It’s fitting that the first time we see Gretel Killeen as host of The Traitors, she emerges from a coffin.

This is a show that was essentially dead and buried in Australia, thrown in the reality TV tip pile due to tragic ratings that got worse over its two-season run. But its failure was less about the quality of the show (yes, season two was rough, but the first is celebrated by fans internationally as the world’s best), and more about a lack of awareness from local audiences.

Just three years later, it’s now the buzziest reality franchise in the world, winning Emmys in the US and attracting more than 11 million live viewers in the UK. And the woman selling it to us here, who sold us on the very idea of reality TV as host of Big Brother, is doing so in a blood-soaked wedding dress.

Australia, I’m begging you: give this bonkers show a chance.

If you haven’t heard of the series at all (which is entirely possible, given past ratings), The Traitors functions much like the party game Mafia. A few contestants are labelled “traitors” at the outset, and they have to secretly murder innocent “faithfuls” each night without being detected. The goal for the faithful is to find the traitors before they kill you. And the pleasure of the show is in both the social and strategic gameplay as well as the inevitable psychological unravelling it inspires.

This third season has borrowed a few splashy tricks and stylistic flourishes from its international counterparts. Much like the US has done since 2024, this is the first Australian season to exclusively cast reality TV personalities (plus the odd semi-celebrity: this time John Farnham’s son). It creates natural alliances – Ian “Dicko” Dickson immediately tries to form an outlandish “LSD: loyalty secrecy discipline” voting bloc with Farnham and Australian Idol star Cosima De Vito – and tensions, too. It’s no mistake that the two Bachelor contestants cast, Alex Nation and Keira Maguire, also have a decade-long beef.

Taking over from the more straight-laced Rodger Corser, Gretel Killeen is also channelling the high-camp sensibility of US host Alan Cumming. And she steals a move that UK host Claudia Winkleman pulled in that series’ first season, brutally cutting a contestant before they’ve even set foot in the castle.

But that’s not to say this latest iteration of the show is derivative. Killeen brings an extra layer of theatricality to the role, becoming the first host to concoct an entire backstory. A vampish widow who’s seemingly murdered her 11 husbands and owns two pet “lions” (dogs with bad wigs) named Prince and Cher, she’s creating a spectacle to draw new viewers and cleverly playing into the show’s large queer fan base while creating something entirely her own.

I’ve seen only two episodes, so it’s too early to say whether this season is truly a success. But all the pieces are in place for greatness.

The production value is much better than last season (dog wigs and a truly dire breakfast spread notwithstanding), with the show now filmed in New Zealand at the same site as the Kiwi version. There are huge personalities who know how to stir up drama (Keira and Aussie Shore’s Manaaki Hoepo are making waves early); proven strategic thinkers from Australian Survivor who can move the game forward; a trio of Traitors with great chemistry and different strengths; and comedian/Drag Race judge Rhys Nicholson, whose witty asides and reactions will sustain the memes on their own.

Hell, there are even identical twins (Josh and Luke Packham). Though their profile from The Block and Love Island sadly rules out any Big Brother-style subterfuge.

Some viewers will bristle at the gimmick of this essentially being a reality TV death-match. But in truth, the profile of the contestants doesn’t matter at all. It’s the gameplay and small human moments that make The Traitors great: the unlikely heroes, sly villains and nervous farts. We had all that right the first time around. Season one, which featured no celebrities at all, was beloved in the UK, hailed by critics as “wild, magical TV”. But this is a smart, stylish and bold update that meets the zeitgeist where it’s at.

Millions of fans around the world aren’t wrong on this one. It’s time for us to catch up.

The Traitors airs 7.30pm on Tuesdays and Wednesday on Ten and 10Play.

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