The aforementioned article came out on the 7th of March, 2024. On the 9th of January, 2025, the Emmy-winning reality show “The Traitors” made its grand comeback for its highly anticipated third season.
On a somewhat overcast Thursday afternoon in Manhattan’s East Village, you might spot Alan Cumming at none other than Club Cumming. This establishment serves not just as a bar, but also a performance venue and a hub for the LGBTQ+ community, making it a unique gem among the city’s many drinking establishments. On special occasions, the club hosts popular drag shows, nurtures emerging queer comedians, and even features performances by Cumming himself. However, during weekdays, it’s relatively subdued, with empty bentwood chairs surrounding him. As he finishes his green juice, a testament to his vegan lifestyle, and the remnants of an energy bar, showcasing his impressive physique at 59, Cumming invites me over to the prime spot – a table right next to the stage. He drapes his large, fluffy white coat on the bench beside him, creating a cozy nook for his long-time TV co-star and rescue dog, Lala, who sports a sleek black silky fur.
After returning from a thrilling gay cruise, where I teamed up with Ari Shapiro to perform my show “Och & Oy!”, I must say it felt like being in a zombie movie, but instead of the usual undead, it was hunky men in jockstraps. However, this year’s cruise was more like a murder-mystery gathering, filled with intrigue and suspense. To clarify, I adore both types of events.
If ‘murder-mystery gays’ is a genre, then I’ve taken the throne from Jessica Fletcher, thanks to my role as the host of Peacock’s hit castle-intrigue reality show, The Traitors. I could have easily relied on my fame for this role, but instead, I’m delivering what might be my best screen performance in years. It’s a unique role that combines narration, mediation, and a touch of the enigmatic Scottish Jigsaw, transforming an ordinary competition series into one of Peacock’s biggest hits and one of the most-watched unscripted shows on streaming this year.
They presented this to me, and I wondered, ‘Why on earth?’ They didn’t seem like the most likely choice for a reality TV host, especially given Cumming’s statement in 2019 that he wished everyone would do a reality show so we can move on. However, after doing it himself, he has no intentions of moving on. Cumming is known for going against the norm; if his team advises him not to do something, it intrigues him. With a career spanning from Edinburgh Fringe to Broadway, art house to X-Men, advocacy for gay rights, children’s books, fragrance sciences, and even bartending, Cumming is now hosting scavenger hunts and overseeing low-level violence on reality TV. People often ask him to do unusual things because of his diverse past experiences.
For individuals unfamiliar with Peacock or unaware of living under a rock, “The Traitors” follows the popular children’s game Mafia in an elaborate stage setting. Out of the 20+ cast members, a select few are secretly designated as ‘Traitors,’ whose goal is to eliminate the majority, known as ‘Faithfuls.’ The Faithfuls understand that Traitors exist but not their identities. Over several weeks, they attempt to unmask the Traitors through deduction and elimination. The game consists of alternating phases of Traitor deceit and Faithful planning, with players being voted off the game and leaving the Scottish Highlands castle where the competition takes place.
As of now, there are 22 versions of “The Traitors,” including adaptations in Flemish, Quebecois French, and an unauthorized Russian version. The original Dutch series premiered in 2021 when producers first approached Cumming to host the show. Cumming found the concept intriguing, and the American producers planned to enhance it by setting it in a grand castle, making it more glamorous and theatrical. They even suggested that Cumming should portray a James Bond-like villain, which he agreed to. The castle in question is Ardross, situated in the Scottish Highlands, and Cumming’s on-screen demeanor is convincing enough that some colleagues believed him to be the actual owner of the castle (he is not).
As I step foot into my grandiose castle, days before the contestants’ arrival, filming commences in a swift month’s span. Throughout this process, I meticulously orchestrate every on-screen moment: interviewing competitors, selecting Traitors, moderating challenges, banishments, and clandestine meetings in the castle’s towering turret, officiating occasional squabbles, and narrating these events to our viewers. Maintaining my character is crucial as I interact with this season’s unique ensemble of minor celebrities and reality TV stars from renowned franchises like ‘The Bachelor’ and ‘Survivor’.
In the initial stages of filming, I began to decipher my character’s essence by adapting to the cast. My persona evolved into a stern yet playful father figure. “He became this authoritative yet witty patriarch. He’s mischievous, but beware, don’t test his boundaries.” To my delight, the contestants appear genuinely intimidated by me at times, treating me as an almost omnipotent deity on the show.
“I revel in the moments when they’re embroiled in heated debates, quoting my words and searching for hidden meanings. I take pride in being a part of the storyline.
Last week at Club Cumming, the host brought together the cast for drinks, and he found it amusing to see their reactions when they encountered the “real” him for the first time. It was like bumping into your therapist on the street and realizing, “Wow! They can stand upright!” Occasionally, a cast member has shattered that illusion. He recalls an instance from season one, “I was quite anxious, trying to keep my distance from them while playing this character, and as Brandi Glanville walked by, she said, ‘I saw Cabaret on Broadway!'”
In tonight’s finale, there’s a moment where a mistake caused him to break character for a bit with the cast. You can catch a glimpse of it in the trailers; we were on a ship, and something occurred that made me interact with them for longer than I would have preferred, but he didn’t disclose any further details about the episode.
Beyond just hosting, Cumming is also recognized as a producer on the show. While he doesn’t create the grueling challenges like this season’s live burial or last season’s haunted fairground, he contributes to the playful Gothic atmosphere and mood of the series. He collaborates with the writers to write his elaborate speeches, which he delivers at the farewells for the players who have been “murdered” (a term used in the show where players find a note left by the Traitors, departing before breakfast the next morning), oversees banishment ceremonies at the roundtable, and presents intricate challenges.
