Pod Meets Twirl'd: The Traitors 401

Summary

Pod Meets Twirl'd: The Traitors 401

Podcast: Pod Meets World
Hosts: Will Friedle, Ryder Strong
Release Date: January 16, 2026
Episode Theme: The hosts dive into season 4 of The Traitors (U.S.), discussing their background with social deduction games, first impressions of the new cast, the format's intricacies, and the unique psychology of the competition—all with their trademark banter and pop culture references.

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Will and Ryder—best known for their iconic roles on Boy Meets World—swap '90s nostalgia for a breakdown of Peacock’s reality competition The Traitors Season 4. This is the first of a three-part special, with the guys recapping and reacting to the premiere episode, sharing personal anecdotes about lying games, sizing up the new cast (many of whom are reality TV veterans), and parsing the producer strategies that make this twisty show so addictive.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Will & Ryder's Relationship to Social Deduction Games (03:40–07:34)

• Ryder explains that The Traitors is essentially a televised version of “Mafia” or “Werewolf,” where players must deduce hidden identities in a group—with added reality TV flair.
• He confesses a strong personal aversion to social deception games due to discomfort with lying and cognitive dissonance (“I just immediately caved. I was like, yeah, no, I'm a Nazi.” – Ryder, 05:04).
• Will, conversely, relishes lying for fun—highlighting his acting skills and ability to keep up elaborate personas, including a story about faking a podcast premise to a cab driver (“I called it ‘In the Pot’ was the name of the podcast we did… Everything I told her about all the different species of crab and everything, all of them were true. The only thing I lied about was everything else.” – Will, 09:15).

2. What Makes The Traitors Addictive (02:10–03:40)

• Will describes the show as “so addictive and wonderful,” insisting it “has no business being as good as it is” and immediately sparking confidence that he could win the show after just a few episodes.
• Ryder is impressed with how the format relentlessly fosters suspicion and paranoia, labeling it an “acid trip paranoia.” (10:51)

3. Dissecting the Format – Rules, Roles, and Psychological Drama (04:27–11:11)

• Detailed discussion of the rules: Faithfuls vs. Traitors, secret selection, and the necessity for social lie-detection.
• Ryder discusses his (and his wife’s) aversion to playing deception games, contrasting it with Hollywood’s embrace of them.
• Will and Ryder compare the psychological focus of The Traitors to other reality competitions like Survivor, noting that the former is “mostly just social manipulation” and less about physical endurance.
• Both hosts adore the Scottish castle—and especially the wardrobe excess and Alan Cumming’s over-the-top hosting (“By the end, he's literally just wearing a yellow melted candle. It's the greatest thing.” – Will, 01:42).

4. All About Alan Cumming & the Setting (11:11–12:50)

• Will and Ryder gush about Alan Cumming’s hosting, his authentic Scottish accent, and flamboyant wardrobe, affirming “it really is his style to be this fabulous.”
• The castle setting is universally loved (“A beautiful castle and cloaks. All the, like, druid inspired, wicker style—love it.” – Ryder, 11:26).

Memorable Quote

“I love a good castle… and cloaks—all the druid-inspired wicker style… Love it.”
—Ryder Strong [11:11]

5. First Impressions: Sizing Up the New Cast (13:00–23:20)

Segment: Cast Rundown (13:00–23:20)

• The hosts go through (almost) all the cast members, highlighting their ignorance of most Bravo stars (“Not gonna lie. I have some culturally disabled.” – Ryder, 13:17).
• Occasional recognition for figures like Donna Kelce (“Sportsball people.” – Will, 14:10), Johnny Weir, Tara Lipinski, Natalie Anderson, and Mark Ballas.
• A running joke emerges about the bewildering number of Real Housewives and reality “gamers.”
• Ryder notes the prevalence of “peacocking” in wardrobe choices, predicting these outrageous looks will be legendary ("We're going to look back in 20 years and be like, man, the 2000s were crazy." – Ryder, 20:03).

