The Traitors: New Blood
Season of television series
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The fifth season (also known as The Traitors: New Blood) of the American television series The Traitors was announced on June 18, 2026.[1] The season premiered on September 17, 2026 on NBC with episodes releasing the next day on Peacock.
| The Traitors: New Blood | |
|---|---|
| Season 5 | |
Promotional poster | |
| Presented by | Alan Cumming |
| No. of contestants | 22 |
| Location | Ardross Castle, Scottish Highlands |
| No. of episodes | 5 |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | September 17, 2026 – present |
| Season chronology | |
Format
The show retains the same format and missions as the The Traitors UK and its US Celebrity counterpart. The contestants, all ordinary people from all across the US, are invited to the same castle in the Scottish Highlands to play this all-civilian version of the game. They are split into two particular Groups: the "Faithful," who are tasked with playing the game and trying to avoid banishment and/or murder to make it to the end of the game and win the final prize pot, and the "Traitors," a group of contestants secretly selected by host Alan Cumming who will work with the Faithful to build up the pot but are secretly working to earn the prize themselves. Most nights, the Traitors decide who to eliminate from the game via a "murder" while working to remain undetected and avoid suspicion from the other players. Each day the contestants participate in various missions to add money to the prize fund which can reach a maximum of $250,000.
In this version there is an additional incentive: for every Traitor that is successfully banished from the game, the team will add an additional $15,000 to the prize fund. At the end of each day, the players participate in the Round Table, where they must decide who to banish from the game in the hope of identifying the Traitors.
If all remaining players are Faithful, the prize money is divided evenly among them. However, if even one Traitor remains, they win the entire pot.[2][3]
Contestants
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Unlike the previous seasons, this season's cast was composed entirely of civilian (not celebrity) participants. Entertainment Weekly announced the 22 cast members via social media on August 12, 2026.[4]
In the first episode, Cumming revealed that two contestants would be recruited as "Accomplices". They would have to complete a series of tasks before the original Traitors would make a final decision on who would join them in the turret.
| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Affiliation | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kim Daily | 37 | Houston, Texas | Lawyer | Faithful | Murdered (Episode 2) |
| Madeline Kostopulos | 26 | San Diego, California | Construction manager | Faithful | Banished (Episode 2) |
| Xavier Scruggs | 38 | Wesley Chapel, Florida | MLB analyst | Accomplice[a] | Murdered (Episode 3) |
| Arisa Thomas | 36 | Los Angeles, California | Dog groomer | Faithful | Banished (Episode 4) |
| Logan Smith | 26 | Gatlinburg, Tennessee | Realtor | Faithful | Murdered (Episode 4) |
| Sherry Kuehl | 65 | Leawood, Kansas | Writer | Faithful | Banished (Episode 5) |
| Tomica Adams | 54 | Boston, Massachusetts | Pilot | Traitor | TBA |
| Shane Beatty | 32 | Staten Island, New York | Ironworker | Faithful | TBA |
| Abbey Benjamin | 37 | Mangham, Louisiana | Nurse | Faithful | TBA |
| Morgan Cook | 30 | Midland, Michigan | Content creator | Faithful | TBA |
| Katie Fites | 23 | Jacksonville, Florida | Marketing manager | Traitor[a] | TBA |
| Michael Foote | 38 | New York, New York | Lawyer | Faithful | TBA |
| Wyatt Gillespie | 26 | Ligonier, Pennsylvania | Designer | Faithful | TBA |
| Niyyah Hayes | 29 | Indianapolis, Indiana | Therapist | Faithful | TBA |
| Abby Lee | 29 | Saint Paul, Minnesota | Astrophysicist | Faithful | TBA |
| Kriste Lewis | 52 | Hattiesburg, Mississippi | Realtor | Faithful | TBA |
| Ben McDonnell | 34 | Granbury, Texas | Barrel racer | Faithful | TBA |
| Clyde Moser | 32 | Charleston, South Carolina | Teacher | Faithful | TBA |
| Joe Vanella | 44 | Wantagh, New York | Funeral director | Traitor | TBA |
| Jay Vinnedge | 36 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | Physician | Faithful | TBA |
| Victor Vollbrechthausen | 26 | New York, New York | Business executive | Faithful | TBA |
| Mark Zgoda | 26 | Phillipsburg, New Jersey | Personal trainer | Faithful | TBA |
- Notes
- Katie and Xavier were selected as potential Traitors but had to complete a series of tests before earning their cloak. Katie was selected to join the Traitors while Xavier was murdered.
