WARNING! This article contains spoilers from The Traitors season 2 episodes 1-3!
The Traitors US season 2 has made the missions more exciting by adding the possibility of the contestants winning shields that give them immunity, and this has spiced up the game in some thrilling ways. Hosted by Alan Cumming, The Traitors US season 2 features 21 celebrities competing for the grand prize. Unlike season 1, there are no civilian contestants. The competitors must work together during missions in order to add money to the prize pot for the grand prize. The season 2 traitors are Dan Gheesling, Phaedra Parks, and Parvati Shallow, who was recruited by Dan and Phaedra.
Throughout The Traitors US season 1, the contestants participated in missions whose sole purpose was for them to win money to add to the prize pot. In addition, the shields were found at random in the Armory. However, in The Traitors US season 2, the shields have become part of the missions, as the contestants can choose to devote all of their time to winning money for the group, or put themselves first and win shields to keep themselves safe from being murdered by the traitors. The Traitors US season 2 shield twist has raised the stakes for all of the competitors, whether they are faithfuls or traitors.
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The Shields Force The Traitors’ Contestants To Make Tough Choices
Because the shields are now part of The Traitors US season 2 missions, the contestants are forced to make tough choices. They must decide if keeping themselves safe from being murdered by the traitors is more important than helping to contribute to winning money for the prize pot. Of course, if a contestant is murdered by the traitors, then they’ll have no chance to win the money anyway, so earning safety by finding a shield might be the best strategy.
During The Traitors US season 2, various contestants have had different philosophies about the shields. In the first mission, Big Brother legend Janelle Pierzina unapologetically put herself first and won a shield before contributing to the mission. She was most likely remembering how she became an immediate target on Big Brother 22: All-Stars, and so she did what she had to do to keep herself safe.
Janelle was criticized behind her back by some of her fellow contestants, including Shereé Whitfield and Larsa Pippen. They called her selfish for winning a shield during the mission. However, Janelle looked for a shield to prevent herself from being murdered. Janelle has always had an in-your-face style of gameplay, and she fights for what she wants, which is to win. Also, she was an integral part of completing the mission, so she was able to balance both things.
Chris “CT” Tamburello and Deontay Wilder also earned shields during that first mission, but also helped the group to win. CT was a great leader during the mission. However, Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio told CT that he thought that people who went for the shields cost the team time, since the group completed the mission at the literal last second. It’s interesting to see the different philosophies about the shields, from those who believe that they should earn immunity at all costs, to those who think that contributing to the greater good of the mission and helping to add money to the prize pot is the most important thing.
During the second Traitors US season 2 mission, Dan was the only contestant to earn a shield. However, he did this as a decoy because he was a traitor and didn’t need safety. Dan used the shield as a way to throw off his fellow contestants. Dan also would’ve taken a shield away from a faithful, keeping one less of them safe.
In the second mission, Janelle again searched for a shield, rather than money for the prize pot, in order to keep herself safe, but she was unsuccessful. During the third mission, Janelle earned another shield. However, Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu also tried to grab it, and they had a disagreement about whether Janelle was aggressive with Ekin-Su. Peter Weber and Tamra Judge also won shields during that mission.
In The Traitors US season 1, Kate Chastain decided that she didn’t want to help her fellow contestants win money if they were just going to banish her anyway for being a traitor when she wasn’t. Therefore, she decided to throw some of the money away during a mission. If Kate had played during season 2 instead, she would’ve had the option to earn a shield instead of contributing to the prize pot, which would’ve definitely made the game more interesting for viewers.
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The Shields Could Destroy The Traitors’ Plans
Because there are so many more shields in The Traitors US season 2 than season 1, the traitors will inevitably have to adjust their plans if one of their targets earns safety. Dan even commented after the second mission that it was good that they could pick anyone they wanted to murder because he was the only one who won a shield. However, this could change, especially as the number of contestants dwindles throughout the game. Immunity from murder could thwart the traitors’ plans.
The Shields Could Expose The Traitors
The Traitors US season 2 shields could expose the traitors, which is why it was a good idea for Dan to win one early on. Immunity appears to be so important to Janelle that her fellow contestants won’t suspect that she’s a traitor. This could prevent her from being banished even if the other players don’t particularly like her style of gameplay because they won’t want to get rid of someone who’s almost guaranteed to be a faithful. In addition, if someone figures out who one or more of the traitors are and also wins a shield, that could spell disaster for the traitors because they could lead the charge to banish the traitor.
The Shields Make The Missions More Exciting For Viewers
One of the biggest problems with The Traitors US season 1 was that the missions were a bit boring to watch. Even though they put the contestants to the test with various types of competitions from guessing songs based on musical tones from ringing bells to having bugs rain down on them, there was no power for them to win. Therefore, the missions just became about the contestants adding money to the prize pot, which can become a bit dull and tedious to watch.
The shields have brought a whole new level of competition to The Traitors US, because winning one gives immunity to a contestant, which is a form of power. The shields level the playing field a bit, since the faithfuls now have a way to protect themselves from being murdered from the traitors. It’s very fun and exciting to root for favorite faithfuls to gain the upperhand against the traitors. It’s also intriguing to see the reactions from the other competitotrs when players win the shields. The Traitors US season 2 has definitely taken the game to another level by adding immunity shields to the missions, and it was a spectacular idea.
Sources: The Traitors/Instagram, The Traitors/Instagram