Notable Quotes

“Hold your frame, Mark!”
—Ryder Strong on Mark Ballas [17:30]

“It should also be called the Land of Stupid Hats is what the name of this show should be.”
—Will Friedle [19:43]

6. Early Favorites and Predictions (22:35–23:52)

• Ryder roots for Survivor’s Natalie Anderson and “cool” chef Kristen Kish.
• Will is behind Kristen Kish and Mark Ballas but has “no idea” who else to root for.
• Both agree that Donna Kelce was a shoo-in contender… until she wasn’t (“I thought Donna Kelce really had a shot only because … no one would want to vote against her because of the Swifties.” – Will, 23:31)
• Ryder reflects on “likability” as a key trait for surviving in the game.

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Episode 1 Recap & Reactions

Entering the Castle & The Twist of the Secret Traitor (24:11–27:01)

• The secret traitor twist immediately intrigues Ryder, who declares, “Now that I’ve watched three episodes with the Secret Traitor, I don’t know how this show works without the Secret Traitor” (24:26).
• Will and Ryder dissect the traitor selection process and speculate on the producer machinations behind it.
• The pair discuss logistical questions about the castle and film production (surprise: the contestants don’t actually sleep in the castle).

Memorable Quote

“So when they walk upstairs to bed, they’re not really walking upstairs to bed?”
—Will Friedle, crestfallen [29:23]

First Challenge: “Coffins in the Lo[c]h” (34:01–36:40)

• Players team up to retrieve coffins from a Scottish lake, finding some full of “death marks,” which determine who is at risk for elimination.
• Ryder and Will found the rules and team structure somewhat confusing but appreciated the psychological element—especially as challenge drama spills into post-game accusations.

The Michael Rapaport Confusion (35:44–39:04)

• A contentious debate emerges about whether Michael Rapaport targeted Real Housewives in the challenge—both hosts recall that he did, even as the cast and editing suggest otherwise (“Are we both having a Mandela effect here?” – Ryder, 36:28).
• Rapaport’s confrontational style is universally deemed a poor strategy.

The Elimination/Murder Process & Social Dynamics (39:30–43:12)

• Discussion about how the traitors receive a suggested “kill list” from the secret traitor, and how this alters strategy.
• Will points out the psychological advantage of organized social observation (“I would’ve gotten together a good old fashioned hangman game… see your handwriting and I would’ve instantly been like, oh, that's the secret traitor. Bam.” – Will, 42:14).
• The housewives’ open alliance is seen as a risky social play (“I think it’s a big mistake…” – Ryder, 42:50), while the Olympic skaters avoid the “duo” trap smartly.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Lying Games:

  “I am the exact opposite. I cannot lie. I get so tense, I get so emotional… I just immediately caved.”—Ryder Strong [04:27–05:04]

• On Will’s Love of Deception:

  “I'm never, ever going to lie to you because I'm really good at it. You'll never know. And I don't ever want to do that.”—Will Friedle [06:57]

• On Outfits:

  “You’ll be that guy… I’ll be sponsored by Target. All my clothes would be from Target.” —Will Friedle [20:28/30:47]

• On Michael Rapaport’s Fate:

  “Michael Rapaport is not long for this castle. No. And it’s because he’s just bugging the crap out of everybody.”—Ryder Strong [32:41]

• On the Show’s Addictive Nature:

  “It has no business being as good as it is, and it’s just so addictive and wonderful.”—Will Friedle [03:21]

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Important Timestamps

• 00:39 – Show intro with Ryder and Will’s premise for “Pod Meets Twirl’d”
• 03:40–07:34 – Discussion of Mafia/Werewolf games and the psychology of lying
• 13:00–23:20 – Detailed breakdown of the season’s celebrity cast
• 24:11–27:01 – Secret traitor twist explained
• 34:01–36:40 – Coffin challenge and rules confusion
• 39:30–43:12 – Murder selection dynamics and traitor strategies
• 46:00–47:00 – Wrap-up, reflections on first impressions of the cast and suspenseful cliffhanger

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Tone & Vibe

Light, witty, self-deprecating, and full of reality TV sarcasm. Will often comes off as the reality TV-loving prankster; Ryder is the neurotic skeptic turned fascinated observer. Both rib each other about their strengths and weaknesses in both deception games and fandom knowledge.

