Gautam
Set against the misty backdrop of the Scottish Highlands, season 4 of Peacock’s ‘The Traitors US’ is hosted by the charismatic Alan Cumming. It takes the 23 contestants into a high-stakes psychological game where trust is everything, and betrayal even more so. They are separated into a secret group of the Traitors, whose mission is to murder and eliminate the Faithfuls. Each night, the tension escalates as the competitors gather around the round table, casting votes to banish the one they suspect is the Traitor. Apart from that, they participate in missions together to complete high-pressure tasks and earn money for the Prize Pot, which can reach $250,000.
The Season Kicks Off With an Unexpected Twist of a Secret Traitor
Episode 1, titled ‘Let the Cards Fall As They Will,’ begins with the introduction of the 23 contestants in the game. The first 10 contestants are: Natalie Anderson, Yamil “Yam Yam” Arocho, Mark Ballas, Rob Cesternino, Stephen Colletti, Candiace Dillard Bassett, Ron Funches, Maura Higgins, Donna Kelce, and Kristen Kish. The list continues with Tara Lipinski, Dorinda Medley, and Tiffany Mitchell. As they arrive at the castle, more players are introduced, including Monét X Change, Eric Nam, Michael Rapaport, Rob Rausch, Lisa Rinna, Caroline Stanbury, Ian Terry, Colton Underwood, Johnny Weir, and Porsha Williams. After their arrival, Alan reveals that he will soon pick his first Traitor, who shall remain a secret not only to the other contestants but also to the audience.
Alan proceeds to explain that the Faithfuls are responsible for banishing the Traitors before they themselves become the next victim. The one to survive until the end can even win an impressive $250,000. Shortly after, the guards are instructed to bring 23 chests, among which only one has the secret Traitor card. One by one, each player walks up to Alan to see their own card. However, despite observing everyone, no contestant succeeds in getting any hint of who might be the secret Traitor. Although the host reveals that he will choose the other Traitors later in the night, thankfully, there will be no murder tonight. Once everyone explores the castle, they are all summoned around the round table.
Traitor Selection and Graveyard Mission Set the Stage For Chaos Among the Players
The game begins once Alan asks everyone to put on their blindfolds and announces that the contestants who feel his hand on their back will be the Traitors. One by one, he selects Candiace, Lisa, and Rob R. to fill in the role. Michael soon stirs up trouble, stating that logically a gamer and a “Housewives” alumnus are bound to be a Traitor, which puts a target on his back. During the meeting of the Traitors later that night, the host arrives to disclose that the identity of the Secret Traitor will remain hidden. The Secret Traitor will work alone each night to create a shortlist, and the other three Traitors must select someone from that list to eliminate. As the next day rolls in, Alan finally brings everyone before a water body for their first mission.
Alan announces that the players can find 100 wooden coffins in the water, but only 12 of them have a “$” sign on them and are worth gold, which can be added to the Prize Pot. The others with an “x” on them are worth nothing. The contestants are divided into three boats: green, red, and white. When each team finds a coffin worth gold, they must tow it across the water and drop it into an empty grave in the gravesite. Each of those coffins is worth $2,500. Once their allotted 45 minutes finally begin, the teams rush to complete the mission. However, once they reach the other side, they meet with a twist: Each grave is marked with each player’s name. It is revealed that the ones with a coffin in their grave will be up for murder tonight, while the ones with empty graves will be shielded from it.
During the mission, the alliance continues to rotate among the three teams. Ultimately, by the end of the 45 minutes, they manage to place only nine coffins inside the graves of Ron, Rob R., Donna, Eric, Michael, Ian, Rob C., Mark, and Dorinda, putting them at risk for murder. Additionally, the Prize Pot has now collected an amount of $22,500. During their car ride back, Candiace tells Porsha that Michael had said to target “Housewives” during the mission. However, when a confrontation happens between Michael and Porsha regarding the matter, Candiace denies making that statement. Meanwhile, suspicions grow among the other contenders regarding the possibility that Michael may be a Traitor.
Ian’s Elimination Sets a Ruthless Tone as a Grueling Throne-Carrying Mission
As the night falls, Lisa, Rob R., and Candiace meet to find that the secret Traitor has shortlisted Rob R., Ian, Mark, and Eric for the murder. Once episode 2, titled ‘The Death Conga’ commences, the focus falls on the Traitors discussing who they should select for murder. During breakfast the subsequent morning, it is revealed that Ian is the first player to be killed. In the flashback, it is disclosed that the Traitors selected Ian because he is a significant threat due to his win in ‘Big Brother.’ It doesn’t take much longer for Alan to arrive and reveal that it’s time for the contestants to face their next mission. After reaching the location, the host announces that the players must work together to carry three thrones to the castle within 45 minutes.
