and 10 Play is a woefully bad platform as well. Very unreliable!
I wish they would go old school with big brother.
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A bit like the US version so it makes sense.
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Great debut for Celeb Traitors. Having genuine celebs makes a celeb version worthwhile.
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In fairness that is how they cast the American version
they must want to emulate that at least for the first season back
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I would hope they continue to do that. Having ex reality stars is what really makes the show. At the end of the day this sort of show is their job.
I hope that’s what they do for this season to gain viewers with the format - but I hope they do civilian contestants too - I wouldn’t mind a stay in the Traitors hotel.
I think it would work better with celebrities but not former reality show contestants who are not known for anything else.
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According to TV Blackbox, filming has just wrapped on season 3 in NZ.
(Spoilers - article also mentions the rumoured list of contestants as posted by Chris above)
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Jeez I thought that our version of the traitors was overly dramatic. This UK celebrity one is next level.
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Cast announcement - largely as rumoured with a few Survivor additions & a Dicko
Reality Check: It’s About To Get Treacherous.
Meet The Cast Of The Traitors 2026.
The Traitors is back, with a cast stacked with folks from across the Australian reality TV world.
Former stars of The Bachelor will go head-to-head with The Real Housewives, MasterChef and Big Brother faves will turn up the heat with Australian Idol royalty, and Survivor savants will protect their torches from Love Island stars. And watching all the carnage unfold is the ultimate OG of reality TV, host Gretel Killeen.
The global smash hit returns, where a group of Traitors are set amongst the Faithfuls. Their only job is to remain undetected, turning Faithful against Faithful and picking them off one-by-one in the hopes of taking out the cash prize. Can the Faithfuls successfully sniff out the devious Traitors? Or will they realise they have been hoodwinked too late?
He is used to judging musical talent, but is former Australian Idol judge, Ian “Dicko” Dickson, a good judge of character? He will be joined by none other than the iconic Cosima De Vito who competed on the first season of Australian Idol.
Stars of The Real Housewives, Gamble Breaux (Melbourne) and Krissy Marsh (Sydney), join Drag Race Down Under’s Kween Kong and judge Rhys Nicholson, all bringing their signature style and glamour.
But this is not a game of laughs, it is a game of strategy and deception, so who better to throw in the mix than Olympian and Sole Survivor Shane Gould, alongside some of Australian Survivor’s beloved agents of chaos, Kirby Bentley, Henry Nicholson, and AJ Antonios.
Heartbreak, deception, and tears are all too common in The Traitors. Will The Bachelor stars, Keira Maguire and Alex Nation, and Married At First Sight’s Cam Merchant, find their dream ending?
Four new bombshells will enter the manor, but how many will walk out unscathed? Love Island stars Rachael Evren and Claudia Bonifazio will be joined by Love Island alumni turned runners-up of The Block, twins Josh and Luke Packham.
Finally, dishing up drama will be MasterChef’s Alvin Quah, Aussie Shore’s Manaaki Hoepo, Big Brother icon Tully Smyth, Made In Bondi’s Lawson Mahoney, and musician Rob Farnham, the son of Aussie music legend, John Farnham.
They will be all smiles when they first meet, but in a game where you can’t trust anyone, who will emerge victorious?
One thing is for certain; it will be treacherously good TV.
The Traitors is produced for Network 10 by South Pacific Pictures.
Created in the Netherlands by IDTV, an All3Media company, The Traitors (Dutch title: De Verraders) was created and developed by IDTV and POSVIDEO, in cooperation with RTL Creative Unit.
Since it premiered in the Netherlands on RTL4 in 2021, the format has enjoyed great international acclaim, with over 30 territories commissioning local format versions. All3Media International is responsible for the international distribution of the format and tape sales.
The Traitors.
Coming To 10 In 2026.
