The Traitors UK and The Traitors US have many overlapping parts. Nonetheless, just a few essential variations assist give every sequence its identification. The US model depends on actuality TV stars to attract in main fandoms and create viral moments. The Traitors US forged reveal has change into one of many main occasions for actuality TV lovers. The UK model sticks with unknowns and on a regular basis individuals.
Each sequence’ casting codecs work. Every model of The Traitors additionally tells their tales otherwise, each exhibits have eccentric however lovable hosts and tiny variations that make them nice actuality TV exhibits. Nonetheless, The Traitors UK does one side higher than The Traitors US.
Warning: Minor The Traitors US and The Traitors UK spoilers are forward. Proceed with warning, or take a look at each sequence, which will be watched with a Peacock subscription.
I Choose How The Traitors UK Presents The Weekly Challenges
The numerous worldwide variations of The Traitors share related or the identical weekly challenges. The US and UK Seasons 1, 2, and three have used a lot of the identical challenges. Due to this fact, you’ll be able to’t assist however examine the slight variations in how they’re designed and introduced.
The challenges really feel completely different in every model. The Traitors UK’s modifying emphasizes their significance to the episode. The US makes them really feel like a supplementary factor of the episodes, however not essentially the most essential a part of it. They’ve the identical design appears however operationally have completely different functions. I’m normally invested in what occurs through the UK’s weekly challenges however don’t have the identical stage of funding when the US presents the identical factor. And that has quite a bit to do with how every present treats and shows these duties.
The UK Model Makes Them Suspenseful
The Traitors US and UK every lean into comedic and dramatic elements of their sequence. Nonetheless, the UK model presents the weekly challenges extra severely than the US model. The US model typically makes the challenges really feel like a part of a comedy present. For instance, in The Traitors Season 3 Episode 5, “All This Murderous Energy,” there’s a problem to win a protect that includes eradicating pictures of an individual in case you reply a query appropriately.
There may be a number of suspense on this problem. It’s basically a make-or-break second for a number of contestants. It includes betrayal, lies, deceit, and manipulation. Nonetheless, it’s portrayed as this buffoonery second for a lot of contestants, like Bob Harper, who runs up earlier than even listening to the query. He appears foolish, not anxious. That is how the US typically treats these challenges. There may be nothing mistaken with that, and US actuality TV exhibits are inclined to favor comedy over drama (as seen in lots of iconic actuality TV moments).
I simply choose the best way the UK presents them. For instance, The Traitors UK Season 3 Episode 11 includes the contestants gaining a significant energy that offers them essential recreation data. The problem has foolish features, like pulling a doll string to be eradicated or to remain within the recreation. Nonetheless, the modifying had me on the sting of my seat. I cared whether or not the doll stated a cash worth or eradicated a contestant.
It’s all about how the sequence presents these challenges. One leans into their significance in making or breaking a contestant’s recreation, and the opposite tries to make you giggle as you watch these contestants crumble. I take pleasure in each approaches, however choose the UK’s far more.
The US Model Is Lacking Key Components To The Challenges That Make Them Thrilling
Considered one of my greatest fears about The Traitors US Season 3 was that this model would lose some key items that make a sure UK problem nice. To this point, my worry has been coming true. The primary instance is when The Traitors US has the identical problem of three new gamers getting into the sport by means of coin distribution and cage decreasing. The challenges are very related in every sequence, however the UK model has a twist that solely two of the three contestants will probably be given the prospect to enter the sport. It issues who will get the cash first.
The US model desires all three gamers to enter the sport so it doesn’t matter who’s lowered first.
The truth that solely two of the three enter the sport within the UK model makes the problem extra intense and thrilling to look at. We don’t know these new gamers but (as we solely briefly see them in the beginning of the season). Nonetheless, we instantly care about who stays and who will probably be eradicated. The UK model has this thrilling graveyard twist the place one of many gamers will probably be eradicated due to a card recreation of probability. The US model ditches the cardboard recreation half and lets the Traitors decide who to remove.
The US model continues to be attention-grabbing due to the three potential eradicated gamers. I cared who left. Nonetheless, I used to be extra invested in how the UK introduced it as a result of it’s way more thrilling tv. Moreover, it then ended dramatically: the Traitors confirmed as much as inform the individual they had been murdered. We then get some little backwards and forwards between one of many Traitors and the now-dead Trustworthy. It’s such an excellent actuality TV second. We might have had related rigidity or response if the US model used this format.
The UK Model Of The Traitors Use A Lot Extra Strategizing In The Challenges
Huge Brother, Survivor, The Problem, and even RuPaul’s Drag Race typically, contain a number of technique and strategizing. Due to this fact, these US TV exhibits aren’t any strangers to technique. Lots of the contestants on The Traitors US are good strategists, so you’ll anticipate extra challenges that contain technique. Some challenges use it however it isn’t as prevalent as within the UK model.
It typically looks as if nearly each problem within the UK includes technique or pondering strategically. We see this occur in even one thing so simple as discovering essentially the most cash. A participant is aware of that mathematically they will’t win the problem, as a result of they don’t find the money for of their financial institution, in order that they then give the cash to the participant who has an opportunity to win and who they belief.
We haven’t seen this problem play out but on the US model, so somebody might take an analogous method. Nonetheless, usually, the challenges don’t appear to encourage technique within the US variations, or the gamers aren’t pondering that manner. Within the fifth episode of The Traitors US Season 3, one of many contestants tries to make use of technique however it backfires in a significant manner. It looks as if that participant didn’t totally assume their plan by means of. Due to this fact, typically there’s a technique on the US model however, like Dylan Efron’s drag identify, misguided.
Each Variations Make The Challenges Necessary To The Total Story, However The UK Makes Them Persistently Necessary
The Traitors US Season 3 has a problem involving three contestants being put in a coffin as potential gamers to be murdered by the Traitors. This isn’t precisely a weekly problem as it’s extra of a homicide with a twist and problem for the Traitors, however it might fall into the blanket assertion of total challenge-esque features. This one incident has induced the 2 survivors to have suspicion placed on them as potential Traitors. Due to this fact, the challenges positively play a component within the US storyline in addition to the UK.
Nonetheless, the UK challenges appear to be a essential a part of the storylines extra typically. I can consider a number of challenges which have created suspicion on contestants, or made gamers change their technique. There have been challenges that made gamers mistrust one another, led to murders, and gave gamers energy that vastly altered the result of the sport.
The challenges matter on the UK model and the US model, however the US ones appear to matter when it comes to banking cash however not all the time as a key piece to the storyline.
I really like each Traitors sequence (they usually are extremely addictive) however I hope that the US model works a bit more durable to make the challenges extra essential to the subsequent season’s storylines.