Can we learn from a reality TV show? The hit BBC series features plotting, betrayal, deceit — and revealing insights into human nature.
Five big lessons from The Traitors
Can we learn from a reality TV show? The hit BBC series features plotting, betrayal, deceit - and revealing insights into human nature.
You are sitting on a steam train, heading to a castle, where you will compete for a £120,000 jackpot. But then the train stops and a message sounds through the carriage. Unless three people leave, the prize money will be cut for everyone. Would you agree to go?
This was the decision faced by contestants in the first episode of the new series of The Traitors.
Critic Rachel Aroesti argues that The Traitors is "a microcosmA small version of something larger, or a representation of something on a smaller scale. of the real world."1 So, here are five lessons from the show:
Keep calm. Each evening the contestants gather at a round table to accuse one another of treacheryAn act of harming someone who trusts you.. Those who do best are not the innocent ones, but the ones who remain cool.
Speak up. When nervous, people often retreat into their shell. But, in The Traitors, the quiet contestants are the most suspicious.
Team first. The contestants are all competing for prize money. But, if they fail to work together, they risk losing the entire jackpot. After all, the best results come from collaboration.
Always adapt. In order to succeed, people need to have a plan. However, they also need to be flexible in the face of unexpected events.
Lead from the back. Harry, the eventual victor of Series 2, stayed under the radar to win allies and gain trust. This made him more influential. "All you have to do is act normal," he later explained.2
Numerous journalists have argued that shows like Survivor3, Love Island4 and The Bachelor5 offer lessons about life, work and love. A scripted series might give audiences a richer experience, but reality TV shows tell people the truth.
Some think the scenarios in The Traitors are as fake as comedies and dramas. Critics also claim that the challenges are boring, the best characters have been ejected, and the "magic" is gone.6 But perhaps what they dislike is reality itself: confusing, embarrassing, and all too human.
Can we learn from a reality TV show?
Yes: Reality TV shows how people actually act under pressure. Suspicious, deluded, and irrational - but also hopeful, trusting and brave. All this offers lessons for everyday life.
No: Shows like The Traitors are no less artificial than scripted comedies and dramas. Creating a situation where nobody can trust anyone else makes viewers more paranoid and suspicious.
Or... For some people, reality TV contains vital lessons about life. For other people, it is just a harmless distraction. But with a gripping series like The Traitors, both can be true.
Microcosm - A small version of something larger, or a representation of something on a smaller scale.
Treachery - An act of harming someone who trusts you.
Five big lessons from The Traitors

Glossary
Microcosm - A small version of something larger, or a representation of something on a smaller scale.
Treachery - An act of harming someone who trusts you.