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, chugging through the Scottish countryside. The train is heading to a Highland castle, where you will compete for a £120,000 jackpot. But then the engine stops and a message sounds down the carriage. Unless three people leave, the prize money will be cut for everyone. Would you volunteer to go?
This was the choice faced by contestants in the opening episode of the new series of the smash BBC show The Traitors.
The idea of the show is simple: three "traitors" are chosen from a group of contestants, tasked with "murdering" one of their fellow competitors each night. The rest of the contestants - the "faithfuls" - have to guess who the traitors are before it is too late.
The episodes are filled with tension, melodrama, and spectacular challenges - in one case the competitors had to row a Viking longboat across a loch. But, as critic Rachel Aroesti argues in The Guardian, 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 we can learn from the show:
Keep calm. Each evening the contestants gather at a round table to accuse one another of treachery. Those who do best are not the innocent ones, but the ones who remain cool in the face of criticism. Shouting and crying only make you look guilty.
Speak up. When nervous, people often retreat into their shell. But in The Traitors, the quiet contestants are the most suspicious. In the first series, Alyssa was the first person ousted from the castle, as her silence made everyone wary.
Team first. The contestants in The Traitors are all competing for prize money. But, if they fail to work together, they risk missing out on the entire jackpot. This can be true in the world of work, too: 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. Skilful competitors come to the castle with a strategy, and then adjust when that plan is knocked off course.
Lead from the back. Leaders are often loud, confident, and direct, yet this can cause resentment. Harry, the eventual victor of Series 2, was able to stay under the radar, winning allies and gaining trust. This made him more influential in the end. "All you have to do is act normal," he later explained.2
Reality TV has a reputation for being trashy. But 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.
Not everyone is a fan of reality TV. Some think the scenarios in The Traitors are just 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
Perhaps these critics dislike the show's overblown contests and irritating cast. Or 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.
Five big lessons from The Traitors

Glossary
Microcosm - A small version of something larger, or a representation of something on a smaller scale.