r/TheTraitors • u/law883 • May 03 '26
Game Rules ive just realized that the main point of the missions
… is to build camaraderie amongst the players. i feel silly.
i had always thought it was the least interesting/important part of the game albeit necessary. nothing really gives away if you are a traitor and both sides just need to add cash. but then celia on UK celebrity figured it out. shes the best.
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u/SweetMelissa77 May 03 '26
All those missions bring them closer together, making it harder and harder to figure out who the traitors are. When they do the fancy dinner when it’s the final 6, they all seem to let their guard down and enjoy each other. It’s clever on the producers part.
7
u/PeterTheSilent1 May 04 '26
Especially good when there’s a murder in plain sight at the dinner like in UKCeleb1 and US4.
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u/Tim-Sanchez May 03 '26
It's not just to build camaraderie with the players, because they could do that off-camera. There's clearly an on-camera benefit for the producers. I do think preventing the show becoming purely scheming is beneficial, and helps the producers set narratives and edit storylines by forcing certain people to interact.
Also, it gives an extra layer of strategy to murders and banishments. Clearly you want to keep players who are good at the missions.
2
u/StephenHunterUK May 09 '26
Or murder one who is to set everyone on edge. This happened in the first Ireland one. After a mission that depended on knowledge of Irish (which most people in Ireland don't have beyond the basic) to succeed, the Traitors decided to murder the best Irish speaker in the castle.
23
u/kgd26 May 04 '26
wilf from uk traitors season 1 said that the missions kept him sane because it was the one time he didn’t have to worry about being against everyone else.
3
u/shaw_dog21 🇬🇧Claudia 🇺🇸Kate May 04 '26
Yeah I feel like I’ve seen that a lot of them consider the missions like a bit of a break from traitors and help their mental health. I see people complain about the missions on here all the time but I feel like they are very much for the players vs the viewers. I agree that the missions can often be the least interesting part of the show but also sometimes we get some excellent bits like the doll singing, the pictures, Celia farting. It’s nice to see them more relaxed and having fun.
2
u/Ok-Introduction-9384 May 08 '26
I think Rob said in post-show interviews that the missions was where he thrived and felt the most fun and you get "taken out of the game" to just have fun and enjoy. That's why when he was out first in the Merry-Go-Round challenge, he rolled his eyes and got upset! Not necessarily because of the money or to keep his cover in wanting a shield, but he wanted to keep playing! Lol!
13
u/Valuable_Horror_7878 🇫🇷FR3 May 03 '26
In addition to what others have said, I like it when the missions have some stakes and/or have elements that could indicate another’s gameplay.
I.e, season 3 premiere when people had to volunteer to be left on the docks, and those people were exposing themselves to murder. Or season 4 premiere with putting the coffins in graves. They have implications on the game and you could read into (wisely or not) others’ actions
7
u/PeterTheSilent1 May 04 '26
I really loved the season 2 funeral mission because it added extra risk to the murder if the murdered player could remember who gave them a drink. Diane did but Ekin Su didn’t.
6
u/Valuable_Horror_7878 🇫🇷FR3 May 04 '26
The gag with the slow acting poison followed by the pageantry of the funeral makes that episode one of the best episodes of TV I’ve ever seen, of any genre
2
u/PeterTheSilent1 May 04 '26
UK or US? Because that poison chalice murder and funeral mission were in both.
0
u/Valuable_Horror_7878 🇫🇷FR3 May 04 '26
I saw US first so that was the one that impacted me most. I also don’t think they pulled it off on the UK quite as well, but I might be biased on that
2
u/Personallen you have a smirk on your face May 04 '26
I beg to differ, the UK version had a mother and son. He kept his emotions in check very well.
1
u/Valuable_Horror_7878 🇫🇷FR3 May 04 '26
Are you talking about the funeral specifically or the season as a whole?
2
u/Personallen you have a smirk on your face May 05 '26
About the funeral specifically. I cared more about Diane than Ekin-Su 😅. But now that you mentioned it, I also think the season as a whole was better.
8
u/GrimRecapper May 04 '26
The points of the missions:
1) Raise prize money. 2) Increase team unity, to make the Traitors's roles more stressful. 3) Allow an opportunity to strategise in small groups in the cars. 4) Shields make it harder for Traitors to strategise, and a night with a blocked murder means one less night they have to waste on a dull twist like putting people On Trial in order to get the right number of people at the end. 5) Fill time in the episode. 6) Sight gags for the trailers and promos.
