It’s branded as the ultimate game of strategy and deception, and now the format is coming to Australian screens.
Endemol Shine Australia has begun casting for a new reality-competition program, branded as a ‘Top Secret Show’, which was teased at by Daniel Monaghan in a recent TV Tonight article:
“We haven’t announced any shows for Q4 yet. We have commissioned one show we’re not ready to talk about.”
But TV Blackbox can confirm the new format heading down under is The Traitors, and it will be among the first to air in the world.
The casting call advertised yesterday said the series was the “ultimate game of strategy and deception”, appealing to fans of shows such as Survivor.
It reads:
Could your charm and powers of persuasion carry you to the finish line?
With a life-changing prize at stake, how far would you go?
Australia’s most thrilling new show has arrived!
The format, originally a Dutch series, has been commissioned by BBC1 in the UK and by Peacock in the US to film in 2022.
Filming for the Australian version is set to take place throughout June, and finish on July 3rd. This would allow for a perfect turn over for 10’s executives and editors to screen the program in the backend of the year.
About the format, Kate Phillips, Director of Entertainment at BBC Commissioning said:
“The Traitors is a high stakes entertainment series full of false promises and paranoia. Set against the stunning Scottish landscape, I can’t wait for these very different ‘Highland Games’ to begin where the biggest rule of all is trust no one!”
Jenny Groom, Executive Vice President for Entertainment Unscripted Content at NBCUniversal Television and Streaming added:
“The Traitors is a gripping social experiment and we can’t wait to bring this to the US as a Peacock original series. Studio Lambert has had amazing success with immersive formats and we are excited to partner with them on this. We know that US audiences will absolutely love the twists and turns of the show.”
The Traitors format that will be exhibited in both the UK and the US sees contestants move into a majestic castle in the Scottish Highlands and work as a team to complete a series of dramatic and challenging missions to earn money for the prize pot. But three of the contestants are secretly traitors, who will attempt to deceive and manipulate their way to the prize by eliminating the ‘loyal’ players. It’s up to the loyal contestants to find these traitors and unmask them before the end of the game.
Whether there will be some minor adaptations to the format, such as the Scottish Highlands location, in Australia is yet to be known.
If you want to apply for the exciting new program coming to Channel 10 later this year, the casting call can be found here.
The Traitors will air on Channel 10 in Q4.
Co-written with Matthew Simmonds.
Hey Aaron firstly thanks for always championing the random shows that most people don’t think about! I’ll often sit there wondering what is happening with a particular show and within 60 seconds you’ll mention it somewhere on the podcast. Secondly I have to confess to a bit of a crush on you esp when you say hello gorgeous people it is just a shame you’re on the other side of Oz! But finally I haven’t heard the podcast yet so forgive me if this is mentioned already but doesn’t this just sound like the mole but with multiple moles instead of an individual? Don’t get me wrong I freaking loved the mole and have watched every English speaking season of it ever made but why go to the effort of changing the name when the IP is already there that can be used to help with marketing and hype etc? Thanks again for all your hard work!
I always have a lot to say but this time I am stumped. Thank you for your comments, Are you sue Marky is not code name for David Robinson? hahahahahah Yes the Traitors has the same elements of The Mole but it looks intriguing and something that has not been on our screens for some time. Looking forward to it.