HOLLYWOOD—I cannot wait until January 9 because the third season of the Peacock hit reality-competition series, “The Traitors” returns. The first season of this series was fantastic and binge-worthy. That rivalry between Kate Chastain from “Below Deck” and Rachel Reilly from “Big Brother” was beyond iconic, not to mention the eventual winner Cirie Fields was just incredible. It was must-see TV.
I had high hopes for season 2, but checked out about half-way into the season after big personalities like Parvati, Dan and so many others got the boot, not to mention I’m no fan of Phaedra Parks. Her lines were so rehearsed, and just what she did on “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” season 9 was disgusting. She was not the must-see TV people thought she was on season 2 of “The Traitors.” Also the return of Kate Chastain, what the hell was that? I loved her on season two, and the players were just stupid to keep her around. She would have been better reserved for an All-Stars season of the series, not back-to-back seasons. With this third season, we truly have some powerhouse talent that I WANT TO SEE PLAY and how they navigate the game with such threats around them.
I mean Jeremy Collins and Tony Vlachos, both winners from “Survivor,” and Tony being a two-time winner? You also have Carolyn Wiger who was a hoot in season 44. All 3 are aware of one another which is a good thing because they’ll likely work together right? You might be asking how I know all this? A 7-minute teaser was released on January 1 that allowed us to see how some of the players reacted to seeing their competition and their thoughts. I was most intrigued by the dynamic by Britney Haynes and Danielle Reyes from “Big Brother.”
The two legends didn’t end on the best terms in the recent “BB Reindeer Games” where Britney betrayed Danielle. She was scared to see her, and Danielle made her feelings clear, but it became quite obvious Danielle plans to get her revenge against her foe at some point, but she is not making it as obvious as Britney is. We got a lot of focus on the brother of actor Zac Efron, Dylan Efron, who I just know the name, but not much about him, which makes me think he might have a bigger role in the season than expected, as it unfolds.
With that said, a few players were not pleased to see Tom Sandoval from the former “Vanderpump Rules.” We’ll see if the guy who was the talk of the world in 2023 can actually rehab his image. There are a lot of TV personalities here, but all of them won’t be good TV. Robyn Dixon from the “Real Housewives of Potomac,” a snoozefest, on the flipside we know her cohorts Chanel Ayan “Real Housewives of Dubai” and Dorinda Medley “Real Housewives of New York” will bring it.
My big question is why do we have Brittney Spears’ ex-husband, Sam Asghari on this series? He was invisible in that teaser we got. Oh, I have to point out that Bob the Drag Queen, seems like he is about to be a confessional hoot and deliver commentary that will be absolute gold that I cannot wait to see unfold. His entrance was already fantastic, and host Alan Cumming should be scared.
That was not the only fun, the chaos erupted near the end of the teaser when someone in a mask stayed behind despite Cumming dismissing everyone. That cloaked and masked individual stepped forward with a bomb of a twist being revealed. This person wants to join the fray and play the game. It can easily transpire. All one person has to do is step forward and shake Alan’s hand and they’re in the game. However, there is a twist, someone will then be exiled from the game by the person who made the choice! Mind blown. That is just an epic and amazing twist for gameplay.
The big question is WHO was this masked person. Would we get to see the face? SPOILER ALERT: we did and they’re a well-known name in the reality competition universe. That person was “Survivor” legend Boston Rob Mariano. Yes. Tony and Jeremy have both played with Rob, so why wouldn’t they want another player of that magnitude in the game? If I was Tony I would be running to shake that hand because you allow another threat into the game and lessen the target slightly on your back. I think a better twist would have been to allow the masked person to remain a mystery until the first banishment. That would have made the decision more intriguing and fascinating as an immediate target is not placed on your back.
The only problem with such a move is you might force other players in the game to vote you out by allowing another player into the game while sending someone else out. It’s a dicey move, but hell, I’m playing for $250,000 and you either go big or go home. I am eager to see who is going to make this move because I feel like there is no way Boston Rob doesn’t enter the competitive prowess of season 3 of “The Traitors.”
The new season kicks off on Peacock on Thursday, January 9, 2025.
