“I'm not saying this show sucks – I'm watching every minute of it. But I'm just saying it could be so much better,” notes TikToker Fred Asquith, as he reels off just some of the ways The Traitors could be “fixed”. And, well, he kinda has a point.
It's not that the beloved BBC hit fronted by Claudia Winkleman is lacking – there's a reason more than 10 million of us Brits tuned in to see last season's finale and a staggering 14.9 million watched the conclusion of Celebrity Traitors in November.
But, as the seasons go on and The Traitors attracts more and more fans, it runs the risk of repetition – and it very much relies on the element of surprise to keep viewers hooked.
Even the most beloved reality show on television holds a mirror up to our unconscious biases.
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So, what changes does the influencer propose?
How to ‘fix’ The Traitors
When Diane revealed that she was Ross' mother in season 2, it's safe to say viewers were shocked, and it added some much-needed drama to the show.
However, four seasons on and a helluva lot of “surprise” connections later, having these sorts of inclusions feels anything but revelatory or fresh. As Asquith says: “It adds nothing.”
This season, we not only discovered that Judy is Roxy's foster mum, Ellie also revealed that she is Ross' girlfriend when she was banished from the castle – a fact that came as absolutely no surprise at all to fans and internet sleuths, who had already pieced that together weeks before.
From Rachel's FBI training and Amanda's supposed mic-drop moment when she revealed she is a former police detective to Harriet's admission that she writes crime novels and is a former barrister – these “surprises” give us nothing. If anything, they just highlight how some of their real-life skills are not transferable in the game, and it's embarrassing.
Another thing that Asquith points out is that by having both the Traitors and the Faithfuls add to the same prize pot, there is little sabotaging going on – which could potentially add more drama to the show and make things a little more interesting.
In his ideal world, Traitors would be incentivised to sabotage missions if they got little bonuses to add to their own pot.
On a similar note, the social media star suggests giving Faithfuls a bonus if they catch a Traitor out early on in the game. As well as the usual boost getting it right gives them, this could potentially incentivise them to be more cut-throat when at the Round Table.
The Traitors finale airs on BBC One tonight (23 January) at 8.30pm.