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Summary/Takeaway for Non-Listeners

This episode is a lively, insightful introduction to The Traitors Season 4 from the Pod Meets World crew. Will and Ryder, with their signature humor and self-awareness, explore not just the mechanics of the show, but the psychology behind social deduction, the absurdities (and joys) of costuming, and their own contrasting personalities in games of trust and deception. They offer reality TV context, debate cast choices, and provide plenty of laughs for newcomers and superfans alike. If you love both pop culture breakdowns and deep dives into reality competition strategy, this episode is your perfect entry point.

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(Skip forward to 24:11 for the start of episode-specific discussion; 34:01 for the first castle challenge recap; and 39:30 for in-depth analysis of the traitor-murder process.)

Transcript

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[Will Friedle]

Foreign.

[Ryder Strong]

Welcome to POD meets Twirl, the podcast from two guys who had never seen an episode of Dancing with the Stars but took it on and walked away. Experts. So now we turn to Traitors, another show I've never seen, but Will is convinced that he could win. We are Will Friedle and Ryder Strong. Two best friends. One a TV expert, one a TV skeptic. Both dance scholars join us as we step into a castle full of lies, alliances, and over the top wardrobe choices. This is POD meets twirled. Trading Places.

[Will Friedle]

Yes.

[Ryder Strong]

Will, you are. You are looking glorious.

[Will Friedle]

I don't know what you're talking about. I'm unaware of what's happening.

[Ryder Strong]

I didn't. Just prepping. I didn't get the.

[Will Friedle]

Oh.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, wow. I did not get the memo that we are doing costumes. This is.

[Will Friedle]

This is. No, I figured eventually I'm always going to be the traitor and you're going to be Alan coming. So you're just going to be more fabulous every single episode we have.

[Ryder Strong]

And, like, I got to dye my hair. Apparently, like, he's not doing just wardrobe. He's doing, like, makeup.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, yeah. Where by the end, he's literally just wearing a yellow melted candle. It's the greatest thing. Yeah. Well, okay, so it's the best.

[Ryder Strong]

We've ended up watching three episodes. We'll break them up into three. Three POD episodes. But because they were all dropped right off the bat, I feel like I was thrown into the deep end.

[Will Friedle]

You were.

[Ryder Strong]

I spent three hours watching Traitors.

[Will Friedle]

But tell me it wasn't a glorious three hours.

[Ryder Strong]

You know, it's pretty glorious. It's pretty glorious. You know, there's one thing that's undeniable about this show is that it knows exactly what it is.

[Will Friedle]

Yep.

[Ryder Strong]

And it's going for it. Oh, yeah. All right, so I want to hear your background with the show because we're in fourth season. Have you watched all the three previous?

[Will Friedle]

Okay, so I was told to start with season three, which is the last season, which is then how I knew, for instance, Dylan Efron going into Dance with the Stars. So. No, this is the second season. I've ever watched. I'd never seen it before. He was one of the winners. Yeah. More than one person can win. It's not just one winner.

[Ryder Strong]

So he was a faithful, or.

[Will Friedle]

Yes. Well, I guess we can tell people. Yes. So he was a faithful.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay.

[Will Friedle]

And it was one of those things where I forget who told somebody at iheart. I forget. It might have been producer Tara. It might have been Amy. I can't remember who, but somebody was like, you should watch this trailer. And sue and I were like, was it you? Okay, perfect. Thank you. And we didn't even have. She gave us her link for Peacock to start. I've since gotten my own. But it was one of those things where. And then it was like, that's how they get you. That's how they get you. And it worked.

[Ryder Strong]

The show got you hooked.