In the first season, he fiercely incorporated lines from Shakespeare and Plato, despite the writers doubting it would resonate with American viewers. His spontaneous additions have significantly shaped the series’ style; when informed that Claudia Winkleman, the host of Traitors U.K., had replicated his concept of shattering the latest murder victim’s portrait on the floor during breakfast, he exclaimed, “She swiped my look!” The show’s atmosphere and many times, stealing the spotlight, is also owed to Cumming’s wardrobe. In collaboration with stylist Sam Spector, they developed a “dandy Scottish Laird” character for Cumming, blending vibrant tartans and hats with elaborate details such as brooches, frills, and ribbons. Many of these items came from his personal collection. A notable example is his attire in the birdcall-themed challenge, where he donned a feathered beret, an impressive blend of brand integration. Even before uttering a single word, his clothing invites viewers to explore a whimsical realm that influences how Cumming portrays his role as host. As he puts it, “In essence, I’m dressing up in drag for this show’s hosting role.
Tasks related to production: Handling escalated conflicts among participants, finding captivating conversation exchanges (as demonstrated by Phaedra Parks, a former Real Housewife of Atlanta, who makes for an engaging co-star), and determining the season’s Traitors, their numbers, and strategies. A good Traitor is someone who is unpredictable yet fully invested in deceit and manipulation. Sometimes they are strategic masterminds; other times, they are simply entertaining personalities that keep viewers engaged. This season, producers opted to vary the number of Traitors revealed during the initial ceremony to prevent the cast from recognizing patterns or tropes from last season. They also conducted pre-selection interviews between the producers and each cast member to assess their potential as a Traitor and gauge their interest in taking on the role. “Drama is essential; viewers would assume Dan was a prime Traitor candidate, but Phaedra, not at all, yet she had great meme potential. The surprise factor: the double bluff of Dan and the intrigue of Phaedra. Good television and a good game often overlap.” Producers made their selections shortly after the interviews, just a few hours before the on-screen tapping ceremony.
Everyone around the table gets tapped by me on camera first, which makes everyone feel like they could be next. I keep going round and round, it’s so quiet, I make tiny noises with my shoes or sleeves. Last year, I even went around in reverse. It’s really nerve-wracking for me because I can feel the tension building. You see, I worry that I might accidentally pick the wrong person since there are 21 of them all squeezed together at the table. Johnny Bananas was sitting very close to Phaedra and it was tough to reach over.” Essentially, this part of the show is like a game of Mafia you’d play at summer camp, creating a lot of drama from something relatively low-tech.
Frequently, Cumming finds himself in a position similar to a spectator watching events unfold on television, powerless to prevent players from making poor choices. He views the show as a sociological experiment, a study of group mentality. A notable example is Parks’ strong bond with a group of former Bravo stars, which he justifies by their shared past experiences. Cumming describes this dynamic as “Lord of the Flies: Housewives”. He finds it intriguing that Phaedra warns others not to challenge the Housewives, which contradicts the nature of the game. This behavior fosters alliances among those on the same network (Bravo against the rest). When alliances are established based on long-standing personal relationships, moments of division, such as when current RHOA cast member Shereé Whitfield realizes Parks’ true intentions and votes her out, become even more significant. “But it’s as juicy as anything,” says Cumming.
In some instances, it’s fascinating when participants surprise us by proving their mettle and defying assumptions. This time around, there’s Peter Weber, who spearheaded efforts to remove Dan Gheesling and Parvati Shallow – known Traitors – from the competition, despite being approached to join them. Notably, Shallow was a potential prime candidate for a Traitor given her reputation as an expert tactician across numerous seasons of Survivor; however, Weber recognized her tricks right from the start. As one observer remarked, “Pilot Pete has challenged the idea that skilled players of games like Survivor will automatically excel. He’s the charming lead from The Bachelor, yet he’s the one who has demonstrated excellent strategy and outsmarted many.
In the second season, a significant enhancement was the installation of a large television screen in Cumming’s castle changing room, which broadcasted live, covert footage of all rooms to allow him to eavesdrop on contestants strategizing and socializing during breaks between challenges. He described it as his “villain’s lair,” stating that he could overhear their conversations at breakfast, gauge the overall atmosphere, and even hear them discussing him. This information helped him exert more control, extracting statements from players and catching them off guard. The show’s blend of highbrow and lowbrow elements was intriguing; Cumming would switch between reciting profound quotes about mortality and finding amusement in contestants being caught by giant nets in the woods, reminiscent of Looney Tunes. He reveled in escalating the competition, pointing out a recent challenge involving bugs being dropped on players in the dark. “They were all so drained,” he said. “The contestants have to perform numerous physical tasks and don’t get much rest. It’s a combination of sleep deprivation, physical fatigue, and mental manipulation…” There was an evil glint in his eye as he added, “It’s absolutely hilarious.
The common belief that reality TV is entirely scripted or exaggerated in post-production is challenged by Alan Cumming’s account. According to him, real-life events are often far more intense and dramatic than what makes it to the screen. The climactic finale of the first season, where Cirie Fields deceived everyone, ultimately winning the cash prize, was heavily edited due to its intensity according to Cumming. He stated that the editing was necessary because “it was so awful.” Even after he had left the bonfire set where the finale was being filmed, production called him back to calm the situation down. Cumming explained that he had to return and console Cirie, who had just won a significant amount of money that would greatly improve her family’s life. The encounter between Cirie and her fellow contestants Quentin and Andie, who were both upset due to their personal relationship with Cirie, was prolonged, with Quentin being enraged, and Andie being devastated by the betrayal. This confrontation continued for quite some time before Cumming was summoned back to the set.
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2025-01-09 18:59