If you’re like me and love low-stakes drama, lying, and deceit (in TV not in my personal life, DUH) then The Traitors will be right up your alley. This show will especially scratch a certain itch if you love revisiting favs from other reality TV series. I myself am a staunch and deeply committed watcher of the most epic show on the planet, Survivor, which is how I got pulled into watching The Traitors in the first place. Checkmate, Peacock, checkmate. Without further ado, let’s dive into this season’s cast and see what they’re reading to prepare for a showdown of scheming and manipulation!
Survivor Royalty
CAROLYN WIGER
How you know her: Carolyn was an eccentric and over-the-top addition to Survivor season 44’s cast. Pinned as an underdog Carolyn fought tooth and nail to the finale of the season.
What she’s reading: Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Carolyn spent S44 of Survivor not being considered a “major threat,” let’s see if she can hone that reputation to her advantage in S3 of The Traitors.
JEREMY COLLINS
How you know him: Jeremy competed on Survivor: San Juan del Sur aka Blood vs. Water (arguably one of the best seasons of the show) alongside his wife, Val. He went on to win Survivor: Cambodia and also made an appearance on Survivor: Winners at War (another iconic, and nostalgic, season).
What he’s reading: The Art of War by Sun-Tzu. After failing to take the S40 Winners at War crown you know Jeremy is on a mission to redeem himself. He’ll be busy honing his outwit strategies before S3 of The Traitors.
“BOSTON” ROB MARIANO
How you know him: Rob is true Survivor royalty, up there with Sandra herself (the queen stays queen), and has competed on seasons 4,8, 20, and 40 of the show. He won Survivor: Redemption Island and served as a mentor alongside the aforementioned queen in Survivor: Island of Idols.
What he’s reading: Defiance of the Patriots: The Boston Tea Party & the Making of America by Benjamin L. Carp. A revolutionary book for a revolutionary player. Rob helped change the game of Survivor so he’s revisiting history to turn S3 of The Traitors on its head.
TONY VALCHOS
How you know him: Tony is the second person to win two seasons of Survivor—Cagayan (another one of the best seasons on the market, I’m a superfan, can you tell?), and Winners at War.
What he’s reading: How to Hide in Plain Sight by Emma Noyes. If you’re looking for Tony on S3 of The Traitors, try looking up. IYKYK.
Reality TV Sweethearts
TOM SANDOVAL
How you know him: Tom made waves on Vanderpump Rules when he recently cheated on his longtime girlfriend and resident bombshell of Love Island USA, Ariana Madix. He’s also appeared on The Masked Singer and Special Forces.
What he’s reading: Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering. Tom might be using his personal background in lies and deception to his advantage this season. Me personally? I hope he’s the first to get the axe after stepping out on my girl Ari.
CHRISHELL STAUSE
How you know her: Chrishell is the clapback queen and a fashionista real estate powerhouse of The Oppenheim Group on Netflix’s popular series Selling Sunset. She’s also a queer baddie married to renowned drummer and singer G-Flip.
What she’s reading: The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe. Chrishell sells houses for a living so she’s used to persuading folks to part with money. She’s brushing up on her sweet-talking skills with Sharpe’s con-artist femme fatale in The Girls I’ve Been.
BOB THE DRAG QUEEN
How you know them: Bob was crowned the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 8. After slaying the house boots down on Drag Race, Bob went on to host HBO Max’s We’re Here in 2020. Bob and their drag sister Monét X Change also host a fantastic podcast called Sibling Rivalry.
What they’re reading: The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley. Using glitz and glam as a distraction for a murder most foul? We know Foley’s latest is right up Bob’s alley. Manifesting a win for this diva at the very least for the max amount of 10/10 outfits.
BOB HARPER
How you know him: Bob Harper appeared as a trainer on The Biggest Loser before he became the show’s host in 2015.
What he’s reading: The Cutting Season by Attica Locke. Bob might have picked up this one because he was getting ready for cutting season in the gym but instead, he was blessed with an iconic Southern thriller.
CIARA MILLER
How you know her: Ciara has been a main cast member on Bravo’s Summer House since 2021.
What she’s reading: Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. Ciara’s no stranger to being filmed in a house with other reality TV stars, but this time she’ll need to have a more sinister edge if she wants to win The Traitors.
NIKKI GARCIA
How you know her: Nikki is a WWE wrestler alongside her twin, Brie, as the Bella Twins. They also had a reality show on E! called Total Bellas.
What she’s reading: My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. In the WWE Nikki is no stranger to using brute force to win her battles. She’s taking a page out of this book to learn the more subtle strategies of deceit and manipulation.
