Euan Cherry/Peacock Peacock's The Traitors has way more rules - and production secrets - than some fans may realize. Inspired by Dutch series De Verraders, The Traitors brings together reality TV stars from different franchises - including Survivor, Big Brother, Real Housewives and more - as they compete in a mafia-style game for up to $250,000. The series premiered in 2023 but has already gone through multiple changes. "My first idea was to do it on a ship in Australia," creator Marc Pos recalled to Variety in January 2023. "And if somebody had to be out of the game, he or she had to jump into the water and swim to an island, but then I thought it would be too difficult to produce." For the American version, actor Alan Cumming was tapped to host and has guidelines of his own. Winter TV Preview 2025: Inside Must-Watch New and Returning Shows "The host is not there very much, and has to be careful not to manipulate the game, influence viewers, or spark doubts within the minds of contestants who are in their bubble," Pos continued. "But when they're there, they have to be kind of a friendly yet intimidating figure." Despite The Traitors relying on a shroud of mystery, cast and crew have spoken out about the rules and behind-the-scenes secrets fans aren't privy to. Keep scrolling for a guide to all the surprising revelations - and perhaps helpful answers to some burning The Traitors questions: What the Cast Members Know About Each Other Euan Cherry/Peacock Casting director Deena Katz confirmed that contestants don't know who else is on the show until they arrive in Scotland, telling Time in January 2024, "You don't want them to be able to research each other or talk to each other or form alliances before." Season 2 star Sandra Diaz-Twine, meanwhile, explained on the "Reality After Show" podcast at the time that every player was later provided with photos and information on their fellow contestants to help them narrow down who could be a Traitor. Taking a Personality Test Euan Cherry/Peacock During a podcast appearance in January 2024, Mercedes "MJ" Javid recalled taking a 600-question psych evaluation. Executive producer Mike Cotton elaborated to Variety that same month how the tests allow the crew to "see attributes that might make someone a good liar or particularly deceptive." "It's an interesting process. It's a big group thing," he explained. "We actually don't know who the Traitors are until that pick, where Alan walks around and taps them on the shoulder. We watch how they interact when they arrive at the castle. Alan does these chats with them, sitting down and asking them if they'd like to be a Traitor and why. That has a really big bearing on it, as does Alan's opinion." Cotton continued: "It's almost like a job interview to be a Traitor, and we take all of that into account and decide just before the pick who that should be. We want to make sure we've got an interesting mix of characters that will bring their own unique skill set to it." Arie Luyendyk, who appeared on the first season, exclusively told Us Weekly in January 2023 about doing "a swim test," adding, "[It was] to see if we were capable of completing the mission." Hulu Reveals Premiere Date for 'The Kardashians' Season 6 The Choice Between a Faithful or Traitor Euan Cherry/Peacock It wasn't until season 2 that players were able to present their case to Alan about whether they wanted to be a Traitor or Faithful. While viewers at home know who the Traitors are (and how many have been tapped), season 1 star Cirie Fields revealed that other contestants are kept in the dark about crucial details. "We knew that there could potentially be three to five Traitors in the game," Cirie told E! News in January 2023 . "That was explained to us from the very beginning." The Drink Limit Euan Cherry/Peacock According to season 2 star Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, the endless drinks seen on screen actually come with strict guidelines. "You can only drink one drink a night anyway, it was quite restricted," she told Entertainment Weekly in January 2024. "I remember everyone needed a drink from that round table, it was really intense." What Are the Food Options "I was eating the salmon and the eggs, the chocolate croissants," Candiace Dillard Bassett told People in January 2026 of their breakfast choices in the castle. Monét X Change, meanwhile, added that "the salmon was so good but here's the thing: everybody liked the salmon. It was a struggle to get the salmon." Candiace continued: "It was only like two pieces for all 20 of us. If you were last at breakfast, you got no salmon." Signing NDAs Beforehand Danielle Reyes and Carolyn Wiger in 'The Traitors.' Peacock "They sign a lot of paperwork, and the Traitors sign their own oath and agreement with us," Cotton revealed to Variety in February 2025. "There's lots of things like that, but there was never a moment that we heard when anyone revealed their identity and honestly, it wouldn't make any sense." The contestants