The Traitors is back, this time with a new twist: 22 ordinary Americans (no celebrities) will travel to Alan Cumming’s Scottish castle. There, murder and mystery await our seemingly helpless group of Faithfuls. We’ve already seen two different players exit the game as part of Thursday’s jam-packed premiere.
After just two episodes, which names should fans be keeping an eye on going forward? Let’s take a look at who helped, or hurt, their chances this week at winning The Traitors: New Blood.
The Traitors: New Blood Power Rankings
- 1. Logan
- 2. Tomica
- 3. Shane
- 4. Ben
- 5. Morgan
- 6. Clyde
- 7. Wyatt
- 8. Jay
- 9. Sherry
- 10. Abbey B.
- 11. Arisa
- 12. Mark
- 13. Niyyah
- 14. Michael
- 15. Joe
- 16. Abby L.
- 17. Kriste
- 18. Victor
- 19. Xavier
- 20. Katie
- Madeline – Eliminated
- Kim – Eliminated
Biggest Risers
Logan
There’s only so much to go off of when it comes to assessing this many players in just two hours. Given how large this cast is, there’s a level of going with my gut to these rankings that should be rectified over the next month. With that being said, I think Logan showed himself to be an astute player during episodes one and two. The realtor from Tennessee wasn’t the most overt personality, rarely doing too much or making his presence known. That alone is a positive for his chances at winning going forward.
What I liked best when it comes to Logan’s game was his conduct at the Round Table. He, like everyone else, incorrectly suspected Madeline and Victor to be Traitors. Logan was leading the charge in many ways, asking the most questions in an effort to root out whether they were lying. However, he didn’t feel the need to raise his voice or come at other players aggressively a la Kriste. In addition, he showed some level-headedness when Michael brought up Victor’s sweatiness. Instead of going along with an incredibly flimsy piece of evidence, Logan dismissed it almost immediately. You don’t want to be seen as a ‘leader’ of the Faithfuls on a show such as The Traitors. However, Logan’s capacity to hear out both sides at such an early point of the game shouldn’t go unnoticed. His first place selection could age poorly in a few weeks, but there was plenty to like on Thursday.
Tomica
Maybe I’m a bit too eager here, but I like Tomica’s place in this game. Whereas Joe seems to be an expert at drawing attention to himself (more on that later), his partner in crime doesn’t warrant any suspicion. The pilot, currently living in Boston, has experience traveling and living just about everywhere across the country. On a show such as The Traitors, with different people from different places, that kind of experience is invaluable.
Being a good Traitor is akin to being a good offensive lineman: you never want to hear your name called. In that regard, Tomica passed through the first two episodes with flying colors. The decision to take out Kim made some sense; she was someone that could easily emerge as a threat down the road. However, Tomica’s most clever play of the week was choosing Xavier as a potential traitor. The former MLB infielder is a team player, and has enough charisma to fly undetected throughout this game. Unlike Joe, who chose the more suspicious Katie, I thought Tomica’s choice here made sense (although looks may have had something to do with it). As previously stated, there isn’t a ton to go off of here. However, it’s always a good week to be a Traitor if your name isn’t being mentioned.
Biggest Fallers
Victor
Katie and Xavier are at the bottom of this list, solely because no other contestants face 50% odds of going home. Whichever one of those two potential Traitors survives will see their chances of winning rise dramatically. The player that tanked their stock the most this week was unquestionably Victor. It all started during the mission, in which he was the first person to go straight for a shield. That level of blatant game play this early in the season, when nobody has any real evidence to work with, will always paint a target on your back. He also made little effort not to look like a pair with Madeline, who ended up getting banished.
Granted, it’s fair to say that this group of Faithfuls isn’t the most savvy. Kriste’s behavior during the Round Table was amateurish at best, potentially painting a target on her back. Michael trying to question another player’s sweatiness also came off as grasping at straws. Still, Victor acts (for lack of a better word) sketch. This is more social game than strategic; failing to make bonds early can send you home in an instant. Post-banishment, he expressed some shock at just how intense things would get right out of the gates. That alone shows that the New Yorker didn’t come into The Traitors with the right mindset. As a bit of a social pariah, it’ll be tough to create strong bonds in the short term as well. Even if Victor isn’t a traitor, he doesn’t look like a particularly strong Faithful. That makes it easy for the rest of this cast to justify voting him out, guilty or not.
Joe
Every season, we get a Traitor that doesn’t appear long for the game. In The Traitors: New Blood, Joe fits that mold to a tee. To be fair, the Long Islander isn’t without his positive traits. He’s a people person that seems to get along with just about everyone. It’s difficult to imagine him leaving a bad impression with anyone inside of the castle, especially at this point in the game. Still, Joe’s gregarious nature could be his greatest weakness. A tendency to over-share and ramble on is dangerous in a game such as this, even if you’re a Faithful. Holding a massive secret for an entire season is difficult even for the more reserved people that come to Scotland. A bigger personality that can’t help himself from talking? It doesn’t inspire much confidence.
After initially being selected as a Traitor by Alan, Joe immediately came out with plenty to say to his fellow contestants. Perhaps its a bit of confirmation bias masked behind a clever edit; because we know Joe is hiding something, he comes off as disingenuous. Regardless, talking for so long after such an intense moment doesn’t come off as great game play. To make matters worse, I don’t love his pick for the Traitor tryouts. Katie is young, so I understand the basic logic of divide and conquer. However, she comes off as a total gamer, a.k.a. the kind of person willing to backstab her fellow Traitors. Is this really someone Joe and Tomica can work with for an entire season? I’m skeptical.
