RECAP: The Traitors (U.S.) Season 3, Episodes 1-3
Confession: I have never watched a full season of “The Traitors.” I have watched episodes of both previous seasons, I have watched many of the contestants on their own shows, and I have played MAAAAANY games of Werewolf in many different group settings. But I didn’t have Peacock, so even though I followed the show, I had never gotten through a full season.
That changed when I saw the cast for Season 3 of “The Traitors” (U.S.). As soon as that was released in summer of 2024, I knew I had to pull the trigger and get Peacock. This show was already on the ascent, having won the Emmy in 2024 for best reality TV competition. But this cast? Perfection. It has all the ingredients for a remarkable season.
After watching the first three episodes, I think many of the elements are working as intended, but there is also one glaring issue: the Faithful are, by and large, not playing this game. Not as aggressively as they should be, anyway. While a few of them are active, roughly 1/4 of this cast is giving absolutely nothing (per the edit). And to be honest, I’m not sure some of them have it in them, although the three players introduced in E2 could have a profound impact on the group.
Read on for my takes on the selections for the Traitors themselves, my picks for the most-valuable Faithful, and my list of the utterly useless. SPOILERS AHEAD!
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The Traitors
Flawless choices. When the cast was announced, Bob the Drag Queen was the one I most wanted to see as a Traitor, and Bob is clearly reveling in the role. I was obsessed with Carolyn Wiger from “Survivor 44,” and I knew she would be a chaos engine regardless of which role she was assigned; she is bringing great drama to the Watchtower deliberations and, frankly, I think she’s right more often than not. I cannot stand “Big Brother,” so I didn’t know Danielle Reyes prior to this, but she’s actually my favorite Traitor. That moment in Episode 1 where she is acting panini pressed for being “in danger” after the first challenge was high camp. She’s amazing.
That said, both Bob and Danielle were overplaying their hands by Episode 3. Bob seemed to getting high on his own supply with how brilliant his moves were, acting grand at the Round Table, which only drew aggro on him. (Carolyn mentioned this in a confessional, but in Werewolf, one of the biggest challenges when playing as a werewolf is finding the balance of talking enough to be seen as an asset to the villagers, but not talking so much as to draw suspicion — Bob is drawing suspicion.) Danielle meanwhile was doing WAY too much at breakfast on Day 3, giving away too much of the game to the Faithful.
This is why I’m glad they added Rob Mariano to the Traitors after the Episode 1 “twist.” When the cast was announced, I was split on Rob’s inclusion. On the one hand, I’m frankly tired of him. Rob has been on “Survivor” at least four times, five if you count “Isle of the Idols” (which we don’t talk about); he was on “Amazing Race” at least once; he was just on “Deal or No Deal Island.” How can we miss you if you won’t go away? But there is a reason that Boston Rob is a “Survivor” legend. He is gifted at grabbing a game by the throat and bending it to his will. And real talk, the Traitors actually need Rob to do that if they want to succeed here. Bob and Danielle are savvy, but leaning a little too much in their roles, and it is not going without notice. Carolyn is playing the role more low-key, but she is not being heard by her fellow Traitors. Rob is seeing the big picture, and by Episode 3 we were already seeing him rein in his fellow conspirators. He fully saved Bob the Drag Queen’s ass in that E3 Round Table, focusing fire on two-time “Survivor” winner Tony Vlachos (who would need to go eventually anyway).
The issue with Rob as a Traitor is, eventually, he WILL become a suspect. He’s an obvious pick for the role. They all have to be thinking it. And at least one of the other three “gamers” added in Episode 2 was instantly suspicious. My gut tells me Rob will indeed take control of this game for a good chunk of it, but I would be stunned if he’s able to survive all the way to the end. He’s just far too big of a threat. Both Bob the Drag Queen and Danielle need to lower their threat levels real quick (if I was playing and this short-list twist came up, Bob would be the Traitor I would put in the position, to throw off the scent). Carolyn is, I think, doing the best job of playing a Traitor thus far. Her wandering around at the end of E3 was sus, but she is also Carolyn. She’s always behaving like a weirdo. It’s the perfect smokescreen for her.
Faithful MVPs
It’s still early in the game, and it’s entirely possible that the edit is leaving important conversations and interactions wholly on the cutting-room floor. But based on what we have been shown, these are the Faithful players who have impressed me in the first three episodes.
Dylan Efron: Brother to Zack, and a certified cutie, Dylan is the most dialed-in Faithful as of now, having correctly clocked Bob the Drag Queen for leading the brigade that led to the first banishment. Much of what Dylan was saying in the Round Table was on point, and he seems to be listening to some of the other players with more experience in these games. Dylan also seemed to know that, after the E3 Round Table, he needs to coast for a while, because he drew a LOT of attention to himself. (I am hopeful that the Traitors are smart enough to not put him up for elimination any time soon, because that would 100 percent point right back at Bob. I do not think they’ll do something that stupid.)
