What Changes ‘The Traitors’ Should Consider for Season 4 to Retain Fans

We all enjoy watching The Traitors, don’t we? It’s a show that serves up drama, comedy, competition, and a touch of campiness all in one tidy, murrrrrderrrrrrous package. However, there are aspects of The Traitors that I find frustrating. Let me elaborate.

As a devoted viewer of the Peacock reality series hosted by Alan Cumming, I couldn’t help but notice a few things during Season 3, which concluded in early March with Dolores Catania, Dylan Efron, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, and Gabby Windey emerging as the victorious Faithfuls. While I was thrilled with the winners, I also found myself perplexed and thinking that certain elements need to be addressed for the future of the show, elements that could significantly impact its success. I know it may sound a bit melodramatic, but there are specific areas that could use some fine-tuning to ensure that the show reaches its full potential.

Given the producers’ emphasis on innovation and novelty—highlighted by the introduction of the Seer twist in Season 3—I have a few recommendations on how the show could evolve moving forward. While these suggestions are open for consideration, I believe they raise important points that other fans might also raise in Season 4 and beyond.

Let’s take a walk…

1. Hear me out, $250,000 is a lot of money, it’s life-changing money for any normal person. But to a bunch of Big Brother or Survivor players, or someone like Chrishell Stause who makes that amount on commission for selling multi-million dollar properties in Southern California, I worry it’s not enough to motivate these contestants. Beyond that, my concern is about disproportionality. A Traitor like Danielle Reyes who works a normal job outside of the show has a greater reason to stick their neck out in challenges to increase the prize pot than someone like Boston Rob, who has made god only knows how much from his various reality TV appearances and podium placements. And before you ask, yes, I know that all players get paid to be there. That said, I still think $250,000 isn’t enough to get some players to think logically or strategically — looking at you, Dolores. This leads me to my next and potentially even more important rule change.

2. There cannot be four winners again. There, I said it. Was I happy to see Gabby and Dylan take home the gold together? Of course. Did I also feel like Ivar and Dolo getting a quarter of the cut felt completely unfair? You betcha. The way I see it, $250,000 — which is the maximum prize on the show — is a good chunk of change for one or two people. At least if there were only two winners, they would each get a little more than $100,000 apiece, which feels fair. But watching the four winners of Season 3 walk away with less than $50,000 each after taxes just didn’t sit right with me. Especially since one is a member of the British royal family and another is most likely looking at a net worth in the low millions after years on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. For Gabby, though, the difference between $50,000 and $125,000 is priceless.

   A part of me also thinks that changing the rules around how many Faithfuls and Traitors can win would lead to more alliances and ruthless game plays, making for better television. Can you imagine if Britney Haynes and Danielle had played together all the way to the end, killing and banishing off every other contestant until they were the last two? Or Boston Rob and Dylan? It’s the kind of thing I would like to see at least flirted with by the producers of the show.

3. We need a live element, it’s time. After three seasons, the show has a large enough fan base that there should be a live reunion or a live ceremony where people can contribute in some way. In my perfect world, I would actually love for the finale to be live so fans can weigh in, especially if my previous advice is taken and there are only two winners at most. Imagine giving the power to the fans and letting them choose which two Faithfuls get the money. I understand that this comes with its challenges, so maybe we can start with something simpler. Maybe we rip off the “America’s Favorite Houseguest” idea from Big Brother and give a small prize to America’s favorite castle dweller. I don’t know, but I have a Constitutional right to vote and I have freedom of speech, so Peacock, give me something to talk about and vote on.

4. Does this one even need any explanation? Did anyone like this? I have to be honest, a part of me doesn’t even believe Britney won the power of The Seer but that the producers tweaked the results to try and make it interesting. It was a lame result that only made the situation mildly interesting because Britney chose to use it intelligently. What I think should happen is that The Seer should be introduced way earlier in the show if they decide to keep it around. Give it to a Faithful, but only let them activate the power if they reach certain criteria every few challenges. If they are murdered or banished, it either dies with them or transfers secretly to another Faithful, keeping the Traitors in the dark. It puts a little more power back in the hands of the Faithfuls and I think it shakes things up.

5. Okay, this isn’t really for Season 4, but I do want them to have a U.S. version of the show with just normal people. My “why” is simple: I want to play. Put me in coach, I’m ready. And hey, if Alan is too busy doing other stuff, just let Joel McHale do it. McHale seems to be incredible when it comes to time management since he’s on approximately 12 other shows right now.