The Traitors | Contenders Television 'The Nominees'
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00:00Hi, my name is Armando Tinoco from Deadline, and welcome to Contender Television, the nominees.
00:11We're going to take a little trip to Scotland to talk to the team behind The Traitors, a
00:15hit peacock reality competition where a group of celebrities faithful and traitors go head
00:20to head in a string of challenges for a big cash prize.
00:24Let's take a look at this clip.
00:27Welcome to my round table.
00:29King Arthur said, when a man lies, he murders part of the world, but murder and lie, some
00:37of you must.
00:45Soon I shall select the traitors who will cast a gloomy shade of death each night.
00:53Look around you.
00:58This is the last time you will see each other as equals.
01:01In a few minutes, everything will change.
01:11His body lies where flowers grow, his body lies where flowers grow.
01:22Exciting!
01:23The show is up for four Emmys this year, including Outstanding Cinematography, Outstanding Directing,
01:29Outstanding Host, and Outstanding Reality Competition Program.
01:33Joining us today are host and producer Alan Cumming, executive producer Mike Cotten, executive
01:39producer Tony Ireland, and director Ben Archer.
01:43Hello, everybody, and thank you for joining us.
01:46Hello.
01:47Hi, there.
01:48Hi.
01:49Well, first of all, let's start with Alan.
01:52How was being back home to Scotland for season two of The Traitors and earning your fifth
01:58career Emmy nomination for hosting the show?
02:00It was great.
02:01I loved it.
02:02I mean, I really just love this show.
02:03I love being at that castle.
02:06I love everybody there.
02:07It's just such a fun thing to do.
02:10And now I think what was great the second time around is we're all in the swing of it
02:14a bit more, and everyone was a bit more confident because we'd done one already and the show
02:18had been a success.
02:19And now we really kind of hit our stride.
02:22So it felt really good to come back.
02:25You know, it's great when you do something new, but you always worry you're not going
02:28to get a chance to make it better and to improve upon it.
02:31And that was what was so great about doing this second season.
02:35It really felt we had a chance to sort of tinker with things and then just, and we were
02:40all more confident and better.
02:41And I think the show improved because of that.
02:46And it's always nice to be in Scotland in this sort of semi-summer.
02:50No, it was October, wasn't it?
02:53That's not a tall summer.
02:54It's always nice to be in Scotland.
02:57It's very nice.
02:58The setting looks very beautiful and the castle and all the sets and your clothes are amazing,
03:04of course.
03:06Ben, you're nominated for directing the first episode of the season, which introduces the
03:1021 contestants.
03:12How do you introduce so many personalities at the same time while keeping viewers engaged
03:18with the gameplay that they're about to start?
03:21That's a really great question.
03:22First of all, it's a real privilege to direct the show.
03:25I feel very lucky that I'm part of such an amazing thing.
03:29And I've always felt like the storytelling and the editorial on the show is of a really,
03:33really high level.
03:34And we've got a brilliant producing team that do that.
03:36So for me, I always want to bring up the pictures and the imagery to match that.
03:42And in terms of introducing that cast, you know, we have a really good grasp of who that
03:46cast are from the get go.
03:47And we carefully plan, we intrinsically think about how we're going to focus, where we're
03:51going to get all our cameras to make sure that we get those guys the very best coverage
03:55they can.
03:56And of course, for me, in terms of directing, it's not just about the way it looks.
04:02It's about listening to what's going on and really engaging in that editorial so that
04:06I can have my cameras in the right place at the right time.
04:08So that, for me, is the key to making sure I get the coverage of that incredible cast.
04:15Ben slightly undersells himself there, by the way, because the way that we make the
04:20show is that once the cast is sort of let loose and once Alan's done his thing, we don't
04:26like we don't overproduce it.
04:27We don't interrupt what's happening.
04:29We let them go with the flow.
04:31So when we're trying to shoot those opening episodes and trying to get everything, it's
04:34all about the planning.
04:36Ben has to meticulously plan those moments to make sure we get everything that we need.
04:41It's like a real feat to kind of cover it all and make it look lovely at the same time.
04:45And to keep the bubble as well, which we try and achieve with our contestants, because
04:49we try and get them into this bubble as soon as they arrive at that castle, it's this immersive
04:52world.
04:53So you've got five jeeps pulling up.
04:55They're going to walk out, then they're going to go down and have a drink.
04:58And we've got some and Ben's planning enables us to move the cameras quickly.
05:02So we keep that flow going without trying to stop anything.
05:05So we capture the most real actuality that we can.
05:08Is it difficult wrangling so many personalities?
