‘The Traitors' is opening its doors to everyday people. Here's how you can join the TV competition
NBC is now casting for a civilian version of the popular Peacock series, the network announced Thursday. The competition reality series, an American spin-off to its British counterpart, had only cast celebrities for its first three seasons, the last of which aired early this year. The new version will bring a group of everyday people together to play what the host, Alan Cumming, called his 'treacherous game' in a video announcing the public casting.
Cumming is set to host the new version as well, with production for the show starting in 2026, according to the network. Those who are interested in participating can apply now on the show's website.
The fourth season of the celebrity version is set to launch next year, and a fifth season has already been confirmed. The star-studded cast for season 4, announced in June, includes reality stars from 'Love Island,' 'Big Brother' and 'Survivor.'
'We're thrilled to be working with NBC to open up the experience to a new group of civilian players, whose stories and strategies will make the gameplay even more unpredictable – and, we hope, even more addictive for viewers,' Stephen Lambert, CEO of Studio Lambert, the producers of both the Peacock and NBC versions, said in a statement.
The show features a group of contestants who participate in a murder mystery game similar to Clue or Mafia. A subset of the cast are secretly labeled as traitors and must work together to eliminate the other contestants, who are considered faithfuls. On the line is a prize fund worth up to $250,000. If the faithful manage to eliminate all the traitors, then they share the money. But, if a traitor makes it to the end, they take it all.
The British version uses the same location and has used civilian contestants from the start.
Casting everyday people will allow complete strangers to meet for the first time, a 'unique opportunity' that 'will be an incredible watch,' said Sharon Vuong, the executive vice president of unscripted programming at NBCUniversal Entertainment.
Weekly
A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene.
'This new version for NBC offers a unique opportunity for the cast and audience to meet each other for the first time and we know it will be incredible to watch,' Vuong said in a statement.
The psychological adventure has found reality TV gold, and its third season premiered as the No. 1 unscripted series in the U.S., according to a release by NBC. The show also recently received five Emmy nominations for season three and previously took home two of the awards for season two.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Richard Thomas dons wig and mustache to play icon Mark Twain in one-man play touring the US
NEW YORK (AP) — Richard Thomas has not one but two big shoes to fill when he goes out on the road this summer in a celebrated one-man show. The Emmy Award winner and Tony Award nominee is portraying the great American writer Mark Twain in a play written and performed for decades by the late Hal Holbrook. Thomas immediately accepted the offer to star in the 90-minute 'Mark Twain Tonight!' that tours more than a dozen states this summer and fall before wondering what he'd gotten himself into. 'I walked down to the street and I said, 'Are you crazy? What are you out of your mind?'' he says, laughing. 'I had to grapple with who's the bigger fool — the man who says, 'Yes, I'll do it' or the man that says, 'No, I won't'?' Holbrook portrayed the popular novelist and humorist for more than a half century starting in 1954, making over 2,300 performances to a collective audience of more than 2 million. He and Thomas were fond of each other and would see each other's work. The show mixes Twain's speeches and passages from his books and letters to offer a multidimensional look at an American icon, who toured the U.S. with appearances. 'I'm going to feel very much like I'm not only following in Hal's footsteps, but in Twain's as well,' says Thomas, who began his career as John-Boy Walton on TV's 'The Waltons' and became a Broadway mainstay. Thomas jokes that Holbrook had 50 years to settle into the role and he has only a year or so. 'I have the advantage on him that he started when he was 30 and he was pretending to be an old man. I'm 74 so I'm right there. That's the one area where I'm up on him.' 'It's time for Twain' The new tour kicks off this week in Hartford, Connecticut — appropriately enough, one of the places Twain lived — and then goes to Maryland, Iowa, Arkansas, North Carolina, Kansas, Tennessee, New York, New Jersey, Utah, California, Arizona, Alabama, Utah and Florida by Christmastime. Then in 2026 — the 60th anniversary of the Broadway premiere — it goes to Texas, Colorado, Wisconsin and Ohio. 'It's time for Twain, you know? I mean, it's always time for Twain, always. He's always relevant because he's utterly and completely us, with warts and all,' says Thomas. The actor will travel with a stage manager and a trunk with his costumes, but all the other elements will be sourced locally by the venues — like desks and chairs, giving each show local touches. 'There's something about doing a show for people in their own community, in their theater that they support, that they raise money for. They're not coming to you as tourists. You're coming to them.' Thomas has done a one-man show before — 'A Distant Country Called Youth' using Tennessee Williams letters — but that allowed him to read from the script on stage. Here he has no such help. 'One of the keys is to balance the light and the shadow, how funny, how outrageous, the polemic and the darkness and the light. You want that balanced beautifully,' he says. Twain represents America Other actors — notably Val Kilmer and Jerry Hardin — have devised one-man shows about the creator of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, who still manages to fascinate. A new biography of Twain by Ron Chernow came out this year, which Thomas is churning through. Thomas sees Twain as representing America perfectly: 'He just lets it all hang out there. He's mean-spirited; he's generous. He's bigoted; he is progressive. He hates money; he wants to be the richest man in America. All of these fabulous contradictions are on display.' Thomas has lately become a road rat, touring in 'Twelve Angry Men' from 2006-08, 'The Humans' in 2018 and starring as Atticus Finch in Aaron Sorkin's adaptation of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' from 2022-24. Orin Wolf, CEO of tour producer NETworks Presentations, got to watch Thomas on the road in 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and says having him step into Twain will strengthen the theater community across the country Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. 'It's so rare nowadays to have a true star of the road,' Wolf says, calling Thomas 'a breed of actor and artist that they rarely make anymore.' 'I'm delighted to be supporting him and delighted that he's chosen to do this because I think this is something he could also take on for hopefully many years,' he adds. After Twain, Thomas will next be seen on Broadway this spring opposite Renée Elise Goldsberry and Marylouise Burke in David Lindsay-Abaire's new comedy, 'The Balusters.' But first there's the eloquence and wry humor in a show about Twain that reveals he was often a frustrated optimist when it came to America. 'I think it reflects right now a lot of our frustration with how things are going,' says Thomas. 'Will things ever be better and can things ever better? Or are we just doomed to just be this species that is going to constantly eat its own tail and are we ever going to move forward?'