[Will Friedle]

Well, it was one of those things where I said, okay, I guess we'll watch this. And by three episodes in, sue and I were not only hooked, but saying, this is no business being as good as it is, and it's just so addictive and wonderful. And by, I don't know, the end of the credits of the second episode, I knew I could win the whole show.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay. Yeah. So, I mean, I'm going to assume everybody listening has a general sense of what traitors are, but. Or what traitors is. But let's just go over it as quickly as possible to sort of lay the ground. It's essentially, from my point of view, the game Mafia, which is like a party game that I've played before. Right. And then there's other variations on it, like werewolf. Right. Secret Hitler is the secret version that came out, like, I want to say, eight years ago that became super popular. And there are always these games where you're either one of the masses who are innocent and helpful, in this case, faithful, or a villager, or you're a killer or a mafia member or a werewolf or Hitler or something evil. And you. You don't know who's who, so you sit around and you basically lie to each other's faces.

[Will Friedle]

Yes.

[Ryder Strong]

These games making me so uncomfortable. My wife and I have made it a rule to never play them again because they're very. In Hollywood, these are very popular games. And my wife and I are very into games. Like, we do running charades all the time. We host huge running charades. It's been a huge part of our relationship. Right. When we started dating, we started going to running charades games and then started hosting them ourselves. And it's become A big, like a pillar of our community. To the extent that we played like a hundred person running charades game at our wedding. I know, yeah, we've done it for charity. We do it at Sundance every year. It's become like a big part of our identity. But we also, as part of our sort of gaming community of friends, we always get invited to Mafia and Werewolf Knights and Secret Hitler games. And we've only played a couple of times. And the last time we played Secret Hitler, I want to say, was like eight years ago. And my wife is like, you very good at lying. Yeah, very good at lying when she wants to be. I am the exact opposite. I cannot lie. I am. I get so tense, I get so emotional and I get like the cognitive dissonance of looking at somebody and not. I can't do it. So within the last time we played, I just immediately caved. I was like, yeah, no, no, I'm a Nazi. I can't. Because someone, you know, they confronted me. They're like, but wait, you just said this. And why did you say that? And I was like, you're right. I'm totally. I'm totally a fascist. I'm sorry, I just, I can't do it in that same game. My wife played it so well that when we finished, the game was over. And somebody was so pissed, they were like, you're actually a Nazi. You're actually a n. And like, got in her face.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, God.

[Ryder Strong]

And Alex was like, we can't do this anymore. Like, this game, like, these games are too emotional. And I'm like, great, because I hate these things. So. So I would be horrible on traitors. I could not take. I mean, like, you'd be a good.

[Will Friedle]

Faithful because again, what you're doing, what you're doing as a faithful, it's essentially you're a detective. You're trying to. And that's the other thing. It's like a memory game too, because what did you say three days ago? Because that doesn't match up with what you just said now and blah, blah. So that I think you'd be very good at.

[Ryder Strong]

But I would be terrified to be sitting there. And I feel like everybody on this show is so excited to be a traitor. Like, that's all they want to do, right? I'm not that.

[Will Friedle]

I think I'd want to be a faithful as much as I can wear the hell out of a cloak. I think. I think I'd want to be a faithful because I'd want to be that.

[Ryder Strong]

You'Re a sociopath who wanted to.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, I didn't say I wouldn't be great as being a traitor, because I would.

[Ryder Strong]

That was.

[Will Friedle]

I had the same thing I told sue when we first got together. And obviously this is not a conversation you should ever have to have with your partner. But because I'm an actor, because of the way I am, because I am incredibly good at lying, I said to her, I said, I'm never, ever going to lie to you because I'm really good at it. You'll never know. And it's like. And I don't ever want to do that, so I'm never, ever going to. And I haven't. So it's one of those things where, because I am, I can just. I mean, again, I smoked for how many years without my parents ever knowing and started smoking pot when I was young without anybody ever knowing. And everyone blames my parents and it's like, no, I was a master at hiding that shit.

