The the traitors new blood cast is officially set, with 22 everyday Americans preparing to enter the Scottish Highlands for NBC’s first all-civilian edition of the hit reality competition. The new lineup features people from a remarkable range of professions, including medicine, law, science, education, aviation, sports, business and entertainment, giving the upcoming season a very different feel from the celebrity-heavy seasons that viewers have become accustomed to.
The Traitors: New Blood is scheduled to premiere on September 17, 2026, on NBC, with Alan Cumming returning as host. The opening installment will introduce viewers to the civilian contestants as they begin competing for a prize worth up to $250,000 while attempting to determine which members of the group are secretly working as Traitors.
Key Points Summary
╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ – The Traitors: New Blood features 22 everyday American contestants. ║
║ – The civilian season premieres September 17, 2026, on NBC. ║
║ – Alan Cumming returns as host of the reality competition. ║
║ – Contestants range in age from 23 to 65 and represent numerous professions. ║
║ – The potential prize fund is $250,000. ║
║ – The season introduces a major change by moving away from a celebrity-based cast. ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
What Is The Traitors: New Blood?
The Traitors: New Blood is the civilian edition of the American version of The Traitors. Instead of assembling a group of familiar reality personalities and public figures, the new season places ordinary Americans inside the game’s iconic Scottish castle.
The concept remains centered on trust, deception and social strategy.
At the beginning of the competition, the contestants are divided between Faithfuls and Traitors. The Faithfuls must identify the people secretly working against them, while the Traitors attempt to eliminate the Faithfuls without being discovered.
That basic setup has made The Traitors one of reality television’s most closely watched social-strategy competitions. The civilian version could make the format even more unpredictable because viewers will not arrive with the same assumptions about the players.
Who Is in the New Blood Cast?
The 22 contestants come from across the United States and have professional backgrounds that could influence how they approach the game.
The cast includes a nurse, astrophysicist, dog groomer, barrel racer, teacher, physician, funeral director, lawyer, realtor, construction manager, personal trainer, therapist, ironworker, writer, pilot, business executive and MLB analyst.
The contestants are also spread across several generations. The youngest player is 23, while the oldest is 65.
Here is a closer look at the announced lineup.
Abbey Benjamin
Age: 37
Hometown: Mangham, Louisiana
Occupation: Nurse
Abbey Benjamin enters the castle with experience working in an environment where remaining calm and making decisions can be essential. Her medical background could give her an advantage when tensions rise among the contestants.
She has indicated an interest in playing as a Faithful and expects intuition and interpersonal connections to play a major role in her strategy.
Abby Lee
Age: 29
Hometown: Saint Paul, Minnesota
Occupation: Astrophysicist
Abby Lee could become one of the season’s most analytical contestants.
Her scientific background involves examining information, recognizing patterns and reaching conclusions from evidence. Those abilities could translate surprisingly well to a competition in which players constantly have to determine who is telling the truth.
Lee has expressed a preference for the Faithful side of the game.
Arisa Thomas
Age: 36
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Occupation: Dog Groomer
Arisa Thomas plans to lean into her friendly personality.
Rather than appearing intimidating, she hopes her approachable nature can help her form relationships and avoid becoming an early target. She has also expressed enthusiasm for the possibility of becoming a Traitor.
If she receives that role, her social personality could become one of her biggest weapons.
Ben McDonnell
Age: 34
Hometown: Granbury, Texas
Occupation: Barrel Racer
Ben McDonnell brings a competitive streak to the castle and believes humor can help him navigate difficult social situations.
He has shown interest in becoming a Traitor, particularly because of the control and strategic possibilities that come with the position.
His challenge will be balancing his competitive instincts with the need to remain trustworthy.
Clyde Moser
Age: 32
Hometown: Charleston, South Carolina
Occupation: Teacher
Clyde Moser works as a theater teacher and believes understanding personalities could become an important advantage.
He has indicated that he would enjoy playing as a Traitor. His experience with performance could also make him an interesting player in a game where contestants must constantly decide how much of their real personality to reveal.
Jay Vinnedge
Age: 36
Hometown: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Occupation: Physician
Jay Vinnedge has an unusual combination of medical and military experience.
His background includes working as a military medic before becoming a physician. That experience could prove useful in a high-pressure environment where contestants have to think quickly and maintain composure.
Vinnedge is also familiar with competitive reality television and appears ready to embrace the strategic side of the game.
Joe Vanella
Age: 44
Hometown: Wantagh, New York
Occupation: Funeral Director
Joe Vanella’s profession could give him a particularly unusual perspective on the castle’s intense conversations.
As a funeral director, he is accustomed to dealing with emotional situations and communicating with people during difficult moments. He has expressed interest in becoming a Traitor and plans to rely heavily on observation and relationship-building.
Katie Fites
Age: 23
Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida
Occupation: Marketing Manager
Katie Fites is the youngest member of the announced cast.