Jeremy Collins: Of the four “Survivor” players cast on this season, Jeremy was the one I suspected would be the most lethal. Jeremy is shrewd, he is patient, he is strategic. He is not a player who dominates a game, the way that Rob or Tony do. He plays a quieter game, but he is so observant and brilliant at making alliances. We are already getting shades of that, as Jeremy was consolidating a “gamer” alliance and correctly clocking Danielle as someone who needs to be watched. The issue is, Jeremy made the decision to trust seemingly every OTHER Traitor (Bob the Drag Queen, Carolyn, Rob), telling them to watch out for Danielle…so of course Danielle wants Jeremy out. That could be a huge mistake on Danielle’s part, because if Jeremy told other people about his suspicions about her, his murder will point right back at Danielle. If I were the Traitors, I would work to get Jeremy out as soon as possible, because he WILL win this game if he gets to the end.
Robyn Dixon: When the cast was revealed, I said this former cast member of “Real Housewives of Potomac” was the weak link of the four “Housewives” cast. I was completely wrong. While Robyn was basically silent in E1 and fumbled her way through E2, I was quite impressed by how she handled herself at the Round Table in E3. She stood up for herself and countered arguments in a way that was forceful but not hysterical (Bob the Drag Queen could use a little more of that energy). Do I think Robyn is likely to figure out the identities of the Traitors on her own? No, but she is actively participating in the Round Tables and showing more spunk than I expected.
Wes Bergmann: I haven’t watched “The Challenge” in literally decades, but I do remember Wes from when he was first introduced as a cocky twink. He is, as Carolyn noted, an asshole, and there’s a very good reason that he was the last of the three caged gamers let out by the contestants. But Wes made several smart moves in episodes 2 and 3. He correctly clocked that he had to ingratiate himself to the “Survivor” alliance, as the four of them were the dominant player pool in the game and are arguably the most aggressive players in the house. Of course, he didn’t know that 50 percent of the “Survivor” alums were Traitors. But the impulse was correct. I think Wes is one of the Faithful to watch out for, but he’ll need to curtail some of his dismissive behavior in a house that is largely dominated by Bravo women, for whom he obviously does not care at all.
Tom Sandoval: The disgraced “Vanderpump Rules” star is not playing the game well, but at least he is playing. Tom was throwing out names right out of the gate. Was he deliberately trying to get out improbably named “Selling Sunset” star Chrishell Stause for personal reasons? Or is he just trying to make good TV by stirring the pot? Both are equally probable. For my money, I hope Tom sticks around awhile, because I absolutely love how much the women in this house despise him. Chrishell dogwalked him at the Round Table, and watching Tom die inside is high camp.
Faithful Who Need to Step Up
Again, it’s possible these players were giving a lot more but it was left out of the edit. But as of now, these players are just taking up space.
Lord Ivar Montbatten: The British royal has gotten votes in every Round Table and is apparently not defending himself literally at all. That’s worrisome. I fear he’s just there for the novelty of the experience.
Sam Ashgari: The only thing Britney Spears’ ex-husband has contributed to this show so far is his hilariously overdone spit curl, which better have its own Twitter handle by the time I publish this. Total nonentity.
Nikki Garcia: The WWE champion has had several talking-head interviews and is part of the Bambi Alliance, but in terms of actual gameplay or even personality, I’m still waiting.
Britney Haynes: Another “Big Brother” player; she has pre-show beef with Danielle, which is a subplot that is influencing Traitor plans and could pay off big later on. But as of now, she’s not doing much and is virtually indistinguishable from several other brunettes.
Ciara Miller: Go on and give us nothing, “Summer House.”
The Departed
The following players have already left the game:
Dorinda Medley: Our first murder, by order of Bob the Drag Queen and Danielle. I see the smarts in taking out the lynchpin of the “Housewives” block. Dorinda also made herself a target by volunteering to give up safety in the first challenge, and her fight with Ivar put a target on him one she was dispatched. But I agree with Carolyn that Dorinda is exactly the kind of loudmouth you want at the Round Table to lay down a smokescreen. Dorinda is also better TV than basically any other Faithful left, sorry not sorry.
Wells Adams: The first banishment, I was glad to see him go because I was getting similar vibes to the “Bachelor in Paradise” grocery-store dude who very nearly won Prime’s “The GOAT” by floating along the whole way and doing the absolute least until the very end. Wells basically said he was going to take the same approach, and I cannot stand that in a reality-TV show character. If you can’t be strategic, at least be entertaining. If you can’t be entertaining, at least be attractive. Wells was a zero all around.
Chanel Ayan: I felt awful for Chanel, who has had a rough last few months. First, her “Housewives” franchise was canceled after two seasons. Then she was on this game, clearly not knowing most of the other players, or even understanding how it was played. Her murder did cause more confusion, but I’m not sure if it accomplished much else for the Traitors.
Tony Vlachos: It was a coup, directed by Rob, to get Tony out so early. This man won “Survivor” twice. He is very, very good at games, incredibly sneaky and deceptive. I wonder how much of this had to do with not wanting to give a multi-millionaire more money, but bottom line, getting the group to banish Tony was the best move the Traitors made in the first three episodes.
NEXT: A cunning twist that could draw a LOT of attention to the Traitors (did Gabby clock what they were doing/saying in the wine cellar?).
What did you think of “The Traitors” season premiere? Drop your thoughts in the comments. The floor is yours!
