Traitors Ideas - tkingie/rate-stuff GitHub Wiki

Cast:

Anna Delvey (Dancing With The Stars) - Fits the "bad in real life in a camp way" mold that Tom Sandoval did to great success.
Aron Barbell (Deal or No Deal Island) - The Seer. He had probably the most captivating arc of any nerd archetype on a show I've seen.
Brittany Broski (TikTok Star) - Seems to have a lot of hidden talents, would fill the Gabby role as the comic relief but also competent Faithful.
Cory Wharton (The Challenge) - Rootable, but messy and dumb. Has lots of experience playing with Josh on The Challenge with them never really being on the same page; I would expect Cory to accuse Josh of being a Traitor at some point, and then maybe getting himself banished for drawing too much attention from it.
Craig Conover (Southern Charm) - I do not know him but he seems to be the main character of Southern Charm and he is hot. Replaced Shubham from The Circle from my original cast for a better ratio of gamers to non gamers.
Georgia Harrison (Love Island UK) - Has had a major resurgence in the UK lately after being in a documentary about revenge porn and potentially being recruited to run for Parliament (as a Labour candidate, don't worry). Was also a major character on two seasons of The Challenge, where she was an ally of Josh. I think she has strong fan favorite potential. Replaced Ashley Iacconetti as dating show representation.
Jag Bains (Big Brother) - Mainly here because I think Big Brother needs a break from competent gamers and I think he would fit the "wrong about everything" mold.
JoJo Siwa (Dance Moms) - I feel like she would be the Dolores type to vote entirely based on vibes, but with the added bonus of probably gunning way too hard for shields to the point of suspicion.
Josh Martinez (Big Brother) - A potential main character of the season. Unlike on The Challenge where he has grown a little stale with his "nobody respects me" arc, I think he could be a leader on the cast because the game suits him strategically, making his inevitable emotional breakdown more dramatic than pathetic.
Kandi Burruss (The Real Housewives of Atlanta) - She had good strategic instincts on Celebrity Big Brother, so I think she is the best Housewife pick.
Katya (RuPaul's Drag Race) - I have only seen her in podcast clips but she seems extremely chaotic and probably delusional.
Luann de Lesseps (The Real Housewives of New York City) - My other Housewife pick because someone who calls herself "Countess" would probably really own the whole campy dramatic vibe of the show. I only have two Housewives because I feel like if you have any more than that then they become numerically threatening, necessitating either catering to them heavily (like Sandra) or targeting them early (like the S3 Traitors).
Marshawn Lynch (NFL Running Back) - Hilarious in the things I've seen him in here and there, I do not think he would be a strategic force by any means but he seems down for the craziness instead of above it all like most other pro athletes. Originally had him as a Traitor but I think he would be a fan favorite either way.
Natalie Anderson (Survivor) - Easy main character and would definitely pair up with Tyson to be the main Faithful strategists. I could see her becoming frustrated on having to rally up the non-gamers which would be funny and compelling.
Natalie Nunn (Baddies) - Don't know too much about her except her show is all about drama so hopefully she brings that energy to the castle. Given her recent rise in prominence due to the Nicki TikTok sound, I could also see her feeling a little "above the game" which could lead to some funny interactions with the gamers.
Omarosa Manigault (The Apprentice) - Always ends up having crazy beef on any show, and would probably get herself banished early for it. That said, she is a gamer so she could be left alone by the Traitors as a pariah and then prove to be an unexpected threat in the mid to late game.
Rachel Lindsay (The Bachelorette) - Lowkey think she would get an invisible edit but her confessionals would be good. Also considered Clare for Bachelor representation but she would be better saved for another season where she's a Traitor.
Robert Irwin (Crikey! It's the Irwins) - My first Traitor. Closest comparison personality wise is Bergie but on this cast he would also be the golden boy like Peter or Dylan, which is a great combo of two archetypes that have never been a Traitor.
Sanjaya Malakar (American Idol) - A funny meme pick, he's in on the joke so I think he could balance out the more delusional comic relief characters.
Saucy Santana (Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta) - Has beef with Natalie Nunn and would be another wildcard that would probably be pretty clueless with the game.
Savannah Chrisley (Chrisley Knows Best) - My replacement for Ashley Mitchell to help the gamer/non-gamer ratio. All I know about her is that she's very Southern and her parents are in prison.
Tai Trang (Survivor) - I feel like he's easily impressionable despite being a gamer so I would be curious to see how he fits into the dynamic.
Tyson Apostol (Survivor) - Inevitably one of the main characters, would slay every aspect of the game but in a way that he might become too much of a threat to avoid being clipped.
Veronica Portillo (The Challenge) - My second pick for Traitor. One of the best strategic players on The Challenge, specifically in switching between fading into the background and striking, which is probably the most important skill on The Traitors. Her social game is already good on The Challenge, but I think it would be even better here because she's a "girls and gays" type. I originally had Beth on this cast as a Challenge OG but after the reception of Danielle I do not think Beth would be appreciated by the audience.

Traitor Choices:

I didn't want to give any to obvious gamer threats (so Tyson and Natalie A. basically), so I'm basically setting it up for underrated threat Veronica to be the one leading an inexperienced Robert. As for format changes, the contestants are told that the game starts with two Traitors, and that if both are banished, the last remaining Traitor will pick a new Traitor as their dying wish. The role reveals will end when this third Traitor is selected, or before the second to last roundtable, whichever comes first. The third Traitor continues the chain of passing on the role if they are banished before the murders end.

The Seer:

My proposed version of the Seer is that the contestant is told they have the role at the beginning of the game. They do not have a vow of secrecy, but need to be subtle about the information they gain and how they spread it in order to avoid being an obvious murder target. Their power can be used twice max per season, but only recharges after the first Traitor is banished. The Seer loses their powers if the third Traitor is activated. I chose Aron for this role because I feel like he would be able to use at logically the right time but be possibly too socially awkward to follow through.

Other Format Changes:

The prize is a flat $250k for anybody who wins, so there is no incentive to backstab people for a larger cut. The Traitors also earn $25k each per Faithful banished, which they collect win or lose, and every Faithful left in the game once the second Traitor is banished earns $50k win or lose. Missions only serve to award shields, which now also protect from banishment if the third Traitor is activated.

Conclusion:

Basically, these changes seek to eliminate traitor-on-traitor gameplay by removing any financial or game incentive for going rogue. It also acknowledges the reality that as a television show the show must run for a certain number of episodes by giving the Faithfuls their early win and a cash reward if they earn it, then shifting to a defined "Phase 2" that is more openly Survivor-esque with the lack of role reveals. I think it would be interesting to see the lengths of each of these phases vary from season to season, and the show can own the shift in a similar way to how certain Survivor or Big Brother seasons will ditch the framing of their seasonal themes (HvV, BvBvB, Big Brother 11) in the second halves of their season once the audience is hooked.