At 23, she will enter the game alongside contestants with decades more life experience. Her marketing background and social personality could help her understand how people present themselves and how group dynamics develop.
She has expressed interest in becoming a Traitor because of the greater strategic control the role provides.
Kim Daily
Age: 37
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Occupation: Lawyer
Kim Daily enters the game with a legal background and a strong interest in strategy.
Lawyers regularly evaluate competing arguments and assess people’s behavior, skills that could be useful during the highly confrontational Roundtables.
Daily has expressed a preference for playing as a Traitor and believes forming strong connections will be essential.
Kriste Lewis
Age: 52
Hometown: Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Occupation: Realtor
Kriste Lewis brings considerable life experience to the competition.
Her career as a realtor has required her to communicate with different personalities and build trust, both of which could be important inside the castle.
Lewis has shown interest in becoming a Traitor and appears prepared to approach the competition as both a social and psychological challenge.
Logan Smith
Age: 26
Hometown: Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Occupation: Realtor
Logan Smith believes appearing straightforward could be one of his strongest advantages.
He has expressed an interest in becoming a Traitor and wants to use a seemingly uncomplicated personality to avoid suspicion.
The key for Smith will be making strategic moves without allowing the other contestants to recognize a pattern.
Madeline Kostopulos
Age: 26
Hometown: San Diego, California
Occupation: Construction Manager
Madeline Kostopulos is among the contestants who would rather begin the competition as a Faithful.
She describes herself as intuitive and personable and hopes those qualities will help her navigate alliances.
Her construction-management background may also give her experience working within teams and handling complex projects, potentially helping her during missions.
Mark Zgoda
Age: 26
Hometown: Phillipsburg, New Jersey
Occupation: Personal Trainer
Mark Zgoda is entering the castle with a highly competitive mentality.
In addition to personal training, his background includes business consulting, giving him an analytical side that may influence his approach to alliances and voting decisions.
He has expressed an interest in starting as a Faithful and remaining open to becoming a Traitor if given the opportunity.
Michael Foote
Age: 38
Hometown: New York, New York
Occupation: Lawyer
Michael Foote works as a trial attorney and expects his courtroom experience to help him navigate the psychological battles of the competition.
The ability to question statements, challenge inconsistencies and understand how people respond under pressure could be valuable during Roundtable discussions.
Foote has expressed a strong interest in becoming a Traitor.
Morgan Cook
Age: 30
Hometown: Midland, Michigan
Occupation: Content Creator
Morgan Cook describes herself as perceptive and observant.
She plans to watch the group carefully rather than immediately becoming one of the loudest voices in the room. That quieter approach could allow her to gather information before committing to major alliances.
Cook would prefer to play as a Faithful.
Niyyah Hayes
Age: 29
Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana
Occupation: Therapist
Niyyah Hayes has one of the most naturally relevant professions for a social strategy game.
As a therapist, she is experienced in listening, understanding emotions and building rapport. Those skills could help her recognize behavioral changes or inconsistencies among the other contestants.
Hayes has expressed interest in becoming a Traitor and appears prepared to use relationships as a central part of her game.
Shane Beatty
Age: 32
Hometown: Staten Island, New York
Occupation: Ironworker
Shane Beatty brings a physical and blue-collar background to the competition.
Despite his imposing appearance, he has emphasized a gentler side of his personality. He believes that contrast could help other contestants underestimate him.
Beatty has expressed a preference for becoming a Traitor and could attempt to use trust and social relationships to protect himself.
Sherry Kuehl
Age: 65
Hometown: Leawood, Kansas
Occupation: Writer
At 65, Sherry Kuehl is the oldest contestant in the group.
Her age gives her a very different perspective from the younger players, and she believes her life experience could help her understand people and identify behavioral patterns.
Kuehl has also expressed an interest in becoming a Traitor and plans to observe the group carefully before revealing too much.
Tomica Adams
Age: 54
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
Occupation: Pilot
Tomica Adams brings experience from an industry where responsibility, preparation and decision-making are essential.
She has expressed interest in becoming a Traitor but recognizes that maintaining a deceptive persona could challenge her naturally honest personality.
Building trust may therefore become central to her strategy.
Victor Vollbrechthausen
Age: 26
Hometown: New York, New York
Occupation: Business Executive
Victor Vollbrechthausen enters the competition with a simple objective: win.
He has expressed a strong interest in becoming a Traitor and believes building a dependable inner circle could be one of the keys to surviving.
His business background may also encourage him to think about alliances in terms of risk, reward and long-term value.
Wyatt Gillespie
Age: 26
Hometown: Ligonier, Pennsylvania
Occupation: Designer
Wyatt Gillespie hopes to use charisma and kindness to navigate the castle.
He has expressed a preference for the Traitor role and sees social connections as a potential shield. Building genuine-looking friendships while secretly pursuing a different objective could become his central challenge.