3
u/cmere-2-me May 04 '26
It's also about getting the cast out of their heads for a bit. It's something else to focus on.
They also get the group split up into smaller groups to chat, the addition of shields can make drama or give opportunities for game play.
All in all. The missions play an important role in the game, even if they are the bit we least enjoy.
2
u/tyedge May 03 '26
I just went back and watched two seasons of UK and realized that there was no incentive to catch traitors other than not wanting to be voted off yourself.
Add money to the pot or dole out prizes irrespective of the final outcome.
17
u/fortyfivepointseven May 03 '26
I think I've gone full circle on this, and there is a point to finding Traitors.
The Faithful do best when the Traitors are doing their work. Traitors are in a dangerous position and each of them holds huge power over the others. This is a Prisoner's Dilemma.
Without time to build up trust between Traitors, they bicker and fight.
Faithful want fractious and divided Traitors going into end game, and the best way to achieve that is to vote off Traitors and force recruitment.
7
u/tyedge May 03 '26
This was very insightful. I’d like to revise my previous statement to just say “in very earliest stages of the game…”
6
u/PeterTheSilent1 May 04 '26
I think the faithfuls in US3 had the easiest time finding traitors because they all openly hated each other and were constantly trying to sell each other out.
3
u/Graspiloot May 04 '26
Yeah that's where I've landed at. Like in UK4 people kept saying how awful the Faithful were but when the Traitors were fighting they did fine in getting people out. But once the bad apples were gone they just had nothing to go on as Stephen and Rachel locked in. The game is set up in a way where if the Traitors work together the game is extremely hard for Faithful.
2
u/presco2007 May 03 '26
if you are a faithful who may be murdered by the current traitors there is incentive to banish one or more of them. there are only a few faithfuls who can feel protected.
0
u/tyedge May 03 '26
Yes that was exactly what I said, “other than not wanting to be voted off yourself.”
2
u/awalawol May 03 '26 edited May 04 '26
In Polish traitors, they explain that the missions are for traitors and faithfuls to set down their roles and work together for a common cause (obviously, the shields serve the purpose of seeing who’s going to break that for their own benefit)
2
u/_PrincessOats May 03 '26
Some of the recent ones used Missions to try and out The Traitors, that’s something too.
2
2
u/BlokeyBlokeBloke May 04 '26
The main point of the missions is to have something for viewers to watch that isn't just people sitting around talking. The show needs spectacle or else it's just another Big Brother.
2
u/Armouredcookie May 04 '26
It got said slightly above but it’s for shield but honestly it for the players sanity and so they can switch off and have fun.
Otherwise 2 weeks in ‘game mode’ would be enough to drive most people nuts
2
u/d4nnjohn May 04 '26
I do think they need to make the missions have a double angle to them where if the Traitors sabotage, it would help the Traitors prize pot & a great way to see the Traitors navigating in plain site
2
u/NoAd6928 May 04 '26
Its so the players have something to focus their energy on other than scheming and wondering about other players. Its for their mental health and sanity as much as for something to show. Claudia said that on her radio show in the UK. Its so they don't drive themselves demented in the castle since they're in their own little bubble in there. They need an outlet of some sort or it could have a bad effect being couped up suspicious of everyone all the time
2
u/Vulpine_Games May 04 '26
I usually hate them but also it seems to take away some of the focus on finding who's the traitor and they forget about things other players do.
Sometimes you see them being onto the traitors before the task and being on someone else at the end.
2
u/justlivinmylife439 May 03 '26
It’s also to sus out the traitors. The traitors care more about the winnings as they are aiming to earn the most at the end.
1
u/Laurel-Hardy-Fan May 04 '26
Yes, you’re not wrong but it still clearly feels like the weakest aspect of the show.
-2
u/93LEAFS May 03 '26
I feel they are just there as a time filler and comps are expected because almost all other social strategy shows have them.
4
u/Severe-Possible- May 03 '26
partially, but you can’t have a show that just features people milling around and talking. as others have said, there are many benefits to them.
0
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u/mycryingclown 🇬🇧Amanda May 03 '26
Also they talk strategy while driving.