Below Deck alum Kate Chastain competed in the first season of The Traitors. The contestants stayed in a castle in the highlands of Scotland. Three Traitors were selected to murder Faithfuls each night. The rest of the group tried to banish the Traitors at a nightly roundtable meeting. If any Traitors remained at the end of the game, they would take the entire prize pot. If the final group consists of Faithfuls, they split the grand prize, up to a whopping $250,000. So, it is a mentally and physically taxing game.
During her first season, Kate basically tossed away thousands of dollars from the prize pot. She asked to be sent home. Even though she was a Faithful, she acted like a snarky, chaos-causing shield for the titular Traitors. Then Kate was eliminated just before the finale.
So, when Kate was offered a chance to compete in Season 2, she jumped at it. As a new mom, she relished having a short break and viewed it “like a vacation this time.” So, why did Kate get a second bite of the apple?
Kate deserved a second chance
The always dapper Alan Cumming, who hosts The Traitors, joined executive producers Stephen Lambert and Sam Rees-Jones, and Kate for a sit-down with TV Line. So, why was Kate inserted into the game mid-way through Season 2? “It was a discussion that we had with the network and the feeling was that she would have different, fresh eyes. She didn’t play the perfect game in Season 1, so it wasn’t like bringing back a mastermind,” Sam said. “It wasn’t like bringing back Cirie [Fields],” Sam explained. During Season 1, Cirie was a Traitor and won the entire prize for herself.
During the Television Critics Association panel, Sam shared some other reasons for bringing Kate back. “Kate actually had unfinished business from Season 1 and she was a fan favorite. We enjoyed spicing things up, having a little bit of a lift. And she’s phenomenal on television as well.” He added, “Also, we want to keep the players always guessing what’s going to happen next.”
She was shocked to be invited back
As for Kate? She was shocked to be asked back. “I was definitely caught off guard. I said, ‘Did you watch the first season? Are you sure you got the right number? This is Kate Chastain. I think you’re calling a different Kate,’” she explained. “They said, ‘Think about it,’ and I just thought it was such an honor to even be invited back a second time. I found a nanny for the baby. It was such an honor to be asked back.”
Now that Phaedra Parks is the lone remaining Traitor, she invited Kate to join her. The only catch? If Kate refuses to wear the cloak, she will be murdered. What a nail-biting choice for Kate.
Tune in to find out what Kate decides. New episodes of The Traitors stream on Peacock on Thursdays at 9/8c.
TELL US – WAS KATE ADDED TO THE CAST TOO LATE IN THE GAME? DO YOU THINK SHE WILL BECOME A TRAITOR?