[Ryder Strong]

See, I never really knew this part of you. Having known you Since I was 13 and you were 16, I always thought of you as just a great storyteller, a funny performer, obviously a good improviser. Like, there, there's. But I've actually only seen it in action, where in public, you took on a character and stuck with it. When we, we got into a cab or Uber, Uber. And the woman we were on tour with our. With Pod Meets World, and we were, we were in town to do a live show and the woman, the woman driving asked us what we were in town for. And I forget why you decided to do this. We had somehow set it up, but you were like, oh, we're. We're in town because of a pod that we've created. And rather than telling the truth, you decided to do it. A podcast all about crabs and crab fishing. And we were like, what? And Danielle and I were in the back seat going, where's this going? And then she was like, really crap. Oh, I know. Why were we somewhere where crabs are maybe.

[Will Friedle]

I honestly don't remember where we were. I think it was just playing.

[Ryder Strong]

Yes, but for a 20, 20, 30 minute ride, she kept asking questions and you kept answering them. And I kept waiting for you to be like, I can't do this. I'm sorry. I'm just kidding. Because I was getting increasingly uncomfortable with, with the deceit, even the harmless deceit that we were making up a different podcast that we were in town to promote.

[Will Friedle]

Do you remember what you started throwing from the back?

[Ryder Strong]

I wanted to make you cave. I said, yeah, I said, well, we. We were working on the theme song and the flight over. You want to sing the theme song for. And you didn't bat an eye and did it.

[Will Friedle]

You did it.

[Ryder Strong]

You can.

[Will Friedle]

I called it in the Pot was the name of the podcast we did. And what was the theme song was like, we' you what we are. We'll give you what we got. We'll give you what we are because we are in the pot. And I was like singing the thing as we were going on. I'd also like to point out, as a fan of Deadliest Catch, I'd like to say that not a single fact that I told her was incorrect. Everything I told her about all the different species of crab and everything, all of them were everything I told her. The only thing I lied about was everything else.

[Ryder Strong]

All right. Well, as a reality show watcher, I've really only watched Survivor of shows in this vein and mostly I got into it because of the survival factor, which no longer is really. They don't even do on Survivor anymore. Now Survivor has become. Yeah, it's mostly strategy. They don't really focus on like if you watch the early seasons, they really focused on, you know, how do you build a fire.

[Will Friedle]

That's what I saw. Was it season one or season two?

[Ryder Strong]

Pretty much. As far as I understand it. The contestants are still dealing with that, but they don't focus on their coverage. It's mostly people coming in and strategizing how to manipulate one another form. But even that one has much more of a physical component to it. You know, there's a physical challenge thing, right. The puzzles that they do Traders is very interesting because it's mostly just social manipulation. Presentation in the challenges are somewhat physical so far that I've noticed. Yeah, they're not quite the point. The point is about who you pick to help you in a challenge. How you screw somebody over. And the money seems almost beside the point. Like they're running around getting money, but it's not a whole lot and no one seems to really care about that.

[Will Friedle]

And it also, it's for somebody who deals with anxiety, you would think this is exactly the place I wouldn't want to be because it's one of those things where you are. You have to listen to what everything everybody says and you're second guessing what everybody says. And are they really my friend? Are they not my friend? Oh, yes. It is absolute acid trip paranoia. Yes.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, my God. Now let me tell you what is not my nightmare. The setting. I love a good castle. Oh, that's cool. A beautiful castle and cloaks. All the, like, druid inspired, wicker style.

[Will Friedle]

Yes, yes.

[Ryder Strong]

Love it.

[Will Friedle]

Me too.

[Ryder Strong]

There's a bookcase with a hidden, like, entrance.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

I was made for this setting, so I am into that way more than I would say even Survivor, you know, tropical Googled.

[Will Friedle]

It is. It is apparently 20, like, 25 minutes outside of Inverness.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, you know, everybody's trying to get there now.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

It's a gorgeous castle.