Toronto Sun
4 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Rapper Sean Kingston to be sentenced for $1 million fraud scheme in South Florida
Published Aug 15, 2025 • 1 minute read Sean Kingston, right, and his mother Janice Turner arrive at the 40th anniversary American Music Awards, Nov. 18, 2012, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File) Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Rapper Sean Kingston is scheduled to be sentenced in South Florida on Friday after being convicted of a $1 million fraud scheme. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Kingston, whose legal name is Kisean Paul Anderson, and his mother, Janice Eleanor Turner, were each convicted by a federal jury in March of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud. U.S. Judge David Leibowitz sentenced Turner last month to five years in prison, but Kingston's sentencing was rescheduled. Kingston, 35, and his mother were arrested in May 2024 after a SWAT team raided Kingston's rented mansion in suburban Fort Lauderdale. Turner was taken into custody during the raid, while Kingston was arrested at Fort Irwin, an Army training base in California's Mojave Desert, where he was performing. According to court records, Kingston used social media from April 2023 to March 2024 to arrange purchases of high-end merchandise. After negotiating deals, Kingston would invite the sellers to one of his high-end Florida homes and promise to feature them and their products on social media. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Investigators said that when it came time to pay, Kingston or his mother would text the victims fake wire receipts for the luxury merchandise, which included a bulletproof Escalade, watches and a 19-foot (6-meter) LED TV, investigators said. When the funds never cleared, victims often contacted Kingston and Turner repeatedly, but were either never paid or received money only after filing lawsuits or contacting law enforcement. Kingston, who was born in Florida and raised in Jamaica, shot to fame at age 17 with the 2007 hit 'Beautiful Girls,' which laid his lyrics over Ben E. King's 1961 song 'Stand By Me.' His other hits include 2007's 'Take You There' and 2009's 'Fire Burning.' Sunshine Girls Canada Sunshine Girls Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA
Vancouver Sun
6 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Stepping into Simba: Erick D. Patrick brings The Lion King musical to Vancouver
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. When: Aug. 20-Sept. 14 Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre , 630 Hamilton St., Vancouver Tickets: From $35 (plus fees) at You can't argue with this kind of success. In the last 30 years, The Lion King has proven to be one of American entertainment giant Disney's most valuable properties. Whether in its original animated form, the 2019 CGI photorealistic remake, or the multi-award-winning Broadway incarnation, the story of Simba, the lion cub who would be king, has entertained and inspired millions across the globe. Get top headlines and gossip from the world of celebrity and entertainment. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sun Spots will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. We talked to Erick D. Patrick about playing the four-legged princeling in the musical, which returns to Vancouver this month. A: I saw the Broadway musical for the first time when I was 23 or 24. Since then, I've seen maybe seven or eight different Simbas. A: Everyone is so different. It's interesting, because we're all given the same things to do. But the beautiful thing about storytelling is that no one can tell you how to tell it. It's a beautiful thing to see that many different ways to tell the story. A: It's a role that you always want to find something new in night to night, show to show. It requires you to figure out things about yourself. It's that universal reminder that you might think you have everything figured out, that you think you know exactly what you're doing, or you think you know exactly how you'll respond, but you actually don't know until you're in that situation. For me, it always brings up how to be strong, how to be caring, how to be vulnerable, how to honour your loved ones, or honour the ones that are no longer with us. A: It's a big learning curve, because you've got to be aware that the mask is also telling the story and how you move doesn't stop with your face and your body. We have what we call 'the dual event.' Basically, if you were in the audience and you were to look at my face, you would get the story. And if you were way, way in the back and you were just able to see the movement and my mask, you would get that exact same story based on body language and movement. A: It is one of the most rewarding feelings I've ever experienced, and it's unlike any other show. Because normally you're playing your age. Normally I'm just a 30-year-old guy on stage singing songs. But in this show, it really does stand the test of time. It doesn't matter where we are in the world. It still connects to not only children, but adults as well. It's something that I didn't expect to feel so gratifying. I knew that kids loved the show. I knew that people loved the show, but I didn't know the amount of love and excitement that you're going to receive when you step out of the stage door. A: Oh, all the time. Every night. I was so obsessed with it. And I've always been an actor, I've always been in musicals, but it never clicked to me to even audition for The Lion King. Never. It took my fiancé, who was on the tour, to encourage me. She said, 'Hey, I think you'd be really great.' And I was like, 'People say that, but is it really cool?' And she's like, 'Yes, it's amazing. You should come be a part of it.''
