The Traitors is coming back for Season 3, which means fans should prepare for another round of reality television favorites (and villains) fighting to stay “alive” in a spooky Scottish castle amid a massive game of whodunnit.
Seasons 1 and 2 featured TV alums from all over the reality spectrum, from Bravolebrities to The Challenge champions to Survivor alums to Bachelor Nation members and beyond. It’s one of the hottest shows on streaming right now, too, so when it comes to the next season, there’s pretty much no one who’s too cool to be recruited for the cast. In fact, according to The New York Times, reality stars are fighting to get considered for the show.
So, with the entirety of reality TV’s many personalities on the offering table, who’s going to join the fold for Season 3? Here’s what we know so far, along with some sublime fan wishlists.
What does it take to star in The Traitors Season 3?
Peacock has not yet revealed a cast list for The Traitors Season 3, but there are reports of certain reality alums vying for a chance to don one of those lush capes for the show.
Speaking to the New York Times, executive producer Mike Cotton said of the casting process, “You want people from all walks of life that are going to bring their own unique skills to it. You want people who are big competitors, you want people who are cutthroat, you want people who are master manipulators, people who are deep thinkers, people who will sit back and watch and listen. And I think the idea is that they’ll all bring their unique skills, and I think that’s why we have such a mix of people.”
Fellow executive producer Toni Ireland told The Wrap, “Comedy is key in this … [we want] people that give you the incredible sound bites in their master interviews. You want people like C.T. that are brilliant at the challenges, but you’ve got to have people with heart and warmth. You’ve got to have players the viewers are rooting for whether you’re a faithful fan or a traitor fan.”
Who could join The Traitors Season 3 cast?
The paper of record also reports that after The Challenge alums Chris “C.T.” Tamburello and Trishelle Cannatella went on to win Season 2, their fellow former challenger, Jemmye Carroll started hitting up Cannatella, who lives in the same city as her in New Orleans, to put in a good word with the show’s staff.
Previously, fellow Challenge alum and Teen Mom star Cory Wharton blasted MTV for not allowing him to join the first cast of the show, claiming on Twitter that he was supposed to join Season 1 before being called by the network, even though CT and Trishelle would later join with no repercussions (at least not for CT, who’s expected to be part of Season 40). Perhaps now he’ll refuse to heed such warnings if the opportunity comes up again.
Crazy to me that MTV literally called me the Day before I was gonna leave for Scotland and film season 1 of traitors 1 & told me i couldn’t go do that show Emailed higher ups and everything , Now I see 4 challenge cast members on season 2🤨??? Y’all feel me though ?
— Cory Wharton (@CoryWharton) September 19, 2023
Also, while Wes Bergmann (who retired from The Challenge but is joining House of Villains Season 2) claimed to have no interest in joining the cast of The Traitors, he later changed his mind about the show after watching and became a super fan on Twitter — particularly when it came to Phaedra Park’s meme-able work in Season 2. Watch this space. And Veronica Portillo, who returned to The Challenge All Stars for Season 4, wrote on Twitter that she would “love” to be a part of the cast.
Yessssss!!! I would love to be on an adult-like show where you really have to use your brain for once! https://t.co/zleQ7CkyoB
— Veronica Portillo. (@v_cakes) January 26, 2024
Meanwhile, Survivor‘s Rob Cesternino is interested in joining the next season as well. (Coincidentally, his name is one of the most commonly bandied-about prospects on social media. See here, here, and here, for example.) Real World stars Danny Roberts and Melissa Beck also threw their names out there, as well as Matt Rogers, per NYT. And Captain Lee from Below Deck also answered in the affirmative when a social media follower asked if he’d join the show.
Yeah, I think I’d like that. https://t.co/Y7yPxFUggH
— Captain Lee (@capthlr) February 10, 2024
Cotton told Variety that “there’s a chance” someone from Season 2 could appear in Season 3; however, he also felt that it was been there done that territory and wanted to “surprise people in a different way with a different casting twist of some sort.” Cotton had a similar sentiment when asked if another politician like John Bercow could be chosen for the show.
Also, Ireland told The Wrap there may be an interest in bringing in “more sports” people after the show had Olympian swimmer Ryan Lochte and former heavyweight champion boxer Deontay Wilder in Season 1 and 2 respectively, and Bravolebrities are “always in consideration” for the gig.
Who do fans want to star in The Traitors Season 3?
Fans are already putting together their wishlists for which reality television favorites (and villains) might make their way into the Scottish castle for a massive murder mystery game, and the choices have been pretty sublime!
Here are some of the best suggestions from the Traitors fanbase so far.
- Alaska Thunderf*** from RuPaul’s Drag Race: After Peppermint was eliminated way too early in the show, drag fans want to see another queen get a shot, and Alaska is at the tippy top of their wishlists.
- Danielle Reyes from Big Brother: One of the most frequent names to pop up on any given The Traitors Season 3 wishlist thread is this highly strategic and socially strong fan favorite.
- Da’Vonne Rogers from Big Brother and The Challenge: There may be a bit of recency bias in play here since she’s currently owning the confessional game on Challenge All Stars 4, but there are a lot of fans who want to see her take her wits and charm to the castle, too.
- Dorinda Medley from Real Housewives of New York: Another housewife whose name pops up on a lot of fan-casting lists is this housewife who, despite the meme, is doing well — at least where fans are concerned.
- Jason Kelce from NFL: Now that he’s retired from the NFL, this spitfire of a human could bring some of the wild energy (and belly dancing) to a new game, and a lot of fans would be in favor.
- Joey Graziadei from The Bachelor: Arie Luyendyk Jr. and Peter Weber proved to be viable competitors, it’s probable that another Bachelor will enter the house, and this is one of the fans want to see … for reasons.
- LeAnn and Trey from Squid Game: The Challenge: Season 2 of The Traitors featured a couple entering the competition, and some fans want to see another pair go head-to-head in Season 3 — this time, the mother-and-son duo who broke everyone’s hearts in the marbles challenge.
- Nene Leakes from The Real Housewives of Atlanta: Since Housewives have become such a mainstay of The Traitors at this point (#PhaedrasImpact), a lot of fans are pointing to Nene Leakes as the one to go for. Her personality can be just the right amount of ebullient to own the house, er castle, in this show.
- Stassi Shroeder from Vanderpump Rules: One consistent name that comes up on social media threads about the next cast is Stassi from VPR. She’d be the first Pump-er to join the show, and she would definitely make her presence known.
- Tom Sandoval from VPR: Another Pump alum that has been at the tip of everyone’s tongues lately is Tom Sandoval, whose infamous Scandoval event has already landed him a reality competition spot on Season 2 of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.
- Tyson Apostol from Survivor: A lot of fans think this notorious villain of the series — who also had a run-in or two with Season 2 traitor Parvati Shallow — would be a natural fit for the series.
There are also some lowkey chaotic suggestions floating around the web-o-sphere (like Gypsy Rose Blanchard and former U.S. congressman George Santos), so if the producers really want to put folks on edge… Nah.
The Traitors, Seasons 1 & 2, Peacock