Explaining The Traitors season 3 cast would kill a pilgrim. You’ve got Vanderpump Rules star Tom Sandoval, best known for his real-life betrayal of Ariana Madix. Sam Asghari, model slash actor and ex-husband of Britney Spears. Gabby Windey, the former Bachelorette (who jokes in the first episode of Alan Cummings’ murderous competition show that dating men on TV went so well she’s now dating women). Two Bobs: the iconic Drag Queen, and Harper, personal trainer on The Biggest Loser. Plus, the usual collection of Housewives, Survivor contestants, and a random British aristocrat.
The new season of The Traitors brings a veritable cornucopia of reality TV stars to a castle in Scotland for a glorified game of Mafia — players are christened Traitors or Faithfuls, and the Faithfuls must weed out the Traitors before the Traitors kill them all off. After every kill, players vote for who they think did it. At stake is an ever-growing pile of money, amassed through challenges and reducing the player pool. Last year’s winners, The Challenge players CT and Trishelle, split over $200,000 worth of prize money.
But the real prize is pride — or fame, if you want to get cynical about it. And let’s just say tensions are already high in the first episode when Tom Sandoval’s past might just come back to bite him.
Spoilers ahead for the first episode of The Traitors.
Tom Sandoval is pretty much a target as soon as he gets out of the car. “I’m not saying hi to him,” Gabby says immediately, seeming to refer to Tom. Later in episode 1, he sits down with Cumming to talk Traitors vs. Faithfuls, and Cumming slips in a jab: “How would you feel if I were to tap you on the shoulder? Would you feel I’ve betrayed you, Tom?” When Tom says yes, he grins slyly, “Doesn’t feel so nice, does it?”
They’re all, of course, referring to Scandoval: the portmanteau given to the 2023 news that Tom Sandoval had cheated on his longtime partner Ariana Madix with their mutual close friend and Vanderpump Rules coworker Rachel Leviss. Rumors, lawsuits, dropped lawsuits, weird/bad seasons of television, and brand deals for Madix ensued. Both parties have seemingly moved on, but can the past ever be the past? In the Traitors castle, no.
Before we get into the drama, a few quick answers:
When does The Traitors season 3 air? How do I watch it?
The Traitors season 3 aired its first three episodes on Thursday, Jan. 9, at 9 p.m. ET. You can watch on Peacock – episodes will air weekly.
Who are the Traitors in season 3?
By the end of episode one, we learn that Cumming’s chosen Traitors are Bob the Drag Queen, Carolyn Wiger (Survivor), Danielle Reyes (Big Brother), and — surprise! — Rob Mariano, better known as Boston Rob from Survivor. Depending on who gets eliminated, there could be more Traitors added in the future.
How will Tom Sandoval’s past affect his Traitors present?
Even considering reality TV editors can tell whatever story they want, Tom doesn’t seem to be doing himself any favors. “My biggest red flag is Chrishell,” Tom says in a confessional, shown right after the Traitors are chosen. “She just seems very off, very uncomfortable, very scared. She seems freakin’ scared.” He then takes that info to a large group of people. Let him who is without sin throw the first stone…