05:12Because everybody is a big personality in the Specialty Season 2.
05:17How do you guys wrangle everybody and get everybody together?
05:20We need to start filming.
05:22That's not too bad.
05:23They know they're here to play a game.
05:24And as I say, with all the producers and everything, as soon as the cast turn up at the castle,
05:29they know they're here to play.
05:30And that was the beauty of this cast, that they were so excited to play the game.
05:34They couldn't wait for us to start filming.
05:36So as soon as they arrived and then Alan set out the rules of the game and they were ready
05:41to go and off we went.
05:42They went into the castle, they split up, they had their conversations.
05:46And we like to try and pack as much into a day as we possibly can so that they're never
05:51waiting around.
05:52They're not waiting really for us to shout action.
05:55It's just a continuous day.
05:56They go from a format point, such as a mission, straight into their reality, straight into
06:02the roundtable.
06:03So the day is quite packed for them.
06:05The game never really stops.
06:07It's more like we're following them as they sort of transition through the game throughout
06:12the day.
06:13So there's no time for people and sort of, you know, egos or anything like that.
06:17That's not what they're like.
06:18They're there to play the game and we're ready to film it.
06:20And I think as well this year, because in the first season, it's half, you know, real
06:27people and half, you know, famous people.
06:31Having all 20 of them be celebrities meant that they all came kind of sort of camera
06:37ready.
06:38I think there was really a difference in the sort of mood that they really understood that
06:42they were on.
06:43They didn't have to be jacked up.
06:45They really were already at a high pitch and a high level of readiness and sort of drama.
06:52One of the episodes where everybody was playing was in the funeral episode, which is one of
06:57the most, like, epic episodes of the season and is nominated for cinematography.
07:03Mike, what was the biggest challenge in filming this particular episode and, you know, especially
07:09the underground scenes and things like that?
07:13Well, it was probably my favourite episode as well, partly because it led on from a twist
07:19where Parvati had to poison someone, poison Ekansu with her poison chalice.
07:25So it was all reliant on that.
07:27Like, Parvati needs to execute the mission.
07:30She did that.
07:31We then had this amazing breakfast where the others discovered who Parvati had poisoned.
07:37And then we had that funeral march, which was a huge undertaking.
07:41And that was sort of a real collaboration between the producers, between Ben and JT,
07:47who was one of the mission directors, and everyone and Alan as well.
07:51Alan turned up this amazing outfit.
07:53It was a big mission that was on the move where they had to, the whole funeral march
07:57started at the castle.
07:58They walked all the way through the castle grounds, slowly eliminating people from the
08:02potential murder suspects until we ended up at that grave.
08:07And that was a huge undertaking because we kept it very serious.
08:09The tone was very sombre.
08:11Alan had his outfit.
08:12There was a horse drawn cart.
08:13There was no talking as they were walking.
08:16They felt like they were walking towards someone's death.
08:19And by the time we reached that burial site, which is an amazing clearing within the forest,
08:26there's a real grave there.
08:27There are real coffins there.
08:29There was, and Ben obviously was directing that scene as well, the burial, where they
08:35all stood by their coffins and eventually one person got lowered in.
08:38And it was a real moment.
08:38There were real tears from our cast there.
08:41And Alan said his final words and walked off back to the castle.
08:46They actually stood behind and were hugging each other and sort of scattering dirt onto
08:51the coffin and saying some final words to Ekin Sirius as if she had actually passed
08:56away. And as dark as that sounds, it's also brilliantly comic and amazing at the same
09:02time. I think we can all say we were all there for that moment.
09:05And I think we can all testify to that.
09:06Right. It was a great moment.
09:08Yeah. And I think Tony mentioned earlier about this world that we create.
09:10And that is sort of the perfect example of we really try hard to create this proper
09:15real, genuine world where it's not broken.
09:18We don't call action.
09:19You know, there's not people on set shouting and pulling people around.
09:22So you get that really authentic sense of story telling.
09:27And yeah, it's a it's an amazing experience to be on set and watch that unfold.
09:31I love it. It's great.
09:33And I think for me, it sort of feels like it's a testament to the sets and what Ben
09:39does and the way that the sort of it's almost like we're in a play.
09:43I feel like it's an immersive experience.
09:46And with the I'm in with the cast and I love it because I can be quite theatrical.
09:50And the sort of the obviously the environment of the castle is so theatrical in the
09:55Scottish countryside is so theatrical.
09:57So it's got this whole sort of sense of drama and sense of occasion that makes the
10:02whole game kind of get even more sort of fun and, you know, treacherous.