Xavier Scruggs
Age: 38
Hometown: Wesley Chapel, Florida
Occupation: MLB Analyst
Xavier Scruggs brings professional sports experience to the competition.
A former baseball player who has moved into MLB analysis and broadcasting, Scruggs is accustomed to studying patterns, tendencies and individual behavior.
He has expressed excitement about the possibility of becoming a Traitor and sees the role as an opportunity to approach competition from an entirely different perspective.
Alan Cumming Is Back
One familiar element remains unchanged.
Alan Cumming will return as host, once again guiding contestants through missions, banishments, secret meetings and the increasingly tense struggle between Faithfuls and Traitors.
Cumming has become closely associated with the American version of the franchise. His theatrical presentation and playful approach to the show’s darker moments have helped give the series its distinctive identity.
For New Blood, his return provides continuity while the contestant lineup undergoes its biggest transformation yet.
When Does The Traitors: New Blood Premiere?
The civilian series will premiere on Thursday, September 17, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
The launch is scheduled as a two-hour event, giving viewers plenty of time to meet the 22 contestants and see how the initial relationships begin to form.
Following the television broadcast, episodes will also be available through Peacock.
How Will the Civilian Format Change the Game?
The most interesting question surrounding the season is how ordinary contestants will behave when compared with experienced reality personalities.
Previous American installments have featured people who already understood how television competitions work. Many arrived with established reputations, pre-existing fan bases or experience manipulating alliances in other shows.
The civilian contestants have none of that built-in history.
Instead, they must establish their identities from the beginning.
That could make first impressions more important than ever. A contestant who appears nervous might immediately attract suspicion, while someone who speaks confidently could become an informal leader.
The absence of celebrity reputations could also make the audience’s experience more unpredictable because viewers will be discovering the personalities at the same time as the other contestants.
The Battle Between Faithfuls and Traitors
The central mystery will remain the same: who can be trusted?
Faithfuls must work together to identify the hidden Traitors, but cooperation creates its own risks. A strong alliance can help players survive, yet becoming too closely associated with one person can also make someone vulnerable.
Traitors face an even more complicated challenge. They must secretly eliminate competitors while convincing the remaining group that they are Faithful.
Every conversation can therefore become evidence.
A contestant who changes their opinion may be accused of hiding something. Someone who pushes too aggressively to eliminate another player could appear manipulative. Meanwhile, staying too quiet can be equally suspicious.
That constant uncertainty is what makes the format so compelling.
What Makes the New Cast Interesting?
The diversity of professional backgrounds is one of the strongest features of the lineup.
A lawyer may approach the game differently from a teacher. An astrophysicist may look for patterns that a therapist interprets through human behavior. A former athlete may focus on competition and teamwork, while a writer may concentrate on storytelling and personalities.
The age range also adds another layer.
With contestants spanning from their early 20s to their mid-60s, the group is likely to contain very different approaches to trust, communication and risk.
That mixture could produce alliances that viewers do not expect.
Could a Civilian Become the Next Breakout Reality Star?
The move toward an all-civilian cast could also create new reality-TV personalities.
One of the most appealing aspects of reality competitions is watching unfamiliar contestants develop into memorable figures. A player who begins the season as an unknown could quickly become the strategic mastermind, comic relief or unexpected hero of the group.
Because The Traitors relies heavily on personality, contestants who can communicate well and build emotional connections may receive as much attention as those who dominate the missions.
The strongest players will likely be those who understand when to speak, when to listen and when to keep their suspicions private.
What to Expect From the 2026 Season
The arrival of New Blood represents an important new chapter for the American franchise.
The the traitors new blood cast contains contestants with dramatically different experiences, ages and professional backgrounds, but they all face the same basic problem: surviving a game in which trust can be dangerous.
With $250,000 potentially available, the stakes are high enough to encourage aggressive strategy, but players who move too quickly could expose themselves.
The September premiere should reveal which contestants immediately form alliances, who emerges as a natural leader and, most importantly, which players are secretly chosen to betray the rest.
For fans, the biggest attraction may be seeing whether ordinary Americans can create the same level of drama, strategy and memorable television that established reality personalities have brought to the franchise.
Final Thoughts
The Traitors: New Blood is arriving at an interesting point for the franchise. After several seasons built around recognizable personalities, the civilian format gives the competition a fresh group of players who have no established reality-TV reputations to protect.
The 22 contestants include professionals from medicine, science, law, education, business, sports, aviation and many other fields. Their different experiences could make the social game more difficult to predict, particularly once alliances begin shifting and suspicions start spreading through the castle.
With Alan Cumming returning and the first episode scheduled for September 17, the new season has all the ingredients for another tense battle between deception and deduction.
Which contestant are you most excited to watch in The Traitors: New Blood? Share your predictions in the comments and keep checking back for the latest cast, premiere and season updates.