NEED TO KNOW
Alan Cumming is sounding off on the forthcoming non-celebrity edition of The Traitors.
Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE at the inaugural Televerse Festival on Thursday, Aug. 14, in Los Angeles, Cumming, 60, says the new version will be “a reboot” of sorts for the reality competition series.
The Traitors host notes that the celebrity version on Peacock is “on this trajectory of theatricality and madness” and that the civilian edition on NBC will see the show “calming down a little bit and starting again, which is exciting.”
Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty
Cumming reveals why he believes the non-celebrity version of The Traitors raises the stakes.
“What I’m really looking forward to is the fact that there will be more at stake for people,” he explains.
While Cumming notes that the celebrity contestants who come on the show “are very, very wealthy” and do the show for “other reasons,” the prize money “will make more of a difference in people’s lives” for everyday people.
“So there’ll be more at stake,” he says. “The stakes will be higher.”
Cumming teases the civilian edition of The Traitors will be “more about discovering people.”
While viewers are more familiar with the famous contestants — most of them reality stars from Survivor, Big Brother, the Real Housewives franchise and Bachelor Nation — that won’t be the case for the non-famous contestants.
“We won’t go in with preconceptions of the cast because we don’t know them, and I think that will be fascinating,” he says. “There will be more of a slow burn getting to know people.”
This could completely change the way the game is played, as the Faithful set out to unmask the titular Traitors, who attempt to keep their identity under wraps.
Euan Cherry/Peacock via Getty
Cumming announced the civilian-only spinoff of The Traitors earlier this week.
The new series will feature a cast entirely consisting of everyday civilians who have not appeared on reality shows, a first for the U.S. edition of the popular series.
Production on the new series is set to begin next year at the show’s iconic Scottish castle.
This isn’t the first time normies have appeared on the U.S. version of The Traitors, however, as season 1 included 10 celebrities and 10 non-celebrities.
The upcoming offshoot more closely resembles The Traitors in other countries around the globe.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
All three seasons of The Traitors are available to stream on Peacock. Those interested in applying for the new spinoff can do so now here.