10:08But it is a really immersive experience that everybody has when they go into that
10:13castle. And that's what we try and punch up every day.
10:16And I think that's what is is so unique to this show.
10:19I don't think you could do a funeral like that on another sort of reality competition
10:25show. It's so unique to us because we have a level of camp and a level of this drama
10:30where it sort of diffuses the darkness.
10:33It's so you know what I mean?
10:35And that's what's so special about the Traitors and the show itself is that we get
10:39to do things that we dream up in our wildest dreams and we can make them a reality.
10:43And the contestants are immersed in it.
10:45And it's it's really good fun.
10:47Yeah. And it goes with the theme about, you know, death and murder and everything.
10:51So it makes perfect sense the way that that's, you know, like mixed in there.
10:56Tony, in season two, we were talking about this a little bit ago.
11:00You know, we took a different approach with the contestants.
11:03They were all public figures this time versus the first season where we had civilians in
11:08the mix. Why did you do why did this occur?
11:13And was it smoother to film with personalities that already experienced doing television?
11:20Yeah, I think the most I think the biggest benefit of having a whole celebrity cast is
11:25it's a completely level playing field.
11:26Everybody's coming to the game as a celebrity.
11:29You're on a level playing field because the game itself has two teams.
11:33You've already got your Traitors and you've already got your Faithful.
11:35So already it's a level playing field.
11:38What we loved was that there were people from all different backgrounds.
11:41So we had our housewives, we had our gamers, and we didn't know how it was going to play
11:46out. And that's what was so special.
11:48You know, you can put your money on the gamers being the best at the game.
11:51But actually, you could argue that Pete from The Bachelor was arguably the greatest
11:56tactician that that season ever saw.
11:59And who saw that coming?
12:00So that was really special.
12:01Sorry, I've got a train going past.
12:03And that was really special.
12:04And that was incredible.
12:06And, you know, Phaedra, what a gift.
12:09She was absolutely born to be a traitor.
12:12So I think we really reap the benefits of having a full celebrity cast and the incredible
12:17personalities that came with that.
12:19And me and Mike have spoken about it before.
12:21When you put a cast together, it's like selecting a jury.
12:25You can't have everybody coming at it from the same point of view, the same angle.
12:31So that's why this cast was so special.
12:33It was such a variety of personalities and backgrounds.
12:36And I think it gave us a really great game.
12:39The cast for season three has more housewives in the mix.
12:44How much more were you surprised at their game tactics versus the people that are
12:49actually from competition shows?
12:52How do you think they fare?
12:53I think they're like, well, housewives, they are social gamers, right?
12:57They know how to play the social game.
12:59And like Tony said, The Traitors is like any other, we always call it a game because it
13:03is a game. It's unlike any other game.
13:07It's not Survivor, it's not Big Brother, although you can learn skills within that,
13:11that you might be able to bring to this.
13:14This is a game that is forever changing.
13:16You could have your closest ally.
13:18Tony could be my closest ally.
13:19And then we could wake up the next morning and she's being murdered by The Traitors and
13:23is dead. And you have to completely change your course.
13:26And so it's I think the housewives do have a skill within this, they're social gamers,
13:31they can be social manipulators and they can play that side of the game.
13:34And there's many different ways in which you can play it.
13:37And that's why Phaedra was so successful, because to be a successful traitor, you have to
13:41have the social game. You can't just be a strategist.
13:43People have to like you and trust you.
13:45And that's why she was so brilliant.
13:47And what's great about this format is because the cast will always be different every
13:52season, the game will always be different.
13:54And that's what's so, you can rely on the format and the game to deliver a different
13:58season every single time, which is brilliant.
14:01From my point of view, when I'm in the roundtable and I obviously am there the whole
14:06time when they're doing all the extended roundtables and I.
14:10So much of the chat is about, oh, well, the gamers against the sort of the bravo
14:14liberties. I think what's really fascinating that has now become clear is that this game
14:20is a real leveler and it doesn't matter if you're a gamer or, you know, that it gives you
14:27no advantage actually in the long run because it's a real animal on its own.
14:32And this new season, season three, will prove my point because I think we will find
14:38that some of the most people we think would be the best strategists are actually very
14:44good at strategy. But ultimately, it doesn't come down to that.
14:48If people don't like you and they want you out, your strategy doesn't matter.
14:51So I think people are beginning to understand it's got even more layers than just are
14:56you a strategist or are you a cutie lady in high heels?
15:01And with that tease for season three, we wrap this up.
15:05Thank you all for joining us today.
15:07We're excited for the traders and everything that's to come with you guys.
15:12Thank you very much.
15:13Thanks so much.