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The Rules of ‘The Traitors’, Explained

the traitors rodger corser

The Traitors Australia is back for its second season. Since last year, the UK and US have both launched their own iterations of the treacherous reality competition series, and The Traitors has been taking our planet by storm. But if you’ve forgotten how it all works, never fear. We’re here today to talk about The Traitors’ rules, because they’re kind of wild, to be honest!

In fact, when we spoke to host Rodger Corser last year, he said that the breakneck pace of the show’s elimination schedule was one of the things that appealed to him about The Traitors Australia in the first place.

Corser conceded that while “the idea of voting people off is not necessarily brand new”, getting two eliminations in each episode felt fresh and different to him.

But this year, they’ve shaken things up a little, and introduced a few new elements of the game to The Traitors Australia 2023.

So how does it all work? Here’s everything you need to know about The Traitors’ rules.

What Are the Rules of The Traitors 2023?

In The Traitors 2023, 20 players reside in an old hotel together, where they take part in challenges in the hopes of winning silver bars. These silver bars go into a prize pool, which will total up to $250,000. The final prize amount is dependent on how much the contestants earn during the season.

Faithfuls Vs Traitors

Amongst the contestants are Faithfuls and Traitors. The Traitors are selected at the beginning of the season, and it’s their job to hide in plain sight, sabotaging the Faithfuls as they go. They have to be deceptive, lie to everyone’s faces, and stay under the radar, masquerading as Faithfuls. This year, the Traitors are Ash, Blake and Sam, but there’s also the possibility that one of the Faithfuls will be recruited to the dark side over the course of the season.

Meanwhile, the Faithfuls’ job is to figure out who the Traitors are. This is important, because if a Traitor makes it to the end, they automatically win the entire prize themselves.

On the other hand, if two Faithfuls make it to the end, the winner is presented with a choice. They can either split the silver with their fellow Faithful finalist, or take the whole prize for themselves.

Challenges

Last year, the contestants donned their snazzy red tracksuits and competed in challenges as one team, regardless of whether they were a Faithful or a Traitor. They worked together to earn the silver bars that went into the prize pool.

This year, things are a little different. On The Traitors 2023, the contestants will be split into two groups for challenges. One group will wear red tracksuits, while the other wears blue.

One member of the winning team of the challenge then gets a bonus — the opportunity to win the Shield of Protection.

After a challenge, the winning team enters the Armoury — a hidden room in the mansion. If they find the Shield of Protection, it is the equivalent to winning individual immunity on Australian Survivor. With the Shield of Protection comes power, because a Faithful cannot be murdered by the Traitors in the night if they hold it. On the other hand, they can still be sent home via Banishment Ceremony.

How Do Players Get Eliminated on The Traitors?

There are two ways that contestants are eliminated on The Traitors Australia. The first way is to be “murdered”*. And the second way is to be banished.

Each night, the Traitors “murder” someone in the dead of night, which eliminates them from the game immediately. The Faithfuls discover who was murdered the next day by a process of elimination. Whoever doesn’t come down for breakfast is dead.

The other way players are eliminated from the game is via Banishment Ceremony. During the Banishment Ceremonies, the Faithfuls aim to eliminate the contestants they suspect are secretly Traitors. The problem, of course, is that the Traitors are amongst them, masquerading as Faithfuls and trying to steer everyone in the wrong direction.

After a Banishment Ceremony, the Faithfuls are then informed whether they just eliminated a Traitor, or whether they accidentally banished one of their own.

*No Faithfuls were harmed in the making of this reality television competition.

The Traitors Australia airs at 7.30pm on Mondays and Tuesdays, only on 10 and 10 Play on Demand. Miss an episode? Catch up on 10 Play.

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