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‘The Traitors’ Season 5 finally sets release date as Alan Cumming hints at 'treachery and deceit'

Alan Cumming revealed the title of the upcoming season of ‘The Traitors’ in his latest mysterious announcement

‘The Traitors’ host Alan Cumming recently shared an update that sent fans into a frenzy. In a video shared on the show's official Instagram page, he announced the Season 5 premiere date with his unique and dramatic charm. Alan revealed the title of the next installment, as he said, “Hello dearies, I’d like to formally invite you to The Traitors: New Blood…an all-new season of treachery and deceit where I open my castle doors to everyday Americans by order of The Traitors, your presence is requested.” The next season, which will see civilians compete, will premiere on Thursday, September 17, on NBC and will stream the next day on Peacock. "A word of caution…don’t be late,” the host warned.

With the upcoming season of ‘The Traitors’ moving to a new network, it has already caught everyone’s attention. However, one of the major surprises is the contestants. Alan will be welcoming 22 “everyday Americans” to the Scottish castle, as he mentioned in his announcement. NBC noted that the participants for the show had been “hand selected from a nationwide search resulting in more than 60,000 hopeful applicants.” The selected contestants will begin their journey on ‘The Traitors: New Blood’ on September 17 with a special two-hour premiere episode. After that, new episodes will air every Thursday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. 

As per the network, “The Traitors franchise has always been about cunning gameplay, strategic partnerships, and over-the-top challenges, and New Blood will be no different.” Under the new format, participants will work together on assigned tasks to build the prize fund, which can reach up to $250,000. Most of the contestants will be Faithfuls, while only a few will be Traitors. Their goal will be to keep a low profile and stay undetected so they can claim their prize in their own sneaky way.

The Traitors will be assigned secret tasks, referred to as “murders,” which they must carry out without attracting attention. The official description reads, “Under the cover of darkness, the Traitors murder the Faithful one by one in a treacherous spree while the Faithful try to uncover the Traitors and banish them from the game.” Hinting at chaos, NBC said, “Of course, when every player has the same likelihood of being a Traitor, it becomes increasingly difficult to trust anyone at all — and that's when The Traitors is at its chaotic best.” Season 4 contestants, including Rob Rausch and Maura Higgins, had fans glued to their screens during the previous installment, and it will be interesting to see what the new format brings to the table.