Peacock’s “The Traitors” is reality TV at its finest. The Emmy-winning series, hosted by none other than Alan Cumming, brings some of the genre’s biggest names together to play a murderous mystery game. Participants competing for a cash prize are divided into two groups: the Traitors, who secretly choose which contestants to eliminate, and the Faithful, who must identify the saboteurs among them.
And if that isn’t intriguing enough, the drama unfolds at a 19th century castle in the Scottish Highlands.
While the first season included a mix of reality stars and TV newcomers, Season 2 made the switch to exclusively featuring celebs. The third premiered in January, and Peacock has renewed the show for a fourth and fifth installment.
To assemble competitors for the second season onward, “The Traitors” turned to casting director Deena Katz (“The Masked Singer,” “Dancing With the Stars”), who’s also an executive producer. She’s perfected the art of finding talent for the series, from masterful “Survivor” strategist “Boston Rob” Mariano to quick-witted “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Phaedra Parks. Here, Katz tells us how she finds the perfect players to sit at the Round Table.
How Katz’s process has evolved over the course of the show
“It’s more fun for me every single season, because as the audience gets bigger, so does the cast; so I can play around more [when I’m looking for talent]. For Season 2, we got really into the celebrity version of ‘The Traitors.’ Unlike other shows that I put together where you can learn a skill, on this one, you need to have [people who are competitive]. So for Season 2, we were heavily invested in finding game-playing celebrities.
For Season 3, we started to have more cast members who weren’t from your typical reality competition shows, since more celebrities had become fans of the show. In Season 4, there are going to be a lot more celebrities that aren’t necessarily who you would consider that genre of game-playing reality star.”
Why it’s still important to cast stars from competition shows like “Survivor”
“There is a balance where you have to have the Boston Robs on, or the Wes Bergmanns [‘The Challenge’] and Derrick Levasseurs [‘Big Brother’], because they’re going to be great at manipulating the game. But then you counter it with Chrishell Stause [‘Selling Sunset’] and Gabby Windey [‘The Bachelorette’], who are surprisingly good at getting in and playing the game. That’s when it’s compelling and you want to watch every single week. You didn’t expect ‘Pilot Pete’ Weber [‘The Bachelor’] to be a game player, and look what he did. He’s one of my favorite castings.”
Why she’s excited about the cast of Season 4
“There are going to be competitors from more genres, not just competition or reality stars. So it’s going to be a fun game for everyone to watch. I think after Episode 1, you’re going to see these guys that you don’t expect [to be competitive] start playing the game. I’m really fascinated to find out who starts pairing up with whom.
You’ll see more athletes, and there’ll be more scripted TV stars and more people that you would never expect to see on ‘The Traitors.’ If you’re a reality competition fan, you’re still going to be thrilled with who we have on the show. But it’s going to open up the doors for other people as well. I think it’s going to be kind of messy TV, even more than it already is.”
How the Traitors are chosen
“As much as we on the production side might have ideas, there are some people that I cast who tell me they’re dying to be a Traitor. So it’s kind of not up to us. It’s interesting, as a viewer and also a producer, to watch how it goes. I think everyone has to go in knowing that it’s OK to be a Traitor. Most people come into it thinking it’d be really fun, but some people are afraid of it. But once they get in there, they get so into the game that they often change their minds.”
On what makes a good Traitor “It’s hard to be a Faithful, but it’s even harder to be a Traitor. You have to be smart and conniving. You have to be able to look someone right in the eye, have them love you, and then lie to them. You’re playing a game where you’re going to lie right to someone’s face who you might have known for 20 years. But it’s a game; I think it’s hard when people forget that and start taking it personally or getting their feelings hurt. That’s when you can get caught.”
Katz’s tips for the “Traitors” audition room
“Trying to portray something or someone that you think everybody wants to see [doesn’t work in reality TV], because that’s not what these shows are. The audience doesn’t buy into it if you’re not being authentic. As hard as it is, take down your walls. You’re going to have a much better journey on these kinds of shows if you’re just you.
Also, I love people who love this game; if you really want to be there, you’re a better cast member. So if you’re a huge fan of the show, let me know.”
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
This story originally appeared in the June 12 issue of Backstage Magazine.