A new season of The Traitors began on Peacock with a supersized three-episode premiere on January 8, 2026. Host Alan Cumming introduced a major new twist: a Secret Traitor, whose identity was hidden from both the other players and the audience. This set the stage for a tense opening week that saw the first murders and banishments of the season.
The season started with 23 celebrity contestants playing for a growing prize fund. Alongside the new Secret Traitor, Cumming selected three other Traitors: Lisa Rinna (The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills), Candiace Dillard Bassett (The Real Housewives of Potomac), and Rob Rausch (Love Island USA). The opening episodes are now available to stream on Peacock, with new episodes arriving weekly.
Episode 1: A Secret Twist and the First Murder Shortlist
The game began with an immediate surprise. In front of all the players, Alan Cumming conducted a ceremony where each contestant looked inside a private box. One box contained a card marking its viewer as the season’s Secret Traitor. This player’s identity was kept completely secret, known only to themselves and Cumming. The Secret Traitor’s special power was to create a shortlist of players eligible for murder each night, which the other Traitors were then forced to choose from.
The first mission involved teams retrieving coffins from a Scottish loch. Coffins placed in a player’s marked grave put them at risk for murder that night. Nine players ended up on this initial list. From that group, the unknown Secret Traitor provided the three known Traitors with their first four-name shortlist: Rob Rausch (who was safe as a fellow Traitor), Ian Terry, Mark Ballas, and Eric Nam. After deliberation, the Traitors chose their first victim.
Episode 2: The First Murder and a Banishment Mistake
The game’s first murder was revealed at breakfast when Ian Terry was missing. Terry, a winner of Big Brother 14, was killed off by the Traitors. In a final confessional, Terry expressed disappointment, saying, “I had a feeling that was going to be the case. I just don’t know what I could’ve done differently”.
Attention then turned to the first Round Table, where the group votes to banish a suspected Traitor. Suspicion fell on Porsha Williams (The Real Housewives of Atlanta) after comedian Ron Funches pointed out she had accidentally mentioned there were four Traitors. The group voted to banish Williams.
Standing on the Circle of Truth, Williams declared, “I am a Faithful”. The reveal shocked the players, showing their first attempt to find a Traitor had failed.
The Secret Traitor’s Identity Revealed
After Porsha Williams’ banishment, the Traitors were given a new challenge: commit a murder in plain sight among the other players. While Candiace Dillard Bassett started a conga line to distract everyone, Rob Rausch and Lisa Rinna found a hidden deck of tarot cards with the Secret Traitor’s new shortlist. The potential victims were Monét X Change, Tara Lipinski, Kristen Kish, and Rob Cesternino. The Traitors burned one card in a fireplace to choose their victim.
The next morning, the players discovered Rob Cesternino, the Survivor legend and podcaster, had been murdered. In a flashback, Cesternino said, “I don’t know how they got me. I leave with no regrets”.
Cumming then called for a surprise Round Table meeting before the day’s mission. The discussion focused on two main suspects: the loud and confrontational Michael Rapaport and the recently quiet Donna Kelce. Despite Kelce’s defense, the group overwhelmingly voted to banish her.
On the Circle of Truth, Donna Kelce made a stunning announcement: “You got yourself a Traitor!”. It was then revealed that Donna Kelce, mother of NFL stars Travis and Jason Kelce, was the Secret Traitor all along. The show flashed back to her being chosen on the first night and crafting her murder shortlists in secret.
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What Happens Next and Who Is At Risk?
With Donna Kelce banished, three Traitors remain: Lisa Rinna, Candiace Dillard Bassett, and Rob Rausch. The prize pot stands at $70,000 after three missions.
The third episode ended on a major cliffhanger. After a mission where players were caged, five contestants were automatically shortlisted for the next murder: Ron Funches (who had no partner), Caroline Stanbury, Kristen Kish, Lisa Rinna, and Eric Nam. In a dramatic scene, these players were tied to trees in the woods to await the Traitors’ face-to-face decision.
Ron Funches shouted into the darkness, “If you don’t kill me now, you will regret it. Show me your faces!” as the episode ended. The identity of the Traitors’ next victim will be revealed when Episodes 4 and 5 stream on January 15, 2026.
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