To think "The Traitors" is the biggest load of guff on TV?

[MasterBeth]

It's stupid. There's no game at the heart of it. It's like Deal Or No Deal for prime time.

I love this, it is one of the few things that I can enjoy with the kids (aged 9 & teenagers) although the OP does have a point. The Traitors being able to recruit after a loss is the biggest flaw, I assume the experts that run the game have thought about limiting the number of traitors but it doesn’t work out? Aside from that the show is pretty much perfect and one of only a handful of BBC shows that justify the licence fee.

The fact that the traitors won't necessarily recruit another one adds to the drama though. And of course, the viewers (and contestants) never know what might change from series to series... whether there'll be a shield to protect anyone from murder, etc etc

Also, when the game is down to the final stages and the players are having to vote whether to end the game or not, it's fascinating to witness their behaviours.

It's not like Deal or no Deal, because that was 100% random and there was no possible way to know what was in any of those boxes or have a strategy of picking the right one. The only interesting part was whether to accept the deal at any given stage, the rest was guff.

With The Traitors, there IS a feasible way to do well in the game, via human observation, manipulation and psychology. It's difficult and a lot of people get it wrong, but it is not 100% random like Deal or No Deal. And I think it's fascinating to see how people act in that situation (The Traitors).

Grand Designs is rather notoriously a bit of a nonsense. Rich people overreach, go over budget and over schedule, and end up with something that looks like an upmarket Airbnb.

What do you enjoy about it?

It’s the best thing on TV and usually reality TV bores me to tears.

I suppose its one of the very very few things that a family can watch. It's a lovely location. Who doesn't like a bit of people watching?

Not enjoying this series as much. A couple of token oldies and the rest pretty samey.

I don't watch it, only have seen the trailers. However I disagree with the OP.

It does not condone criminality like Top Gear effectively did.
It does not price people out of homes like property programmes do.
It does not call itself something it is not, like Mrs Brown's Boys which is not a comedy but foul mouthed transphobia.

To give three examples.

MasterBeth, I am a graduate of Oxford and Cambridge Universities and a retired brain surgeon and I enjoy this programme.

You complain that there is no way of knowing who the traitors are but that is a large part of the show. The others are trying to work out who the traitors are (often completely fluffing things up) and that is where the entertainment comes from, for me.

I usually record the show on VHS and then fast forward the challenges, it's the roundtable interactions and sobbing and regret of the inevitable bad vote that makes for compulsive viewing for me.

In an early reply you complained that "none of their interactions are genuine" and again, that is the show, the 'game', that you complain does not exist. It's called The Traitors after all.

A dear friend (ex-Oxford) is a big cheese (big whoffing Stinking Bishop proportions) at the BBC so I will pass your complaints on to her and see what can be done. I'm not sure she will agree that being able to know for absolute certain who the traitor is and banning all cloak and dagger interactions will be an improvement though.

This. It is so hard to find something the kids will watch with me but they do sit down for this. And we can sit there discussing it as well.

I was going to suggest 'watch Harry at work' from the last series.

We find it gets a little more strategic as it progresses (and you get to know who is who!), initially it is a bit random ('He moved differently'...) but you kind of need to watch from the start to watch it develop.

It's is literally the ONLY TV show DS23 watches with us. And shouts at the telly with us 🤣

I wish the contestants weren't quite so IG influencer, though.

But if you want to see a car crash version, watch the S2 of Australia! The wild, random guesses, veering off in all directions despite CLEAR EVIDENCE being presented to them; the complete amnesia regarding what happened last time; the narcissism of Sam and his ultimate denouement 🤣

I haven't watched the previous seasons so this is the first time that I've watched it and I absolutely love it!

OP: if you had watched season 2, you would have seen the player who won, play a very clever game of strategy, persuasion, social communication and perceptiveness about others' motivations.

I've just gone down the rabbit hole of who invented the TV show and what is the link to the game Mafia that I've heard some American film actors talking about playing. Fascinating to read that Traitors is pretty much exactly Mafia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafia_(party_game)
and Mafia was invented by a psychology professor 'to combine psychology research with his duties teaching high school students' - and it's taken many forms since then - Mafia then Werewolves, and a video game.

It's true that in the early Traitors episodes, there's a lot of blind guesswork in who gets banished and why people are murdered. But as it goes on, it becomes a lot more strategic.

That ^^

I looooove Traitors! The strategic thinking will increase as the game goes on - and the skullduggery. I find it fascinating to see how people react to different situations and under extreme pressure - when the doubts set in and friendships are put under strain. It's such a clever concept and the last 2 series have been incredible viewing. The show is always fresh with new twists and turns.

I feel like the show can’t be judged on the first couple of episodes, there’s so many people, no one really knows each other and it is all a bit scatty and random. Same with any other reality tv show really, first couple of episodes are more just introductory, the drama is around the corner.
But once a few people start to leave and they get to know each other more, it gets WAY more interesting. I casually enjoyed the first two as “scene setting” episodes, but last nights episode, the third, was way more exciting, I was on the edge of my seat!

@AliTheMinx exactly

I'm trying to watch it, but finding it quite boring as it seems too staged.
They obv aren't living there, so I don't like that. As someone said if they guessed right in the first two episodes there would be no show left.
I don't like not be able to know the time line.
I only get addicted to Big Brother series and watching in real time when possible.
I'm surprised at how light weight it is.
It's not dark or gripping like I thought it would be.

If you didn't see the second series, its better than this one that is morphing into a vehicle for wannabees.