Summary
- Production interference is ruining The Traitors US, as evidenced by scripted moments and contrived conversations among the cast members.
- Peter’s sudden change of heart and his conversation with Parvati seemed scripted, raising suspicions among other players.
- British politician John’s quips have become stale, leading to the belief that his lines may be scripted. Phaedra’s invitation to Kate to the dungeon also felt scripted and out of place.
The Traitors US season 2 is nearing the end, and the signs the show may be scripted are mounting. While it’s expected for talking heads to include quippy one-liners, the conversations among the cast members and perfectly timed looks around the corner are hard to ignore. While still one of the best reality TV shows, production interference is ruining The Traitors US. After Big Brother’s Dan Gheesling’s exit, the signs became too difficult to ignore.
Survivor‘s Parvati Shallow and Real Housewives of Atlanta‘s Phaedra Parks remained the only two Traitors in the game at the start of the episode after The Bachelor‘s Peter Weber refused to switch sides and was saved from murder in season 2, episode 7. However, production interference isn’t the only way The Traitors US has become increasingly fake. Here’s why the show is scripted and won’t survive past The Traitors US season 3 if it doesn’t become more genuine.
The Producers Created A Murder Twist
Perhaps one of the most frustratingly scripted moments happened in The Traitors US season 2, episode 7 when Peter refused Parvati and Phaedra’s seduction to join the Traitors. This was a poor move on Peter’s part, as it almost entirely guaranteed his murder the following evening. Peter himself recognized his imminent death and gathered “Peter’s Pals,” or Sandra Diaz-Twine’s nickname for his crew, “The Most Faithful of The Faithful,” to say farewell and implore them to vote out Parvati for the banishment at all costs.
Meanwhile, Sandra gathered “The Leftovers” and voiced her concerns with Peter, giving Parvati a new life. Parvati’s excitement was short-lived, as Alan Cummings revealed there wouldn’t be a banishment at the round table. Instead, Shereé Whitfield and Kevin Kreider were able to start a safety chain and save contestants from being murdered. Of course, Peter was saved by British politician John Bercow, thus saving him from being murdered.
Peter and Parvati’s Conversation Seemed Scripted
Pilot Pete completely changed his tune after being convinced by The Challenge‘s Trishelle Cannatella to go after Phaedra before Parvati. Instead of actively campaigning against Parvati, he decided to ally with her. Much to the confusion of players outside “Peter’s Pals,” especially The Challenge‘s CT Tamburello, found Peter’s sudden change of heart suspicious.
However, Peter’s conversation with Parvati was one of the show’s most contrived, scripted exchanges yet. The two practically looked like they were reciting memorized lines from production and attempting to keep a serious face. While Parvati still got banished, the manufactured conversation was filler in an anti-climactic episode bound to eliminate the former Survivor winner.
John’s Quips Have Gotten Too Stale
As the only non-reality star of the bunch, British politician John makes it his mission to speak like a politician at every turn. However, his speeches and lines have gotten stale, leading to the idea that his lines are scripted. While he’s undoubtedly a politician through and through, there’s no way he would pull some of his quips out of nowhere. In his conversation with Parvati, he almost sounded like an AI-generated politician. Teaming up with Parvati in the previous episode was heartwarming, but their discussion in season 2, episode 8, was undoubtedly stale.
Phaedra Inviting Kate To The Dungeon Was Fake
Phaedra is a great lawyer with some undoubtedly fantastic one-liners, but the entire scene with Alan was cringeworthy to watch. With only one Traitor left, it was expected that Phaedra would get the opportunity to recruit, but her lines about Kate seemed out of place and written by producers. Kate was a good choice for Phaedra since she takes her side as a Bravo cast member, so that option was likely entirely Phaedra’s choice. However, Phaedra’s reasoning was super scripted.
Scripting this part of the show didn’t make any sense, as Phaedra comes off as effortlessly comedic at the moment without feeding her lines. Perhaps the production had a particular vibe they wanted to go for, but the moment’s anticipation was utterly lost with Phaedra’s lines. Furthermore, the dungeon twist was only created to prolong the game. It seems production will stop at nothing to make sure Pilot Pete stays in the game.
Kate’s Lines Entering The Dungeon Were Cringe
Kate is a controversial cast member who can always be trusted to deliver laughs. She characteristically gave up early in the group challenge and spoke with her classically monotonous tone. While Phaedra chose to pick Kate to join her in the dungeon, all of her lines on the walk down were super cringe. Asking for champagne as the dungeon door closed and whimpering when her requests weren’t fulfilled, Kate ended the episode on a cringe note. Hopefully, the beginning of the next episode will feature Kate and Phaedra talking freely, their magnetic personalities on display, rather than the stale lines clearly fed to them by producers.
While The Traitors US is undoubtedly one of the best reality TV shows right now, production has made the season seem increasingly scripted. Reality TV veterans like Phaedra, Parvati, Kate, and Peter have been reduced to quippy one-liners, and genuine conversations have been reduced to scripted exchanges. All of the reality TV stars on The Traitors US rose to fame because of their abilities to react in the moment on TV, not read from a teleprompter.
Fans will continue to tune in regardless, but The Traitors US would be wise to keep the editing more genuine in the future. The talking heads, conversations, and one-liners are starting to feel stale, fake, and scripted. Hopefully, the Phaedra and Kate in the dungeon twist will provide precisely the excitement the show needs. Peter’s days are still numbered in the house, even with Parvati out of the picture. Peter might be able to win The Traitors US, but Phaedra is still a force to be reckoned with.
The signs became too difficult to ignore after Big Brother’s Dan Gheesling’s exit
The Traitors US
airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on Peacock.
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