Karan Johar's 'The Traitors': A Battle of Deceit or Just 'Sasta Bigg Boss'?

Bollywood’s go-to director-turned-host Karan Johar returns with a new reality show that’s already causing ripples—and not all positive ones. The Traitors, India’s version of the globally acclaimed reality show, gathers 20 contestants in the ultimate survival of the fittest, strategy, and deception. But while Prime Video is promoting it as a high-octane psychological thriller, netizens are skeptical.

Is this the next reality sensation, or a copy-paste of Bigg Boss, Roadies, and Splitsvilla? Let’s take a deep look into the drama surrounding The Traitors.

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What is 'The Traitors' About?

Picture a plush, mystery-filled palace with 20 contestants—each hoping to outplay, outwit, and outlast the rest. Hosted by Karan Johar,The Traitors is a psychological reality game show to challenge trust, lies, and survival skills.

At the beginning of the game, three players are covertly assigned as Traitors, and the remaining are marked as Innocents. Each night, the Traitors quietly “kill” an Innocent, but during the day, all players, including the Traitors, cooperate to solve challenges to increase the prize pool. The game’s surprise? The Innocents need to find and kill the Traitors, but the Traitors have to remain concealed till the end. If at least one Traitor lives through it, they get to bring home the whole prize money. It’s a war of psychological games, lies, and tricks of the mind.

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The Contestants: A Potpourri of Celebrities and Influencers

The reality show features an interesting assortment of reality TV personalities, actors, influencers, and even a poker winner.

Here's the complete list:

TV & Film Celebs: Karan Kundrra, Jasmin Bhasin, Sudhanshu Pandey, Ashish Vidyarthi, Mukesh Chhabra
Social Media Personalities: Apoorva Mukhiji (Rebel Kid), Uorfi Javed, Jannat Zubair, Elnaaz Norouzi, Purav Jha
Musicians & Comedians: Raftaar, Harsh Gujral, Sahil Salathia, Sumukhi Suresh
Fashion & Business Celebrity: Maheep Kapoor, Raj Kundra, Anshula Kapoor, Sufi Motiwala, Nikita Luther
With so many diverse personalities in the mix, The Traitors guarantees high-octane entertainment and a healthy dose of breakdowns.

Why is 'The Traitors' Getting So Much Backlash?

The trailer release had rousing reactions on the internet, with several comparing the show to Bigg Boss and terming it as “cheap drama.” According to critics, Indian reality TV is becoming stagnant, presenting the same hot-button conflicts and mental games in new packages to audiences.

Netizens React: ‘Old Wine in a New Bottle’
Twitter went into overdrive with comments such as:
“This is a combination of Roadies, Splitsvilla, and Bigg Boss.”
“Sasta Bigg Boss, nothing new.”
“Indians are fed up of Karan Johar and reality shows. Please provide fresh content!”
A user questioned dramatically: “Why is this coming out? What is even the audience target?”
Aside from the bashing, there are also some fans who are thrilled, particularly about watching their favorite celebrities go at it.

Karan Johar's Hosting Style: Love It or Hate It?

Karan Johar has perfected the hosting game over the years. Be it Koffee with Karan or Bigg Boss OTT, he excels at igniting controversies, revealing secrets, and making moments go viral online.

While some fans think that his dramatic storytelling is exactly what The Traitors needs, others are concerned that his showy personality would make the program more theatrics than it has to be. The trailer already promises high-drama breakdowns, emotional clashes, and jaw-dropping betrayals—all tailor-made for Karan’s style.

Will 'The Traitors' Be a Hit or Miss?

In spite of the negativity, The Traitors has promise. The idea is compelling—social deduction games like Among Us and Mafia are cult favorites, and trust-and-deception reality shows like The Mole have been successful overseas. If The Traitors can find the right balance between gamesmanship and entertainment, it may catch on.

But then again, everything depends on how the show pans out. If it goes too much overboard with artificial drama, it might get labeled as yet another Bigg Boss copycat.

When & Where to Watch 'The Traitors'

If everything that’s been done to stir up controversy and drama has intrigued you, The Traitors will finally drop on June 9 on Prime Video, with fresh episodes rolling out every Thursday at 8 PM. Will it become India’s new reality hit or a dud attempt to replicate abroad success? Only time will tell. Are you watching, or skipping it altogether? Let’s see if The Traitors lives up to its name.