The Adjacently Famous
SAM ASGHARI
How you know him: Sam met pop princess Britney Spears on the set of her salacious music video “Slumber Party.” They tied the knot in 2021 before calling it quits in 2023.
What he’s reading: The Woman in Me by Britney Spears in an effort to brush up on how to lie and deceit other people with actual talent out of their money.
DYLAN EFRON
How you know him: Dylan is Zac Efron’s younger brother who starred in Zac’s docuseries, Down to Earth.
What he’s reading: How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin. Sozz to say it, Dylan, but I think you’re going to need a how-to guide to not be the first target out of the castle. Fingers crossed you prove me wrong, bestie!
LORD IVAR MOUNTBATTEN
How you know him: Lord Ivar is King Charles III’s second cousin and is the first openly gay member (we stan) of the British monarchy’s extended family.
What he’s reading: Spare by Prince Harry the Duke of Sussex. Ivar is quickly cramming tidbits of information about his actually famous family before S3 of The Traitors. Breadcrumbing juicy morsels of info about the estranged Harry and Meg might curry him a second lease on life in this game!
The Bachelor Nation Besties
GABBY WINDEY
How you know her: Gabby competed in Clayton Echard’s season of The Bachelor (I was going to write “Spoiler alert they’re both gay now,” but that was Colton Underwood! Maybe Bachelor Nation should stop casting Animorphs versions of the same white dude). She later became The Bachelorette along with Rachel Recchia in a bizarre double-feature edition of the series.
What she’s reading: Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson if anyone on this roster could flee to a new country and make up a new identity it’s this diva. I’m SAT for more Gabby on TV as she was arguably the most iconic Bachelorette in recent memory.
WELLS ADAMS
How you know him: Wells is a Bachelor Nation sweetheart who swooned the nation on JoJo Fletcher’s season of The Bachelorette. He later competed on Bachelor in Paradise and after failing to find love on both shows he became the resident bartender for BIP. Even though he didn’t find love through The Bachelor franchise he scored big in my opinion by locking it down with Sarah Hyland from Modern Family.
What he’s reading: Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala. Is another poison chalice in our future for S3? If so, who better to wield the brew than our favorite cheeky bartender?
The Big Brother Baddies
BRITNEY HAYNES
How you know her: Britney competed in two seasons (12 & 14) of the reality TV show Big Brother and the show’s holiday spin-off, Reindeer Games. She’s also reportedly besties with Wicked star Ariana Grande’s brother, Frankie Grande.
What she’s reading: The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff. After the betrayal by an all-boys alliance led to her demise in Big Brother, Britney won’t make the same mistake twice. She’s reading up on deceiving men while using her signature comedic flare before S3 of The Traitors.
DANIELLE REYES
How you know her: Danielle is one of the OG Big Brother competitors and was named the runner-up in season 3. She made a reappearance on the show in season 7 and competed in the show’s holiday spin-off, Reindeer Games.
What she’s reading: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Danielle, infamously known as The Black Widow in the Big Brother Franchise, is hitting the classics in her pursuit of glory on S3 of The Traitors.
The Housewives
DORINDA MEDLEY
How you know her: Dorinda was on The Real Housewives of New York City from 2015 to 2020.
What she’s reading: The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste. Dorinda might be known for indulging in one or two glasses of wine. She’s using her reputation to her advantage by getting more acquainted with the art of crafting a deadly brew.
CHANEL AYAN
How you know her: Chanel is a supermodel and main cast member of The Real Housewives of Dubai.
What she’s reading: #FashionVictim by Amina Akhtar. Known for strutting her stuff on the runway, Chanel is using her knowledge of killer couture to breeze her way to the top of the pack in S3.
DOLORES CATANIA
How you know her: Dolores has been on The Real Housewives of New Jersey since 2016.
What she’s reading: The Godfather by Mario Puzo. What better way to prepare for a TV show full of persuasion, deceit, and lies than paying homage to her Italian heritage with the best mob story of all time?
ROBYN DIXON
How you know her: Robyn appeared as a main cast member of The Real Housewives of Potomac before she was allegedly fired from the series in 2024.
What she’s reading: My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress by Rachel Deloache Williams. Reading up on the real story that inspired the hit Netflix series, Inventing Anna, sounds like a great way to learn how to cheat other players out of the prize money!
Photos by Peacock
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As a former special education teacher, Layne firmly believes in the importance of literature and accessibility. This unique point of view is an asset in her publicity efforts as she works to reach readers across various platforms and demographics.
Layne received her Bachelors of Arts in Creative Writing and Bachelors of Science in Psychology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and her Masters of Art in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education. She lives in New Orleans with her loyal, but sadly illiterate cat, Macaroni.
