NBC bills “The Traitors: New Blood” as its “all-new civilian version” of the show. The 22 players include astrophysicist Abby Lee, Staten Island ironworker Shane Beatty and former major leaguer Xavier Scruggs. TheWrap counts this as Season 5.
Peacock calls its celebrity lineup Season 6. Those 23 players include Bianca Del Rio, Kristin Chenoweth and Chloe Kim. The season is “set to premiere in early 2027 on Peacock,” according to the streamer’s cast announcement. I’ve kept both lists free of spoilers.
NBC’s 22 civilian players · Peacock’s 23 celebrities · NBC and Peacock viewing schedule
Who’s in ‘The Traitors: New Blood’ Cast on NBC?
NBC chose 22 people from more than 80,000 applicants to play for up to $250,000 in a castle in the Scottish Highlands. There are two players whose names sound alike. Abbey Benjamin is a nurse from Louisiana. Abby Lee is the astrophysicist from Minnesota. NBC lists these jobs and hometowns in its interviews with the civilian cast.
Abbey Benjamin (Nurse · Mangham, LA)
Benjamin wanted to play as a Faithful. Her plan was to earn the trust of people on both sides, even if she couldn’t tell which side they were on.
Abby Lee (Astrophysicist · Saint Paul, MN)
Lee came in as a fan of the U.S. series. Her model for castle politics came from another show: Tyrion Lannister on “Game of Thrones.”
Arisa Thomas (Dog Groomer · Los Angeles, CA)
Thomas figured working with dogs would make strangers trust her. She hoped people would read that warmth as innocence and underestimate how willing she was to deceive them.
Ben McDonnell (Barrel Racer · Granbury, TX)
McDonnell rides barrels in Texas. He saw two ways into an alliance: make friends with the women and let the other players see what a six-foot-three rider can do on missions.
Clyde Moser (Teacher · Charleston, SC)
Moser teaches theater. He thought performing under pressure would come naturally, but so would recognizing when another player was putting on a performance of their own.
Jay Vinnedge (Physician · Oklahoma City, OK)
Vinnedge is used to hearing people out as a doctor. He wanted to trade stories with the people around him and give them a reason to keep him in the game.
Joe Vanella (Funeral Director · Wantagh, NY)
Vanella entered the castle willing to work with just about anyone. The funeral director’s plan was to tell the truth for as long as it served him.
Katie Fites (Marketing Manager · Jacksonville, FL)
Fites also acts. She thought that experience might help her hide her intentions while she built friendships. She was willing to break an alliance to save herself.
Kim Daily (Lawyer · Houston, TX)
Daily figured her fellow players might size her up as a threat. The Houston lawyer wanted to find out what each person needed and show how she could help.
Kriste Lewis (Realtor · Hattiesburg, MS)
Lewis hoped to become the person people confided in. She counted kindness and a willingness to go along with an unexpected plan among her advantages.
Logan Smith (Realtor · Gatlinburg, TN)
Smith negotiates on behalf of homebuyers and sellers. He wanted to bring that same ear for a shaky pitch to conversations around the roundtable.
Madeline Kostopulos (Construction Manager · San Diego, CA)
Kostopulos had a use for fashion in the castle. If someone remembered what she wore instead of where she went, she figured her outfit had done its job.
Mark Zgoda (Personal Trainer · Phillipsburg, NJ)
Zgoda had a three-part plan. He’d make friends, become a trusted player’s second-in-command, then start calling shots once the louder voices had drawn attention.
Michael Foote (Lawyer · New York, NY)
Foote practices criminal defense and immigration law. He planned to talk more about his immigration work and keep his experience making arguments in court in reserve.
Morgan Cook (Content Creator · Midland, MI)
Cook makes videos, but she also recruited people for financial-services jobs. She wanted her castmates to know about the videos and overlook all those years of interviewing candidates.
Niyyah Hayes (Therapist · Indianapolis, IN)
Hayes builds rapport with strangers as a therapist. At the castle, she wanted people to keep talking while she listened, learned their loyalties and revealed very little about herself.
Shane Beatty (Ironworker · Staten Island, NY)
Beatty thought people would see him as a gentle giant. He wanted to float fresh names in conversations without turning himself into the castle’s lead detective.
