NEED TO KNOW
\nThe Traitors season 4 premieres on Jan. 8The Emmy-winning reality show follows a group of TV personalities and celebrities in a game of deception, strategy and survivalCast members on The Traitors have specific rules to follow during their time on the Peacock show<\/p>\n
Nothing screams chaos quite like throwing a group of famous TV personalities and celebrities into a high-stakes murder mystery game. But while on The Traitors<\/a>, the cast has a strict set of rules they must follow to ensure everything goes (mostly) to plan.\n<\/p>\n The Emmy-winning Peacock reality series, hosted by Alan Cumming<\/a>, kicks off its fourth season on Jan. 8 with the first three episodes. Its star-studded cast<\/a> features a mix of former game show contestants, reality TV stars and celebrities, including the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Lisa Rinna<\/a>, The Bachelor’s Colton Underwood<\/a>, NFL mom Donna Kelce<\/a> and Survivor’s Rob Cesternino<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n While filming, the cast follow stringent guidelines that prevent them from communicating with one another when cameras are down, or even connecting with people outside of the show. In post-production, the players must keep all details tight-lipped \u2014 or they might be booted off, per season 3 winner Dolores Catania<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThere are no leaks in\u00a0Traitors<\/a>,\u201d she said while joining TwoTsCon: Two Ts in a Pod in November 2024, adding that the production company “does not mess around.\u201d She continued, “They will edit you right out of that show.”\n<\/p>\n From their limited communication to where they are allowed to sleep, here are nine rules The Traitors contestants have to follow.\n<\/p>\n Players don\u2019t sleep in the castle <\/p>\n The cast of ‘The Traitors’ season 4.<\/p>\n Euan Cherry\/PEACOCK<\/p>\n In each episode of the show, cameras follow the contestants as they seemingly get into bed in identical, Gothic-style rooms in the castle. However, the shot is deceiving: the competitors actually sleep in a hotel 45 minutes away from set.\n<\/p>\n “They all stayed in the airport hotel in the Inverness airport,” Cumming told The Daily Beast<\/a> in January 2023 of season 1. “How glamorous you come to Scotland, and you stay in the Inverness airport hotel. I stayed in a little house in Inverness.”\n<\/p>\n However, the host had his own room in the castle to get ready in \u2014 and Cumming did occasionally take naps in there, he admitted.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a limit to how much they can drink <\/p>\n The cast of season 4 of ‘The Traitors’.<\/p>\n Euan Cherry\/Peacock<\/p>\n Though the contestants are often shown with a glass (or goblet) in hand, they are limited to only one drink per evening.\n<\/p>\n “You can only drink one drink a night anyway, it was quite restricted,” season 2 contestant Ekin-Su C\u00fclc\u00fclo\u011flu<\/a>\u00a0told Entertainment Weekly<\/a> in January 2024.\n<\/p>\n There\u2019s a limited amount of places they can go in the castle <\/p>\n Tiffany Mitchell on ‘The Traitors’ season 4.<\/p>\n Euan Cherry\/Peacock<\/p>\n Not only are the contestants not allowed to sleep in the castle, but they also have a limited number of spaces they can explore in the rented-out space. For season 2, the creators added the “scullery,” which is like a kitchen and the “folley,” which is an outdoor, stone-covered area, for the Traitors and Faithfuls to convene in.\n<\/p>\n “We always felt that a kitchen is somewhere you go grab a cup of tea and it’s a real sort of gathering place,” producer Sam-Rees Jones said during a February 2024 panel. “And whilst we weren’t lacking that, it was just somewhere else that we knew we had that space.”<\/p>\n There\u2019s security to ensure the Faithfuls don\u2019t see the Traitors convening <\/p>\n Phaedra Parks, Alan Cumming on season 2 episode 9 of ‘The Traitors.’