The Traitors (known internationally as The Traitors Australia) is an Australian reality television series broadcast on Network 10, based on the Dutch series De Verraders, which premiered on 16 October 2022.
Like both the UK and the American versions, the series features a group of contestants competing for a cash pot (worth up to A$250,000) while living together, with some of them being Traitors and the rest being Faithfuls - but unlike those versions, the series is recorded at a historic luxury hotel in the Southern Highlands; the cash pot is made of bars of silver, with each bar being worth A$2,000 each; instead of having players having a chance to take a trip to the armory or being able to win shields during a mission, Shield challenges are instead held for players to win a Shield that protects from both banishment and murder; and to further the distinction from their northern counterparts, ALL players are aware who has the shield instead of the winner having the option to keep it to themselves. (although only during the first season - later seasons removed the banishment protection along with the Shield challenges, and would add in the Armoury trips for some of the challenges)
Trope Examples:
- All for Nothing: In the case that three Traitors made it to the very end, they have to take on a Prisoner's Dilemma (known as a Traitor's Dilemma), where they have to choose to split or steal. If all three choose to steal, then they all leave with nothing. In Season 2, this happens when the final three were Traitors, all of them chose to steal, and Network 10's prize money coffers stayed full.
- Amateur Sleuth: What the contestants become in the hunt for the Traitors.
- Anyone Can Die: In the context of the show, everyone except for the Traitors (and Faithfuls with a shield) can get "murdered" - and only those with a shield are safe from being banished from the Banishment Ceremony.
- Confession Cam: Used to show the thought processes of both the Faithfuls and the Traitors, who discuss both their thought processes and strategies on how to play the game.
- Dramatic Irony: Everything about the contestants - in particular the identities of the Traitors - is made clear to the audience from the get-go, as are things about the contestants that they are keeping secret from the others during the show itself (like Nigel's experience at being a hostage)
- Downer Ending:
- In Series 1, this happens to Craig when he was the only Faithful left while everyone else were Traitors.
- In Series 2, this happened to Sam, Blake and Camille due to none of them choosing to split the money when it came to the Prisoner's Dilemma at the end of the series.
- Dwindling Party: The killers "murder" one person every night, and the team banishes one, too, meaning that the group dwindles most episodes.
- He Who Must Not Be Seen: Many viewers suspected producers attempted to edit Paul in Series 1 out of the show. He suggested it was because he was far older than the target demographic, but
other cast members suggest otherwise. - Internal Reveal: In addition to the reveals of whether a contestant is a Faithful or a Traitor after banishment at the Banishment Ceremony, several of the contestants end up choosing to reveal their Hidden Depths during the show to the others.
- "Leave Your Quest" Test: When a Traitor is banished, the remaining Traitors are allowed, should they so wish, to recruit a new Traitor from the ranks of the Faithful, presenting one of these, in the form of a Face–Heel Turn to the contestant in question.
- In Season 1, two recruit attempts were made. In Episode 8, Alex is given an invitation by the Traitors to join them, which she accepts. And then in Episode 10, Kate is given the same invitation which she also accepts to keep herself from being killed due to being on Death Row.
- In Season 2, only a single recruit attempt was made, with Camille being given an invite in Episode 7, which she accepts.
- Manipulative Bastard: Several of the contestants engage in this as part of the game, particularly the Traitors. (for whom it's practically a necessary skill)
- Special mention should go to Alex for Season 1, who always managed to vote for a Traitor whenever they were banished - while the first two were while she was a Faithful, the remaining three times she did so was to take out her fellow Traitors who she saw as competition so that she would end up with the entire prize pot as the last Traitor remaining.
- Meanwhile, Marielle was able to play a great game during the same season, taking out two of her fellow Traitors whenever the heat was put on her. Sadly, after recruiting Alex, her new protege would end up being her downfall as Alex would throw her under the bus and get her banished the very next Banishment Ceremony.
- Of the Season 2 Traitors, Sam was the most manipulative of the pack, often leading the Faithful on to banish one of their own, as well as the early banishment of fellow Traitor Ash, while claiming to be like a sheriff during confessionals. Sadly for them, despite making the final three along with fellow OG Traitor Blake and recruited Traitor Camille, all three chose to steal, meaning he, along with the other Traitors, went home with nothing.
- Market-Based Title: Originally produced as The Traitors, the show became The Traitors Australia for export, to help distinguish it from the British and American versions.
- Non-Standard Game Over:
- In the first season, Craig unfortunately falls foul of this after Lewis is banished - as the only Faithful left, he had no way to win, but wouldn't know it until Alex revealed that she was a Traitor in the Endgame.
- The same can also be said for the last Faithful of Season 2, although she ended up being banished by the remaining Traitors, thereby downplaying this trope.
- Obvious Rule Patch: From Series 2 onwards, the Shield protects you from death, but no longer from democracy.note
- Oh, Crap!: A rare double from Craig in the final of the first series. After the final banishment Craig is convinced that Lewis is the last traitor remaining in the game. He says the trope name almost verbatim when Lewis reveals he's a faithful; and Craig realises one of the women he trusted is a traitor. Then he sides with Alex over Kate, Kate is banished, and reveals she is a traitor. THEN Craig thinks he's won A$125,000 and he looks really happy. Alex is just about to reveal that she is a traitor too, when he gets his second. Before she says anything, he sees it written all over her face that he's been hoodwinked and he saves her from having to admit her alignment.
- Reality TV Show Mansion: It's a hotel in the Southern Highlands where most of the game, outside of the Silver and Shield challenges, takes place.
- Taking You with Me: A non-fatal example, but after learning that, during the Traitor's Dilemma, both of the other Traitors had voted to Steal, Camille said that if they're not going to let her get any of the money, then neither will they, before revealing her own vote to Steal, thereby ensuring that none of the Traitors would win any of the money.
- The Mole: The Traitors are this among the rest of the contestants.
- Ten Little Murder Victims: Pretty much the whole plot of this show.
- The Summation: Which each contestant has to do when declaring who they believe is a Traitor at the Banishment Ceremony.
- Tonight, Someone Dies: Not dying in the literal sense, but a key part of the show's premise.
- Traitor's Dilemma: In a situation where the only remaining players are all Traitors, then the end-game play is for each Traitor to decide whether they want to share or steal the prize pot. If everyone decides to share, then the prize pot is split evenly amongst all Traitors. If some Traitors choose to share while others choose to steal, the Traitors who chose to steal split the prize pot while the others leave with nothing. However, if all Traitors decide to steal, then nobody wins the prize. This scenario plays out in Season 2 - the final remaining players, Sam, Blake, and Camille, are all Traitors and they all attempt to steal, so nobody ended up winning the prize or the Season.
- Voted Off the Island: What happens at the Banishment Ceremony, when the contestants must decide which one of them to banish and eliminate from the game.
