The Traitors Australia is back. The twists, back-stabbing, and cloaks remain, but there’s a new host and a new location to spice things up in Season 3, which airs on Network 10 in 2026. Former Big Brother presenter Gretel Killeen is now in charge of proceedings and will sort her Faithfuls and Traitors amid the stately setting of Castle Claremont in New Zealand. The new season promises to follow closely the winning format used in the UK and US shows while adding a distinctly Aussie flavour. If you fancy joining the party, read on.
The Traitors Australia is a reality competition show on which a group of strangers compete for a cash prize. Set in a Gothic castle, contestants are chosen by the presenter at the start of the show to be either sneaky Traitors or innocent Faithfuls. The Traitors meet under the cover of darkness to decide which Faithfuls to bump off, and the Faithfuls – plus the Traitors pretending to be Faithfuls – must decide who they want to eliminate for suspicion of treachery during round-table meetings. Whoever is left at the end of the game wins the money. There can be more than one winner, but only Traitors or Faithfuls can win.
Past seasons have seen casts made up of members of the public, while Season 3’s contestants are former reality TV show stars. Think Tully Smyth from Big Brother, Alex Nation from The Bachelor, and Cam Merchant from Married at First Sight. Rounding out the cast are other notable names, such as drag star Kween Kong, Masterchef contestant Alvin Quah, and Aussie icon John Farnham’s son Robert.
The show’s pivot to reality TV talent won’t necessarily be a fixed formula. If you’re still hoping for a chance to make your name on The Traitors, here’s what to know about the casting process.
When the show was last looking for members of the public, the process was headed up by EndemolShine Australia and began with an open casting call. Expect to fill out a lengthy application form and, if the casting team are keen to meet you, it will be followed by in-person interviews and eventually a chat with a psychologist. Season 1 featured a clairvoyant, a supermarket checkout worker, a law student, and an electrician, so the producers cast their net wide.
Student Alex Duggan, who won Season 1, told The Traidar: A Traitors Podcast how she bagged a space around the Castle’s round table. “I think like a few of the other cast members, someone reached out to us,” she says. “I was with a modelling agency at the time and they found me on Instagram, slid into my DMs, and they were like, ‘Hey, you should apply for this show!’”
It suggests that even for noncelebrity seasons, having your socials polished and up to date could work to your advantage. Keep your eyes peeled for casting announcements and check the show’s Instagram for up-to-date casting information.
Basically, the door isn’t shut. Most of the names appearing on Season 3 aren’t famous in the conventional sense; they’ve made their names by being themselves on reality shows. Instead of focusing exclusively on The Traitors, think about how you could get cast on Australian reality TV shows in general.
With speculation that the new version of the show, with Killeen at the helm, will be such a success that Channel Ten has commissioned two more seasons, it’s time to get your materials together. Prepare your headshots, CV, social media, and showreel with the below handy guides.
