If you’ve ever wished you could merge the video game Among Us with the board game Cluedo, reality TV juggernaut Australian Survivor and an IRL escape room — well, The Traitors Australia 2022 is the show for you!
The new series was first launched in the Netherlands and has now staked claim Down Under, mixing psychological thrills with a traditional reality competition (and all the drama that comes with it).
The Traitors — airing from October 16 — is filled with “deception, lies and betrayal” — the name of the “deliciously dangerous” game. But honestly, it’s that kinda the premise of every reality show, like, ever?!
What Are The Rules of The Traitors Australia?
The Traitors begins with 24 contestants who come together in a posh AF hotel to complete a series of challenges to earn a LOT of moola. However, there’s a catch (because, duh!).
Some contestants — AKA “the Traitors”- meet secretly to devise a plan to eliminate their fellow players, known as “the Faithful”.
Host Rodger Corser even described the eliminations as “murders”… so there’s that.
Meanwhile, “the Faithful” must figure out who is a Traitor so they can take the prize money for themselves.
The Faithful AND the Traitors come together every night to vote somebody out, so get ready for serious mind games!
However, if a Traitor makes it to the end, they get the chance to take their share of a massive prize pool of $250,000 of solid silver. Um, can we just take that in cash?
In between challenges and filming, the contestants are isolated in their rooms, which the illustrious host reckoned really”intensified the game”.
“Then they’re left with their own thoughts, which, as you can imagine, can really get to people. It’s a tough psychological experiment,” Rodger told Who during a recent interview.
The Traitors has been likened to shows like Survivor and The Circle, as well as movies like Clue and Knives Out, but honestly, it’s also giving big Among Us vibes.
Seriously, call up your 14-year-old cousin or someone from Beauty and the Geek RN and tell them The Traitors’ plot — it’s the exact same thing as the viral video game (just in a hotel rather than in space, minor deets).
Why Rodger Corser Picked The Traitors Australia as His First EVER Reality TV Gig
The Traitors may be Rodger’s reality TV hosting debut, but the established actor is a very familiar face to millions of Aussies.
The Underbelly star was intrigued by the hosting gig as he still got to play a “character” – and a mysterious one at that.
Rodger puts on a posh(er) accent as he intimidatingly waltzes around the room, revving contestants up for “murder” and deceit.
But when he signed on to the show, perhaps somebody should have given him a heads up at how brutal reality TV contestants can be.
“The Traitors have to lie to their teammates and convince them they are innocent, which turned out to be ‘a very interesting study of human behaviour’,” Rodger told the publication.
The 49-year-old continued: “People really lay it on thick, pleading with a group to believe that they would never ever tell a lie. They even swear on the lives of family members. That’s when I was like, ‘Wow, you’re really committing!’”
Rodger certainly has an impressive acting resume, starring in everything from Doctor, Doctor to Glitch to Home and Away.
But he’ll stick to the hosting side of The Traitors for now since he reckons he’d be “horribly, horribly bad” at trying to lie to other people.
“Being yourself, especially on TV or in a group like that, if it was me not hiding behind a character, I’m not very good,” he told the publication.
“It’s too much to remember, I think, lying. The truth is so easy. There’s one version of events.”
What Was The Traitors Australia Production Looking for When Casting Their 2022 Contestants?
Earlier this year, we spied producers posting casting calls all across the internet — even on LinkedIn!
As reported on episode 221 of the So Dramatic! podcast, host Megan Pustetto managed to track down someone who responded to the call-out and went through with the casting process.
Our insider spy got through to the one-on-one Zoom interviews and revealed some questions the casting team asked them. If the show is going to delve this deep, it will be seriously juicy!
They were asked questions like: “Would you do anything to get what you want?”, “Do you take risks?”, “Are you a good liar?”.
They even asked them to “give an example of how you deceived someone to benefit yourself”. Wowza!
“At the end, they asked me to give two stories as a game — one was true, one was a lie, and they had to guess which one was a lie,” the insider recalled.
“Sounds like they’re going to have a very interesting cast of clever, cutthroat people all stabbing each other in the back and lying through their teeth.
“They also asked what I’d do with the prize money, so I reckon they’re casting people who have a relatable goal or dream that’s good TV – i.e. not just someone that wants to become an influencer,” they said.
Who Are The Cast of The Traitors Australia?
Our spy certainly wasn’t wrong!
In the inaugural season of The Traitors, there’s a criminal defence lawyer who reckons his friends call him “the great MK” and sports club president Teresa who plans on “gaslighting the sh*t out of everyone”. And TBH, we already know which contestants we want the Traitors to “murder” first. …
Meanwhile, we’re immediately rooting for “Brissie sparkie” Lewis, who initially thinks MK is the butler. LOL!
Also vying for the win is 30-year-old clairvoyant Chloe, 25-year-old chess champion Jack, 27-year-old vet nurse Millie and 50-year-old crisis management negotiator Nigel (who was also once a literal hostage) in the mix.
Well, we certainly can’t complain that they’re all influencers this time!
Want even more goss? Listen to episode 221 of the So Dramatic! podcast with Megan Pustetto below!
Know something that we don’t? Spill the tea here!
Get the tea first! Follow So Dramatic! on Instagram and tune in on Mondays to get your reality tea fix with the So Dramatic! podcast with Megan Pustetto.
