By ITZEL LUNA
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The U.S. version of “ The Traitors ” has brought a group of public figures to a castle in the Scottish Highlands for a game of deceit, with hundreds of thousands of dollars up for grabs. Now, the Emmy award-winning competition will open its doors to everyday people.
NBC is now casting for a civilian version of the popular Peacock series, the network announced Thursday. The competition reality series, an American spin-off to its British counterpart, had only cast celebrities for its first three seasons, the last of which aired early this year. The new version will bring a group of everyday people together to play what the host, Alan Cumming, called his “treacherous game” in a video announcing the public casting.
Cumming is set to host the new version as well, with production for the show starting in 2026, according to the network. Those who are interested in participating can apply now on the show’s website.
The fourth season of the celebrity version is set to launch next year, and a fifth season has already been confirmed. The star-studded cast for season 4, announced in June, includes reality stars from “Love Island,” “Big Brother” and “Survivor.”
“We’re thrilled to be working with NBC to open up the experience to a new group of civilian players, whose stories and strategies will make the gameplay even more unpredictable – and, we hope, even more addictive for viewers,” Stephen Lambert, CEO of Studio Lambert, the producers of both the Peacock and NBC versions, said in a statement.
The show features a group of contestants who participate in a murder mystery game similar to Clue or Mafia. A subset of the cast are secretly labeled as traitors and must work together to eliminate the other contestants, who are considered faithfuls. On the line is a prize fund worth up to $250,000. If the faithful manage to eliminate all the traitors, then they share the money. But, if a traitor makes it to the end, they take it all.
The British version uses the same location and has used civilian contestants from the start.
Casting everyday people will allow complete strangers to meet for the first time, a “unique opportunity” that “will be an incredible watch,” said Sharon Vuong, the executive vice president of unscripted programming at NBCUniversal Entertainment.
“This new version for NBC offers a unique opportunity for the cast and audience to meet each other for the first time and we know it will be incredible to watch,” Vuong said in a statement.
The psychological adventure has found reality TV gold, and its third season premiered as the No. 1 unscripted series in the U.S., according to a release by NBC. The show also recently received five Emmy nominations for season three and previously took home two of the awards for season two.
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