“The Traitors” producer says canceled banishment was 'not done to protect anyone'
"We would never interfere with the gameplay."
Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Traitors episode 8, "Knives at Dawn."
There's no denying The Bachelor's "Pilot Pete," a.k.a. Peter Weber, was in serious trouble on The Traitors.
Not only was he openly campaigning against Traitors Dan Gheesling and Parvati Shallow, his fellow Faithfuls started to get suspicious of him as well. Heading into episode 7's banishment, he seemed destined to be on his way out of the castle one way or another, with the majority of players left ready to vote for him and the remaining Traitors ready to kill him. His days were numbered.
But a last-minute twist saved him when host Alan Cumming announced the banishment roundtable had been canceled. And, instead, players would get to do a schoolyard pick situation out in the woods, lighting torches of who they wanted to protect from the next murder — and of course, Peter's torch got lit. So now, not only was Peter not going to be banished, he was also not going to be the Traitors' next victim. Episode 8 revealed Parvati and Phaedra Parks chose to murder Love Island's Carsten "Bergie" Bergersen instead, and Peter lived to fight the good, Faithful fight another day.
So was the canceled banishment a last-minute addition to keep Peter around a little longer? And what do the producers think of how all three Traitors have been accused and two of them are now gone after this week saw the Faithfuls successfully banish Parvati? Check out EW's chat with executive producer Sam Rees-Jones about all that and more below.
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Peter WeberENTERTAINTMENT WEEKLY: Why did you choose Dan and Phaedra as the Traitors this season?
SAM REES-JONES: I think they both bring something completely different to the show, don't they? And the way that they approach it so differently is just so interesting to watch. I don't want to give too much away as far as the reasoning ... but we felt confident that we would want to watch them both play as Traitors in different ways, and I hope that was true.
What was your reaction to watching Dan’s gameplay and how he ultimately got found out by the Faithfuls so early?
You could argue he didn't adapt quickly enough. He got heat early on from Larsa, and it's hard in that castle when you have heat. It's quite hard to shift that. It's such an intense environment — it's a pressure cooker in there and things can build quickly in that castle as far as suspicion and heat, so it's a very difficult thing to maneuver out of.
Not only did he not adapt to the constant feedback he was getting from Faithfuls and his fellow Traitors, his big Hail Mary was to point the finger at Phaedra at the roundtable. Was the way he accused her even allowed in the rules of the game? Because I thought Traitors weren’t allowed to expose their fellow Traitors point-blank.
As a Traitor, you are absolutely allowed to call out another Traitor as long as you are under the guise of being a Faithful. Dan was acting as a Faithful, so he could call out another Traitor. What you can't do is, when Dan was banished, he absolutely couldn't have gone, "Yeah, I'm a Traitor, and Phaedra is one too." But under the guise of a Faithful, he played within the rules. It's quite a stressful one to watch. I know Phaedra is furious with him.
Yeah, I can't even imagine.
[Laughs] I know. I'm looking forward to the reunion with that. It's going to be fun to see how she [handles it] and what they both have to say.
With Dan calling out Phaedra as he was about to be banished, Trishelle and a few others are now suspicious of Phaedra. What was that like for you, watching every Traitor get called out by the Faithfuls with so much of the season still left to go? Were you panicking, like, "We need to pivot and introduce a new twist here?"
No, I think it's exciting! I spoke to a couple of people, and the episode 7 twist [of the canceled banishment] was absolutely not done to protect anyone. That was a twist that had been planned for that episode before we even started filming.
Really?
We would never interfere with the gameplay because, well, one, we don't need to. And two, it wouldn't be satisfying. But as far as them all having a bit of heat, Phaedra didn't have that much heat. It was just Trishelle that commented in that episode. I mean, it's exciting when they start getting glimmers of Traitors. That's the game, isn't it? And that's fun to watch.
That leads me to my next question: Was the be-recruited-as-Traitor-or-die ultimatum in this week's cliffhanger a direct result of Peter turning down his recruitment offer earlier?
No. That's within the rules that everyone gets at the start — the rules dictated at the point that when you're down to one Traitor, it's an ultimatum. So that wasn't a response to anything that happened before. It wasn't a knee-jerk to Peter's [refusal]. When Peter turned down the letter, it was so brilliant to watch. What did you think of the ending?
I was shocked Phaedra didn't choose to recruit her "castle daddy" CT, but at least we can see more from returning player Kate than what we've seen from her so far this season, if she chooses to accept.
I loved it... There's lots of moments that are going to happen that will take you by surprise.
You're currently casting for season 3, so what other reality shows are you considering for new players? Could we see someone from, like, Jersey Shore turn up to the castle?
It is definitely too early [to reveal]. We consider everyone, and I think that's the beauty of the show. It doesn't matter who you are, where you are from, or what your past is. If it fits within the jigsaw of the casting puzzle, then brilliant. Who would've imagined that John Bercow would be there and would work within the cast? So, yeah, we absolutely consider all shows.
I'd get such a kick out of seeing Angelina or The Situation arguing at the roundtable, not having any kind of game experience prior to this.
[Laughs] I know, yeah. That's the beauty of seeing people from different walks of life dropped into a castle in Scotland in this world that we've created, completely detached from where you are normally used to seeing them. And seeing them with people that they wouldn't normally be around is also fun, and all wrapped up within a murder-mystery game. We're excited to see where season 3 will go.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Traitors season 2 is currently releasing new episodes Thursdays, and The Traitors U.K. season 2 will begin streaming March 8, while The Traitors Australia season 2 and The Traitors New Zealand season 1 will begin streaming March 28, all on Peacock.
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