Review: The Traitors NZ shows improvements as it returns for ...

Sounds simple enough, but in amongst the cast of “faithfuls”, a handle of “traitors” are selected at the start of the series. They get to “murder” a faithful every night, and it’s up to the remaining players to try and banish the traitors at a nightly ceremony. If any traitors remain at the end of the series, they win all the prize money for themselves. If the faithful remain, they get to split it up.

Created in the Netherlands in 2021, the franchise has gone global, with the US and UK versions in particular drawing in millions of viewers globally. Yet the first New Zealand season failed to make much of a splash last year.

The experiment of mixing celebrities and members of the public never worked - all the celebrities seemed to know each other to an almost hilarious extent, and they collectively distrusted the poor commonfolk who were barely given a chance.

The Traitors were poorly chosen, with one getting eliminated immediately, and they were cast off with such regularity that it never felt like there were any stakes. And while international versions film in abandoned hotels and expansive castles, but last season opted for an upmarket country Airbnb, so the whole show had the vibe of corporate retreat for the relatively recognisable rather than a serious conversation.

I’ve spoken to many Traitors fans who gave up on the New Zealand version early on, and that’s fair enough. But I’m glad to report that the producers have learned from their mistakes though, and the first two episodes of the second season show infinitely more promise.

Firstly, unless you count two content creators and Shortland Street’s teen shooter from last, there’s not a celebrity in the bunch. It’s all regular people, the cast drawing from all parts of the country and different fields, which immediately gives more weight to their battle for the potential $100,000 prize.

It also creates far more tension from the outset. No one knows each other, so they have to make connections and build relationships quickly, all while deciding how much they reveal about themselves. This is a game where drinking too much water or smiling too often can be seen as a sign of your evilness, and half the fun is watching the contestants manage that balancing act of being authentic and hiding themselves.

All the faithful have some potential to them, but there’s a great group of traitors already. The producers make great choices in picking grinning funeral director Whitney, stoic tradie Mike, and stern but motherly Jane, who each bring something different to the table. Forced to select a fourth, they make the ingenious choice of bringing in chaos-seeking clairvoyant Jackie, who seems to be there for the drama and I think will emerge as the eventual fan favourite.

It’s early days, and there’s 22 people in the cast, so not everyone gets their time to shine, but Dungeons and Dragons game master Mark, advertising executive Andrew and content creator Joe make an early first impression as entertaining narrators.

Strategy seems more of a focus this year too. The phrase “bad faithful” is already in the vocabulary, showing the cast will happily get rid of anyone who isn’t helping. At least two contestants in the second episode correctly guess who two of the traitors are, but indicate they want to keep them on side so they don’t get murdered.

The real star of the show though remains Henry. Not only does he have the best wardrobe on TV, he is the perfect man to go from drolly dismissing everything the contestants do to setting the tension for each roundtable meeting.

The Traitors’ hosts are more sparingly used than other shows, there simply to preside over the main beats of each episode, and not required to push contestants towards drama or controversial sayings like others. It means whenever they are on screen, they make a big impact, and Henry makes excellent use of every second he’s on camera.

He was the high point last year as well, but if the first episodes are anything to go by, the contestants will likely give him a run for his money. The first roundtable banishment is more exciting and tense than any from the first season, and shows the faithful are ready for battle and the traitors are prepared to defend themselves. If this level of strategy carries through the rest of the season, this may just be the reality TV hit of the year.

New episodes of The Traitors NZ air 7pm Mondays and Tuesdays on Three and on ThreeNow.