“The Traitors Australia” 2023 is here, and this year, it’s shaking things up. Last year, the series — adapted from the Dutch reality competition “De Verraders” — premiered in Australia. The show featured 24 everyday Aussies competing for $250,000 in silver bars. Now, as Season 2 is set to premiere, POPSUGAR Australia caught up with “The Traitors'” Rodger Corser to find out what we can expect from the show this year.
“The Traitors” Rodger Corser on the Celebrity Contestants
While Season 1 of “The Traitors Australia” featured a brand new cast of everyday Aussies, this year, they’re doing things a little differently. Among the contestants are reality legends like “Australian Survivor” star Luke Toki, “My Kitchen Rules” chef and media personality Ash Pollard, TikTok star Ian Zaro, and more.
Luke, in particular, is known for his shrewd gameplay on reality competitions. Not only was he a fan favourite on “Australian Survivor”, he also won “Big Brother VIP“. One might expect this to put an immediate target on his back in “The Traitors” mansion, but Rodger says that wasn’t the case.
“Some of our players were a bit starstruck, I think!” he tells POPSUGAR Australia over the phone. “They weren’t prepared, no one told them who the other players were. I think Annabel, especially, was very surprised to see Luke come around the corner, because they all caught the same bus together to the mansion. So I think it’s more likely they were starstruck, rather than wanting to knock them out!”
The Advantage the Celeb Contestants Had on “The Traitors”
Aside from leaving the other contestants starstruck, Rodger says that the familiar faces on this season had another major advantage: experience.
“They have got experience in this type of show,” he says. “They know not to sit on the fence, for one.”
He notes that they all knew that they’d have to “make those friendships and alliances pretty quickly” to ensure their safety in the game. But that didn’t mean they were about to hold back.
Rodger says that they came into the game with “strong opinions, which makes for good TV”, and that they “ruffle some feathers” along the way.
“They know to just come in hot to the game because they know what makes good television,” he explains. “They’re playing the game but they’ve got a perspective of what they’re doing, that it’s reality TV and it’s entertainment, they kind of know that.”
Everyone Gets Their Moment to Shine on “The Traitors Australia” This Year
With so many familiar faces in the mix this season, it would make sense if you expected to see a lot of them, and not so much of the new players. Not so, Rodger says.
“Everyone kind of gets their moment, that’s the great thing,” Rodger assures us. “We cut the cast down by four, and in the end we’ve only got three Traitors instead of four.”
It was a conscious decision from production, Rodger says, to allow the viewers to “get to know the characters” better.
“Twenty-four was a lot,” he says, “and you’d see one person and if they had the same colour hair, and then it cut back to someone else, you’d be like ‘wait, who’s that person again?’”
This season, he says it’s “a bit easier” to place everyone and enjoy the show.
“We were conscious that every person gets their moment to shine,” he says. “Even the people who leave us sooner rather than later, they all kind of get their moment.”
The Importance of Good Casting on “The Traitors Australia”
“The casting’s really important for something like this,” Rodger says, crediting Endemol Shine and 10 for doing “a great job” casting the new season.
“Some will be drawn to each other because they’re similar, and then,” he laughs, “some people, you might not necessarily find in the same room in the outside world — which is obviously great for conflict and throwing people off kilter.”
We should expect to see “some strong players” this year, he adds.
“This is a game about telling untruths — especially if you’re a Traitor — and our Traitors… are outstanding at keeping a straight face and telling absolute porky pies to other people,” Rodger says.
“It’s one thing to keep it up for a small amount of time,” he explains. “It’s another to keep it up for three weeks, non-stop, in one location, and in between playing the game you’re locked in your hotel room.”
Not Everyone Is Cut Out for Life as a Traitor
Quickly, things become “pretty tense”, Rodger says, and a lot of people “would sort of crack” under the pressure.
“A lot of people want to be a Traitor,” he says. “But the reality of having to consistently lie to people who are becoming friends at the same time, and then having to turn around and stab them in the back? Some people, psychologically, they can’t handle that at all.”
Rodger laughs.
“That’s admirable in the outside world, it just doesn’t work for our game, unfortunately!” he says.
“The Traitors Australia” premieres at 7.30pm on Sunday, August 13, only on 10 and 10 Play on Demand.
Want more “The Traitors” goss? Check out the articles below:
- Rodger Corser on What We Can Expect From “The Traitors Australia” 2023
- Here’s How to Follow “The Traitors” 2023 Cast on Instagram
- Can You Spot the Traitors Among These Faces? Meet “The Traitors” 2023 Cast
- Get to Know Anjelica: The Legal Dynamo with a Pageant Twist on “The Traitors” 2023
- “I’d Love to Make Her Proud”: Why Blake Wants to Win “The Traitors” 2023
- Can the Queen of Cuisine, Ash Pollard, Conquer “The Traitors” 2023
- Camille Is a Mum, a Mastermind, and the Ultimate Game Changer on “The Traitors” 2023
- Corinne Is Ready to Prove That Age Is Just a Number on “The Traitors” 2023
- “I’m Coming For You”: Gloria Has Her Eyes Set on “The Traitors” 2023 Prize
- Get to Know Elias, the Social Media Star of “The Traitors” 2023
- Ready for Deceit and Betrayal? Here’s “The Traitors” 2023 Start Date
- Betrayal, Drama, and Intrigue: Your Complete Guide to “The Traitors” 2023
