a good portion of the past 16 years.
Credit: Todd Williamson/Peacock
Credit: Todd Williamson/Peacock
The show, with dramatic cinematography and music, is hosted by actor Alan Cumming, who chews up the scenery every time he appears to dispense information or provide the viewers commentary. He isn’t exactly an encouraging Jeff Probst type: “$30,000 is slipping from your moist fingers!” Cumming warns the group during the first challenge, set in a lake. “Hurry ― or you will fail miserably!”
The 20 contestants vying for up to $250,000 largely come from the reality show world and casting purposely chose a few people who knew each other from shows such as “Big Brother,” “Survivor,” “The Real Housewives of Miami” and “The Challenge.” And to throw a curveball, there is a former British politician and an ex-heavyweight boxer thrown in for good measure.
Cumming, as host, specifically chose Phaedra and “Big Brother” alum Dan Gheesling as the first two traitors. Dan and Phaedra then recruited Parvati to be the third traitor.
Each night, the traitors get to eliminate a player. But there are also roundtables where all the remaining players publicly vote out a player, with the faithful hoping to suss out the traitors.
Some of the players spend time trying to figure out the traitors by interpreting behavioral clues, such as how they react when something big happens or when someone says something provocative.
But in a show where paranoia reigns, figuring out the traitors isn’t so easy.
Trishelle Cannatella (”Real World: Las Vegas”) misread the comments of Peppermint (”RuPaul’s Drag Race”) and convinced most of the other players to eliminate her in the second episode. And in episode three, boxer Deontay Wilder offered up a convincing indictment of innocent “faithful” Maks Chmerkovskiy (“Dancing With the Stars”) that proved entirely false but convinced enough other contestants to vote him out of the game.
After three episodes that debuted Jan. 12, Parks has managed to stay under the radar. Not a single person on screen has targeted her as a potential traitor. Parks, an attorney and mortuary owner, embraced her role as a traitor with a particular strategy in mind: “Do just enough but not too much.”
Unfortunately, fellow traitor Dan during the third episode was seen as a possible traitor by contestants Larsa Pippen (”The Real Housewives of Miami”) and M.J. (”Shahs of Sunset”). His sin? Being way too quiet. During the second roundtable in which the contestants publicly vote out a player, Dan said being quiet was simply his personality. Larsa and M.J. were unable to convince the other players that Dan was a traitor this particular round, but he knows he is living on borrowed time.
Credit: Euan Cherry/Peacock
Credit: Euan Cherry/Peacock
Sherée, who was one of the original “Real Housewives of Atlanta” back in 2008 and was on the cast of season 15 last year, has been given minimal on-screen time the first three episodes and nobody has uttered her name on screen to be cut from the show.
Parvati, who spent her middle and high school years in Atlanta and graduated from the University of Georgia, won “Survivor” 16 years ago and is considered one of that show’s best players ever. So far on “The Traitors,” she has not yet become a target as a traitor but her “Black Widow” reputation from “Survivor” precedes her.
In fact, a fellow “Survivor” winner who does not like her Sandra Diaz-Twine, is also on the show and may stab her in the back later in the game if Parvati doesn’t get Sandra first.
At the end of the third episode, it was her duty to give a targeted player a “poisonous” chalice to drink from that could ultimately lead to their “demise.”
“I’m a full-on poisonous spider crawling up to get you when you least expect it,” Parvati said, with glee.
Her target won’t be revealed until the fourth episode, which will be available on Peacock this Thursday at 9 p.m. EST.
IF YOU WATCH
“The Traitors,” first three episodes of season two available on Peacock with new episodes available each Thursday at 9 p.m. EST
About the Author