Sherry Kuehl (Writer · Leawood, KS)
Kuehl started her writing career as a journalist. Interviewing people taught her to remember details and notice the question someone had quietly managed to dodge.
Tomica Adams (Pilot · Boston, MA)
Adams grew up in Boston and later lived in the South. She felt that flying taught her how to keep calm, while motherhood helped her read the people around her.
Victor Vollbrechthausen (Business Executive · New York, NY)
Vollbrechthausen wanted a small circle of allies willing to speak up for him. He thought he could make a better case through four or five friends than by defending himself alone.
Wyatt Gillespie (Designer · Ligonier, PA)
Gillespie saw an advantage in being a people pleaser. He wanted the others to feel comfortable with him and to discover how competitive he was only when it mattered.
Xavier Scruggs (MLB Analyst · Wesley Chapel, FL)
Scruggs played Major League Baseball before becoming an analyst. Over a long season, he learned when to expend energy and when to hold back. He wanted to pace himself the same way here.
For these players, your day job is an asset if it helps you make friends, or gives people the wrong idea about you. Arisa Thomas told NBC she counts on people to trust a dog groomer. She figured her castmates would see “golden retriever energy” and overlook a “naughty little chihuahua.”
Ben McDonnell, the barrel racer from Texas, pictured making friends as “the girls’ gay best friend.” The six-foot-three rider wanted people to see what he could do on missions, designer shoes and all.
Meet the 23 Celebrities in ‘The Traitors’ Season 6
Peacock unveiled these 23 players in its Sept. 18 cast announcement. If the voice of Iain Stirling rings a bell, it’s because he narrates “Love Island.” He spent Season 6 of “Love Island USA” narrating JaNa Craig’s summer. Now the two get to play each other.
Bianca Del Rio (Drag performer and comedian)
The comedian won Season 6 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” She built a touring career on crowd work and insult comedy. Fellow “Traitors” alum Bob the Drag Queen once named her a dream pick for the castle.
Boman Martinez-Reid (Comedian and host)
Martinez-Reid found an audience on TikTok by parodying reality shows. He went on to host “Made for TV with Boman Martinez-Reid” and made a guest appearance on “Overcompensating.”
Bronwyn Newport (‘The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’)
Newport joined “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” in its fifth season. Bravo viewers know her for elaborate outfits and a willingness to say exactly what she thinks in a group.
Casey Wilson (Actor and comedian)
Wilson played Penny on “Happy Endings” and Annie Fletcher on “Marry Me.” Before those sitcoms she spent a season on “Saturday Night Live,” where she had to change characters between sketches.
Chloe Kim (Olympic snowboarder)
Kim won Olympic snowboard halfpipe gold at 17 in 2018. She defended her title in Beijing in 2022, becoming the first woman to win that Olympic event twice.
Cody Simpson (Singer and swimmer)
The Australian singer released “Surfers Paradise” before moving into competitive swimming. He’s also acted on “Cougar Town,” giving pop fans, sports fans and sitcom viewers a reason to recognize him.
Craig Conover (‘Southern Charm’)
Bravo viewers know Conover from “Southern Charm” and the crossover series “Winter House.” He also has acting credits, including the action film “Reprisal.”
Cynthia Bailey (Model and ‘Real Housewives’ alum)
The model and entrepreneur starred on “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” She has already tried living among competitors with a vote: Bailey played on Season 3 of “Celebrity Big Brother.”
Dominic Monaghan (Actor)
Monaghan played Merry in “The Lord of the Rings” and Charlie Pace on “Lost.” His genre credits also include “Moonhaven” and “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.”
Emira D’Spain (Model and ‘Next Gen NYC’ cast member)
D’Spain worked as Paper magazine’s beauty director and modeled for Victoria’s Secret. She stars on Bravo’s “Next Gen NYC” and appears in the film “Here I’m Alive.”
Gizelle Bryant (‘The Real Housewives of Potomac’)
Bryant has been on “The Real Housewives of Potomac” since its 2016 premiere. She also hosted “Bravo’s Chat Room” and joined “The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip.”
Iain Stirling (Comedian and narrator)
Stirling narrates “Love Island,” “Love Island USA” and “Love Island Games.” He also co-created and starred in the sitcom “Buffering.” His fellow castle guest JaNa Craig once got the voice-over treatment herself.
