New blood is spilling into The Traitors' castle this season, as for the first time, a cast full of civilians has gone to Scotland to play the treacherous game.
The American version launched its spinoff in 2023, and back then, the cast was half reality TV show contestants and half civilians. But after Cirie Fields dominated the game, a shift in casting meant the show became mostly filled with people who had already appeared on television. After four seasons, the show decided to have its cake and eat it, too, launching a new season that is entirely filled with "regular" people.
We are truly living in a world with a plethora of The Traitors content — currently on air are The Celebrity Traitors Season 2, The Traitors Canada Season 4, and The Traitors Belgium Season 5, just to name a few.
So far, the civilians have delivered an entertaining season. The Faithfuls have followed the wrong clues and voted out their own, though the cracks in the turret might be beginning to show.
At the end of the latest episode, the Traitors were tasked with a murder in plain sight. They had to take a poisoned apple and toss it to another player. If that person caught it, they would be murdered that night. Both Joe and Tomica have mostly avoided suspicion, but they seem to have caught some whispers because of their behaviour this episode.
Alas, let's rank how the cast will fare to win the game based on their current position.
16. Jay Vinnedge
Poor sweet straight Jay, he can't win this game. The brutal thing is that he's right about Katie, but he's been far too vocal and far too polarizing to the Faithful to get much further in this game. It's a miracle that he survived the latest round table, but I think he's only got one more in him.
15. Victor Vollbrechthausen
To start, he might have caught the poison apple, so he moves down the list for that reason alone. But that's not to mention that he had suspicion on him since the first round table. There's a world where he moves up an incredible amount of spots next week if he survives and clocks that both Joe and Tomika were walking around with apples this week, but it still feels unlikely.
14. Kriste Lewis
Kriste came blazing for Madeline at the first round table, and while things seem to have settled, she showed a level of aggression that might not bode well for her in the opinion of either the Traitors or the Faithful.
13. Katie Fites
Things never seemed quite so easy for Katie, even after she was recruited. I can't say I blame her for being frustrated with Jay during the mission, but when he is revealed as a Faithful, eyes will be darted towards Katie. Despite her being the one to sit out the murder-in-plain sight activities, she still feels like the Traitor most likely to be banished.
12. Joe Vanella
If Joe had just left it to another player to try and use the poison apple after his first attempt failed, he might have been in the clear. But when Victor spotted him with another piece of fruit before the night ended, the funeral director seems to be due for a funeral of his own.
11. Tomica Adams
That damn apple! Tomica was playing so well, but her asking Victor if he wanted an apple is going to come back to bite her. If Joe ends up getting most of the heat for it and Tomica throws him to the wolves, she might be able to skate by for a few rounds. While it's the first time she's going to be in the spotlight, it feels like it will be hard to turn it off.
10. Abbey Benjamin
I think Abbey is playing a great Faithful, it's just bad that it's such an outwardly Faithful game. That will lead her to being an option for murder by the Traitors, and lowers her stock in the game.
9. Michael Foote
I love Michael, but he screams "player who gets murdered for being perceived as too strategic". He's gone hard after players who are Faithful (Victor and Arissa), which means he'll be looked at by the Faithful for deceiving them or the Traitors in case he comes after them.
8. Clyde Moser
I worry about Clyde for the same reasons as Michael, but I think he's currently playing a slightly better game. I don't think he's nearly as likely to be banished, but he's perhaps even more of a potential murder victim.
7. Abby Lee
Abby hasn't made many waves in the house, which bodes well for her, but also doesn't give me much hope that she's the eventual winner. Her reads on who might be a Traitor seem to have been mostly wrong so far, which sometimes does mean the player will stick around for a while.
6. Morgan Cook
The best thing Morgan has going for her is that she didn't catch the apple Joe threw at her. She seems to be rather harmless on both sides so far, meaning she likely won't get heat at the round table or in the turret, but she does seem smart enough to be able to make some moves towards the end of the game.
5. Mark Zgoda
This guy feels like the epitome of someone who makes it to the end of the game as a bit of a lost Faithful. He's not made waves in either direction and feels like he could go far in the game without casting suspicion from either the turret or the round table.
4. Wyatt Gillespie
Wyatt is a player who has been very limited in appearing on the show, and so while he isn't drawing much suspicion, it also seems unlikely that he's actually the winner of the show. Yet this entire grouping of players near the top of the list is a testament to how bad I think many of the Faithful are playing and how suspicious this group of Traitors seem.
3. Niyyah Hayes
I only have Niyyah a little lower because she's slightly more visible than Wyatt. She's been very quiet on the show, which makes me think she's less likely to be the winner of the game. That being said, she doesn't seem to be in danger of being voted out or as someone who's name gets thrown around in the turret.
2. Shane Beatty
Of all of the low-visibility players I have in this section, Shane seems like the most strategic. While he's not actively generating ideas, he seems to be taking it all in. I think there's a world where he ends up floating to the end of the game, but manages to snag a Traitor to win the game with the Faithful.
1. Ben McDonnell
Ben, in my opinion, is the least threatening of any of The Dolls alliance. His allegiance to them will likely look favorably for him as they start being murdered and/or banished, then revealed as Faithful. That gives him a path to the end of the game, but I'd also consider him as someone who could be recruited once some of the other Traitors start to fall. I'm buying stock on Ben!