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It feels like they are doing a celebrity version on the cheap. I feel they went with celebrity to get more people to watch but I don’t know if the ‘celebrities’ have enough pull
It’s not about the celeb factor. Most of These people are known for drama or helping to create interesting tv or on screen dynamics. That’s what they need for this. Interesting characters.
Ten need this first version back to work, ideally to either follow it with more celeb or civilian versions.
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So they’re basically doing a The Challenge type casting for The Traitors…sounds fun (NOT).
It works really well for the US version.
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Exactly. The two civilian versions rated poorly so to give the show a chance to succeed, adopting the US model and having people tune in for the personalities makes sense.
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Exactly - Do the Celeb/Reality All-Star edition and then build to do a civilian version - like NZ (with S2 & upcoming S3 being civilian seasons) or the US version (with a new civilian version set for FTA, on NBC in addition to the celeb version on Peacock).
Yeah, the UK is doing a Celebrity Traitors at the moment and managed to fill their cast with actual celebrities without just resorting to any Love Island type reality TV contestants. I was hoping ours would be similar.
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I’m in mixed minds about this Cast.
they have been relatively, successful in scoring some relatively medium size names, some strategic thinkers and reality tv masters who know how to create compelling television.
I do quite like the casting of AJ, Alvin, Kirby, Rhys and Dickinson.
Traitors contests must be extremely motivated to win the competition and display the ruthlessness, betrayal and scheming required. If Celebrities aren’t playing to win money, then they need to be motivated by a deep sense of competitiveness and a strategic, intelligent mind keen to take on a unique challenge. (Eg: Janine Allis in survivor.)
Overall I would have loved to have seen a cast more similar to the UK Celebrity Traitors. Genuine big name stars, intelligent, strategic game-playing minds and thoroughly entertaining compelling indidvuals.
I put together a dream list on celebrities who would be ideal for the show and who I think could have a genuine interest in doing it:
The Strategists
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Waleed Aly – The political philosopher; calm, unflappable, master of logic and moral debate.
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Annabel Crabb – The charming dissector; empathic yet analytical, capable of disarming with humour.
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Hamish Blake – The loveable schemer; would coast on charisma before striking with precision. Hosted a reunion show for SBS Alone, so there’s evidence he loves taking on interesting challenges.
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Janine Allis – Corporate chess player; methodical, influential, and frighteningly composed.
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Adam Liaw – Rational, observant and quietly assertive; excels at social diplomacy and end-game reading.
The Performers (Charmers & Chameleons)
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Julia Zemiro – Natural diplomat, reads a room instantly; weaponises warmth and wit.
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Stephen Peacocke – The quiet achiever; honest face, hidden spine of steel.
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Todd McKenney – Showbiz chaos with strategy; thrives on mind-games and spectacle.
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Claudia Karvan – Elegant, emotionally intelligent and surgically strategic; ideal traitor.
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Courtney Act – Disarming and razor-smart; could charm, observe and manipulate simultaneously.
The Power Players (Thinkers & Public Figures)
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Tony Armstrong – National treasure with quick instincts; blends charm and subtle intellect.
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Tom Gleisner – The quiet professor; calm, precise, and treats deduction like forensic science.
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Rove McManus – Veteran tactician; polite exterior hiding sharp social awareness.
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Grace Tame – The truth-teller; morally fierce, refuses to be fooled.
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Jan Fran – Savvy, funny, analytical; reads social undercurrents like a journalist in combat.
The Wildcards (Social Disruptors & Comic Strategists)
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Abbie Chatfield – Reality tactician; outspoken, hyper-aware, thrives in public perception games.
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Peter Helliar – Warm, underestimated, and quietly strategic when it matters.
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Julia Morris – The commanding comic; strategic, entrepreneurial and ruthlessly persuasive under the charm.
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Dylan Alcott – Empathic observer; uses authenticity as a weapon of trust.
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Matt Preston – The gourmet manipulator; eloquent, confident, naturally villainous traitor energy.
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