[Will Friedle]

And again, then you get. Then you've got one of the most fabulous hosts in the history of the world.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. So Alan Cumming. I've seen him on stage a couple of times. He's one of these legendary, legendary actors who doesn't often get to do his own accent. No. Really does have that Scottish accent. And, man, he is letting it, letting it fly.

[Will Friedle]

Was I with you in New York when we saw him at. You and I were having lunch somewhere, and then he came in a full lime green with the tiny little dog on the leash. Was. I want to say that you and I were together when we saw him. Yes. Thank you.

[Ryder Strong]

That's so. Yeah, that's right. He had, like, a full. Like a. A. Like an overcoat that was green and a hat, too, I think.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, of course.

[Ryder Strong]

That's so funny. So it. This really is kind of his style to be this woman.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, yeah. To be this fabulous. And it's. And it works.

[Ryder Strong]

I wonder what happened first, then. Did they create the show, like, for him, or did they just kind of have this idea for the show and.

[Will Friedle]

Then I don't know.

[Ryder Strong]

You know, find it.

[Will Friedle]

I think there's a UK version. I think this is all based on a UK version which is older, which. I don't know if he hosts that one as well because I've only seen the American version, but, yeah, it's awesome.

[Ryder Strong]

All right, shall we get into the cast?

[Will Friedle]

Heck, yes.

[Ryder Strong]

All right. So everybody is driven to a castle in the middle of Scotland, I guess, outside Inverness. And this season, a lot of people. I have no idea who anybody is. Not gonna lie. I have some culturally disabled.

[Will Friedle]

Yep.

[Ryder Strong]

All right, let's start with Candace Dillard Bassett, a Real Housewife of the Potomac. Don't know who that is.

[Will Friedle]

I don't know who that is either.

[Ryder Strong]

Nope.

[Will Friedle]

Never. Never seen this person before.

[Ryder Strong]

Colton Underwood, who was on the Bachelor. Was he the Bachelor at one point?

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, maybe. I don't know. Didn't know him either. Caroline. I think he's a football player.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay.

[Will Friedle]

Who then came out as gay, I believe. Oh, I think he Was a professional bachelor.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. Even though he's gay.

[Sue (Will's wife)]

He didn't. He came out after.

[Will Friedle]

Okay, so he was a football player and then he was the bachelor and then he came out as gay.

[Ryder Strong]

Gotcha.

[Will Friedle]

Okay.

[Ryder Strong]

Wow. That's a series of events.

[Will Friedle]

It's a progression. Yeah, it's a progression. Definitely.

[Ryder Strong]

Caroline Stanbury. Real Housewives of Dubai.

[Will Friedle]

Nope.

[Ryder Strong]

Donna Kelsey.

[Will Friedle]

I'd heard of Donna Kelce.

[Ryder Strong]

I had not heard of Donna Kelce, but I heard the name Travis and Jason. You're right.

[Will Friedle]

That's what I should say.

[Ryder Strong]

Sportsball people.

[Will Friedle]

They're sportsball people. And he's married to singer lady are gonna be.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, exactly. Eric Nam is a singer songwriter. Who? I have no idea. Now I'm gonna look him up. Dorinda Medley. Another real housewife. There's a lot of housewives coming.

[Will Friedle]

I knew Dorinda only because she was the first person kicked off of the last season.

[Ryder Strong]

Gotcha. Oh, right. They said that. Right.

[Will Friedle]

And I know Susan watches some of these housewives, so she knew some of them.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay. Ian Terry from Big Brother.

[Will Friedle]

Nope.

[Ryder Strong]

Johnny Weir, an Olympic figure skater.

[Will Friedle]

I knew Johnny. Do you know Johnny Ware? No.

[Ryder Strong]

When was he in the Olympics? Like how long ago?

[Will Friedle]

90S, I want to say. But he's become very well known because he and Tara Lipinski, who's also on the show as a skater.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

They are like co hosts of all the Olympic events. So like the big. The big one of the faces of Olympic ice skating right now for.