.<\/p>\n Euan Cherry\/Peacock<\/p>\n Each night, the Traitors convene to decide who they’ll eliminate from the show next \u2014 but it’s an ordeal to make sure the other Faithfuls don’t see them slipping away to do so.<\/p>\n “It\u2019s a massive military operation each night to get the Faithful to bed in individual rooms and get the Traitors back out to have their meeting,” producer Mike Cotton told Variety<\/a> in January 2024.\n<\/p>\n Season 1 and 2 contestant\u00a0Kate Chastain<\/a>\u00a0told\u00a0Vanity Fair<\/a>\u00a0in January 2023 that the production even employed security guards to ensure utmost secrecy.<\/p>\n Cast members can\u2019t talk about the game to each other at the hotel outside of filming hours\u00a0 <\/p>\n Eric Nam, Dorinda Medley and Johnny Weir on ‘The Traitors’ season 4.<\/p>\n Euan Cherry\/Peacock<\/p>\n After a day of filming, cast members were no longer allowed to discuss any aspect of the game \u2014 including former couple Larsa Pippen<\/a> and Marcus Jordan<\/a>, who were on season 2 of the show. The pair told PEOPLE they found a creative way to communicate<\/a> back at the hotel, including sending messages to each other through a fruit.\n<\/p>\n \u201cMarcus asked me for a nail file, and I put it in a paper bag \u2014 and they go through everything, you’re not supposed to send anything back and forth \u2014 but he wanted a nail file and I was like, I’m just going to send him a nail file,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd then I was like, oh, there’s a banana. He said he wanted a banana. So I [write] \u2018I love you\u2019 on the banana and send it to him with the nail file.”\n<\/p>\n “You’re not supposed to talk about the game when the mics aren’t ready or the cameras aren’t on, because if we say something that’s important and it’s not on camera, they can’t use it on the show,” season 2 traitor Dan Gheesling<\/a> told Business Insider<\/a> in February 2024.\n<\/p>\n Cast members must give up their personal belongings <\/p>\n Mon\u00e9t X Change, Natalie Anderson, Kristen Kish, Caroline Stanbury, Rob Cesternino, Maura Higgins, Colton Underwood, Tiffany Mitchell, Rob Rausch, Candiace Dillard Basset, Johnny Weir, Dorinda Medley, Porsha Williams, Stephen Colletti and Ron Funches on ‘The Traitors’ season 4.<\/p>\n Euan Cherry\/Peacock<\/p>\n Upon arrival in Scotland, production takes many of the cast members’ personal belongings from them, including their phones and passports, season 2 contestant and Shahs of Sunset alum Mercedes “MJ” Javid<\/a> shared on the Just Sayin’<\/a> podcast.\n<\/p>\n “When we got off the plane, I was like, ‘Oh you’re taking our phones, right now,’ ” she said. “You’re gonna take everything \u2014 they take your chargers, your watch, your passport, your wallet, your money.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Players don\u2019t know who will be on the show before they arrive <\/p>\n Lisa Rinna and Candiace Dillard Bassett hug on ‘The Traitors’ season 4.<\/p>\n Euan Cherry\/Peacock<\/p>\n Before they arrive in Scotland, contestants aren’t privy to who else will be on their season to ensure they are going in completely blind.\n<\/p>\n “Because it’s a game, you don’t want them to be able to research each other or talk to each other or form alliances before,” casting director Deena Katz told TIME<\/a>. However, there have been exceptions such as Pippen and Jordan, since the two were a couple.\n<\/p>\n Celebrities can\u2019t promote their brands on the show <\/p>\n Lisa Rinna, Colton Underwood, Donna Kelce, Eric Nam and Mon\u00e9t X Change on ‘The Traitors’ season 4.<\/p>\n Euan Cherry\/Peacock<\/p>\n Within their contract, contestants must agree to not promote any of their personal brands \u2014\u00a0which meant The Real Housewives of Atlanta star Shere\u00e9\u00a0Whitfield<\/a> couldn’t rep her SHE by Shere\u00e9 in season 2.\n<\/p>\n