Jag Bains (‘Big Brother’ winner)
Bains won Season 25 of “Big Brother” and later competed on “The Amazing Race.” He shares that two-show résumé with another “Big Brother” winner in this cast, Taylor Hale.
JaNa Craig (‘Love Island USA’)
Craig competed on Season 6 of “Love Island USA” in Fiji. “Love Island: Beyond the Villa” followed her back to Los Angeles alongside other Islanders.
Joey Graziadei (‘The Bachelor’)
After finishing second on Season 20 of “The Bachelorette,” Graziadei became the lead on Season 28 of “The Bachelor.” He then won Season 33 of “Dancing with the Stars.”
Johnny Sibilly (Actor)
Sibilly played Wilson, the water inspector on “Hacks,” and Noah in Peacock’s “Queer as Folk.” His other television credits include “Pose” and “Station 19.”
Kristin Chenoweth (Actor and singer)
Chenoweth originated Glinda in Broadway’s “Wicked.” TV audiences know her as Olive Snook on “Pushing Daisies” and as a cheerleading coach on NBC’s “Stumble.”
Michele Fitzgerald (‘Survivor’ winner)
Fitzgerald won “Survivor: Kaôh Rōng” and later competed on “The Challenge” and “The Challenge: All Stars.” She’s one of two “Survivor” alums on this roster.
Q Burdette (‘Survivor’ contestant)
Burdette first competed on “Survivor” in Season 46. He returned for the show’s 50th season before joining the “Traitors” cast alongside fellow “Survivor” veteran Michele Fitzgerald.
Rachel Robinson (‘The Challenge’ competitor)
Robinson is a longtime competitor on MTV’s “The Challenge.” She also appeared on “The Challenge: All Stars” and hosted “The Challenge Workout.”
Rashad Jennings (Former NFL running back)
Jennings played running back for Jacksonville, Oakland and the New York Giants during eight NFL seasons. He won Season 24 of “Dancing with the Stars.”
Taylor Hale (‘Big Brother’ winner)
Hale won Season 24 of “Big Brother,” then placed second on Season 38 of “The Amazing Race.” Soap viewers may also recognize her as McKenzie on “The Bold and the Beautiful.”
Whitney Leavitt (‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’)
Leavitt stars on Hulu’s “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.” She competed on Season 34 of “Dancing with the Stars” alongside Mark Ballas and played Roxie Hart in Broadway’s “Chicago.”
Here’s Peacock’s cast reveal, with a first look at everyone’s castle wardrobe.
Bianca Del Rio, Johnny Sibilly and Emira D’Spain
Bob the Drag Queen picked Bianca as a likely “Traitors” contender back in March 2025. Gayety’s Andy Lalwani spoke to Bob at the Queerties, where Bob included Kandy Muse and Monét X Change on that wish list. Bianca’s “It Gets Bitter” tour continues into 2027.
Bianca herself had never watched the show when she agreed to do it, she told the Brazilian magazine Capricho in October. She said the hard part came after filming, when she had to keep what happened to herself.
“But for me, as a gay man, feminine energy is strong energy,” Johnny Sibilly told the fashion magazine Iris Covet Book. Asked whether coming out had held him back as an actor, the “Hacks” star said, “Frankly, I feel my queerness has helped me in my journey.”
Emira D’Spain joined Bravo’s “Next Gen NYC” as a full-time cast member, Gayety reported last year. “In 2021, I was the first Black trans Victoria’s Secret model,” she told Bravo’s The Daily Dish in June 2025. “Which is, like, so major.”
When Do ‘New Blood’ and Season 6 Air?
“New Blood” premiered Sept. 17. NBC airs new episodes Thursdays at 8 p.m. Eastern and 7 p.m. Central, with each episode streaming on Peacock the next day. TV Insider lists episode nine for Nov. 5. The final two episodes air together on Nov. 19.
Peacock hasn’t set a date for the celebrities. Its Sept. 18 announcement gave an early 2027 window, and TODAY reported the same day that no premiere date had been announced.
Alan Cumming returns to host. The Scottish actor had just won the reality host Emmy for a third straight year when Peacock ordered three more seasons beyond Season 6.
At the Emmys, Cumming singled out the people who watch “The Traitors” together. “The audience is so amazing, it is so diverse,” he said, in remarks Peacock quoted from The Hollywood Reporter.