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [5] | Original release date [5] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "A New Dawn Is Rising" | September 17, 2026 |
| 2 | 2 | "I'm a Sweaty Boy" | September 17, 2026 |
| 3 | 3 | "The Traitors Are Watching" | September 24, 2026 |
| 4 | 4 | "The Death Parade" | September 24, 2026 |
| 5 | 5 | "Wake of the Living Dead" | October 8, 2026 |
| 6 | 6 | "A Murder of Necessity" | October 15, 2026 |
Elimination history
- Key
- The contestant was a Faithful
- The contestant was a Traitor
- The contestant was an Accomplice
- The contestant was ineligible to vote
| Episode | 1 | 2 | 3/4 | 4/5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traitors' decision |
Katie Xavier |
Kim | Katie | Xavier | Logan | TBA[a] | |||||||||
| Accomplice | Murder | Recruit | Murder | ||||||||||||
| Shield |
|
None | Clyde |
|
|||||||||||
| Banishment | None | Madeline | Arisa | Sherry | |||||||||||
| Vote | 13–7–1 | 13–5–1 | 11–5–1 | ||||||||||||
| Abbey B. | No Vote |
Madeline | Arisa | Sherry | |||||||||||
| Abby L. | Madeline | Arisa | Sherry | ||||||||||||
| Ben | Victor | Arisa | Sherry | ||||||||||||
| Clyde | Victor | Arisa | Sherry | ||||||||||||
| Jay | Madeline | Victor | Sherry | ||||||||||||
| Joe | Victor | Victor | Sherry | ||||||||||||
| Katie | Victor | Arisa | Sherry | ||||||||||||
| Kriste | Madeline | Arisa | Jay | ||||||||||||
| Mark | Madeline | Arisa | Jay | ||||||||||||
| Michael | Victor | Arisa | Sherry | ||||||||||||
| Morgan | Madeline | Victor | Sherry | ||||||||||||
| Niyyah | Madeline | Arisa | Jay | ||||||||||||
| Shane | Madeline | Victor | Jay | ||||||||||||
| Tomica | Madeline | Victor | Sherry | ||||||||||||
| Victor | Kriste | Arisa | Michael | ||||||||||||
| Wyatt | Victor | Arisa | Sherry | ||||||||||||
| Sherry | Madeline | Arisa | Jay | Banished (Episode 5) | |||||||||||
| Logan | Madeline | Arisa | Murdered (Episode 4) | ||||||||||||
| Arisa | Madeline | Michael | Banished (Episode 4) | ||||||||||||
| Xavier | Madeline | Murdered (Episode 3) | |||||||||||||
| Madeline | Victor | Banished (Episode 2) | |||||||||||||
| Kim | Murdered (Episode 2) | ||||||||||||||
Missions
| Episode | Title | Time Limit | Money available |
Money earned |
Total pot |
Shield winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "A New Dawn is Rising" | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | Abby L. | |
| Madeline | ||||||
| Victor | ||||||
| The competitors are tasked with finding treasure chests on a ship in a time limit. Once the time ended, the ship would explode. The treasure chests could only be opened by clues around the ship. | ||||||
| 3 | "The Traitors Are Watching" | 30 Minutes | $30,000 | $15,000 | $65,000 | Clyde |
| The competitors are tasked with running through the grounds to three crypt locations. With a battering ram, they would open the crypts. They would then have to decide who to send in, depending on what the crypt said. At each crypt, only two players could enter. While the first crypt held no shield, the second crypt held a shield while the third held information pertaining to the traitors. | ||||||
| 4 | "The Death Parade" | N/A | $24,000 | $12,000 | $77,000 | Abbey B. |
| Ben | ||||||
| Jay | ||||||
| Katie | ||||||
| Michael | ||||||
| Shane | ||||||
| Wyatt[c] | ||||||
| The competitors are tasked with taking barrels of gold up the hill without being caught by the death parade. Upon reaching the end, they must set a fire barrier which would stop the parade in its path. Those the parade catches would be up for a shortlist for murder. The first gate forced them to leave four players behind; those four are caught by the death parade. The second gate forced them to leave two players behind. The third gate forced them to leave four players behind. | ||||||
Production
Similar to the previous seasons, this season was primary filmed in Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands.[6]
Notes
- After the Round Table that began in Episode 4 and concluded in episode 5, the Traitors were tasked to murder someone in plain sight, by getting their victim to catch a "poisoned" apple.
- In Episode 4, during the challenge, the contestants had to leave others behind causing those players to be shortlisted for possible murder. These players finished the mission without being shortlisted.
- In Episode 4, during the challenge, the contestants had to leave others behind causing those players to be shortlisted for possible murder. These players finished the mission without being shortlisted.