On the road, the competitors must make three stoppages and collect bags of gold, worth a total of $24,000. They have to safely deposit these bags into one of the thrones’ chests. The thrones are revealed to be shields, and the ones sitting on them will be safe from tonight’s murder. At every stop, Alan has also hidden two shield tokens. If an individual finds one, they can utilize it to swap places with any players sitting on the throne. Only the three players sitting on the throne while reaching the castle shall be shielded. Alan further announces that if they fail to reach the destination within 45 minutes, they will earn nothing. To make it a little tougher, there will be no time checks today. At the beginning of the mission, Tiffany, Candiace, and Caroline are the first to take the thrones.
At the last stoppage, Rob R. gives his token to Yam Yam. Things change when Maura loses her place on the throne to Yam Yam despite her pleas. That swap also angers Michael, as he begins to question the choice since there was no negotiation before selecting who would receive the Shield Token. Upon their arrival at the castle, Alan informs everyone that they have arrived in time and have managed to add $22,500 to the Prize Pot. Before their first round table voting, Ron, Rob C., and Donna notice Porsha making remarks about her killing Ian. Ron further grows suspicious of Porsha when she notes that there may be four Traitors in the game. It raises red flags because no one knows the actual number.
The Traitors Complete a Murder in Plain Sight After Porsha’s Banishment
After the commencement of the first round table voting, several contestants, alongside Candiace, call out Donna. They put forth the argument that she may be the Traitor since, from the very first chest opening after their arrival, Donna seems stressed. On the other hand, Ron brings up the suspicious comments that Porsha made during some of her conversations. While Porsha defends herself by insisting that she just misspoke, Candiace also comes to her rescue, noting that Porsha often tends to mention things by mistake. It is soon followed by Michael’s remark of “we killed Ian,” which puts the table in frenzy, raising red flags that he may be a Traitor. The votes are eventually divided between Donna, Porsha, and Michael. Ultimately, Porsha receives the most votes, meaning she is banished.
Before going home, Porsha reveals that she had indeed been a Faithful, which upsets several of the other players. It diverts the attention of most contestants to Ron, since they believe he deliberately projected the blame toward Porsha. Meanwhile, the Traitors get letters informing them that they must murder a player in plain sight. They will receive tarot cards with the shortlisted name from the secret Traitor, which shall be hidden behind one portrait in the kitchen. They must retrieve it, discuss among themselves, and then burn the card of the player they want to murder in the breakfast room before the clock strikes at night. To add another pointer, they can meet the secret Traitor if they succeed in this. However, if they fail, there will be no murder tonight, and they are not going to have control over tomorrow’s murder.
Candiace successfully distracts everyone by making everyone play a game, allowing Rob R. to retrieve the list. It reveals that Rob C., Kristen, Tara, and Monét are the selected individuals. Rob R. and Lisa discuss their plan while acting like they are playing chess, with others present in the room. Ultimately, they succeed in placing a card into the fire in time, completing their murder in plain sight. Unfortunately, since Candiace was busy distracting others, she wonders if Rob R. and Lisa actually succeeded. With the beginning of episode 3, titled ‘Show Me Your Faces,’ Candiace reveals that the previous night she was approached by Rob C., who told her that the Traitors were committing a murder in plain sight. In the meantime, at the breakfast table, Yam Yam shares his concern that there is a possibility that Michael is a Traitor.
A Shocking Vote Exposes Donna as the Traitor Before a Perilous Swamp Mission
Just like Yam Yam, Michael also suspects his opponent to be a Traitor because he feels Yam Yam always deflects the conversation from himself. It is soon revealed that Rob C. is ultimately the one who was murdered the previous night. After Alan walks into the dining room, he reveals that there will be a round-table voting session today before the next mission takes place. Since Ron now senses that there is a target on his back for Porsha’s unexpected departure, he decides to lay low. With the start of the round table voting, almost everyone’s suspicion falls on Donna. She tries to defend herself, but Candiace points out that Donna has a sweet personality, which makes her a good candidate for the Traitor.
While Donna tries to deflect the attention to Michael, Ron speaks up that just because he flipped the table on Porsha doesn’t mean he is the Traitor. When Yam Yam demands to know who Michael thinks is the Traitor, the latter accuses Yam Yam of being one. Ultimately, when the voting finishes, it is revealed that Donna has been banished. She admits that she is one of the Traitors before leaving, revealing that she was the secret one all along. Shortly after, everyone arrives near a marsh in the woods, where Alan announces the next mission. Among the remaining 21 players, 20 of them have selected their pair, while Ron remains without one. One person from each pair will be placed inside the cage, while their teammate must find 10 skulls from the swamp before them.
The free players then have to stack them on top of another to free their friend in the cage, and shield them from murder tonight. However, if they fail to do so within 10 minutes, the ones still in the cage will be shortlisted for murder. Every player released will also amount to $5,000. Since Ron doesn’t have a partner, he is automatically included in the shortlist. By the time the game ends, it turns out that the people who are still inside the cage are Eric, Caroline, Ron, Lisa, and Kristen. Additionally, another $25,000 is added to the Prize Pot. The host then reveals that the shortlisted competitors will be tied to the tree in the woods and are set to meet the Traitors face-to-face at night before the murder. As the night falls and the Traitors arrive at the location (Lisa being already free as the Traitor), it is yet to be seen who they choose to murder.
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