[Ryder Strong]

They're like on location with my.

[Will Friedle]

They are.

[Ryder Strong]

And they've.

[Will Friedle]

He's always got these really fabulous. So he's a two time Olympian. 2006 and 2010.

[Ryder Strong]

Wow.

[Will Friedle]

Not the 80s. And so he's always got like Alan coming. He's always decked out in all this pretty amazing stuff. And he's really funny. Like legitimately funny.

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[Ryder Strong]

Kristen Kish is a Top Chef. You must know who she is. Know her all.

[Will Friedle]

She's our favorite. She hosts it now. She's. She was a contestant.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay, cool.

[Will Friedle]

And then she went from Being a contestant to taking over for Padma Lakshmi. And we love Padma Lakshmi. We're like, no one's going to replace Padme. And then Kristen came in, and we actually like her more.

[Ryder Strong]

Interesting.

[Will Friedle]

And she is. And again, I know it's not about looks, of course not, because she's funny and smart, but she's arguably one of the best looking women I've ever seen in my life.

[Ryder Strong]

Well, you know what? She strikes me. She's beautiful, but she's also very cool.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, super cool.

[Ryder Strong]

She's like, man, I just want to hang out with you. Like, you seem cool.

[Will Friedle]

I met her at D23, and I literally walked up and I was like, my wife and I love you. And she's like, thank you very much, because. And she was as cool there.

[Ryder Strong]

I appreciate, like, the idea because, I mean, I guess maybe chefs are just kind of cool in general, but, like, she just doesn't give off host vibes, which I was intrigued. I was like, she's a host and great at it. Laid back and cool.

[Will Friedle]

Great. Top Chef host.

[Ryder Strong]

Lisa Rinna, Real Housewife of Beverly Hills.

[Will Friedle]

I knew her because she was an actress. I think she's married to Harry Hamlin, and she was on, I think, a soap opera for years and years and years. People also don't like her very much, I don't think as a housewife. I think she's like one of the hated housewives, I think, but never seen an episode in my life. Oh, apparently everybody loves her. Sorry, I have no idea. Oh, but she's no longer on. Yeah, no idea.

[Ryder Strong]

All right. Mark Ballas. Hey, hold your frame, Mark.

[Will Friedle]

Hold your frame, Mark.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. So Dancing with the Stars. Great to see him on here. I really did love him on this last season. Came to really appreciate his choreography. And, yeah, it seemed like he was with. Who had a great working Whitney.

[Will Friedle]

That's right.

[Ryder Strong]

They had a really. I mean, they got really close. I mean, I feel like they were contenders. Maura Higgins.

[Will Friedle]

Nope.

[Ryder Strong]

Island. Oh, but you. I thought you were a Love island person.

[Will Friedle]

I am, but there's 37 seasons of Love island, and they're 95 episodes a season. So we got, like three seasons in and bowed out, so I doubt that she had we ever saw her. No idea who that was.

[Ryder Strong]

But she's bringing a lovely accent.

[Will Friedle]

Do you think so?

[Ryder Strong]

Adding to the accent.

[Will Friedle]

Do you tinkle? Do you think so?

[Ryder Strong]

All right. Michael Rapaport, actor. I've known him forever. You know, I was a huge fan of When I was a teenager, the movie Beautiful Girls.

[Will Friedle]

I remember no.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, my God. For whatever reason, that was one of those movies. There's, like, a whole series of movies where, like, people going home for the holidays and, like, in their 20s, reflecting on their adolescence. That one was a really good one, kind of a. A forgotten masterpiece. And Michael Rappaport is so good in that movie.

[Sue (Will's wife)]

Really?

[Ryder Strong]

I've never really liked him in anything else.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, really? He was great in. Oh, God. What's the one with Brad Pitt? It's the whole huge cast. It was one of the first ones that Quentin Tarantino wrote but didn't direct. Oh, it's gonna kill me.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, true romance.

[Will Friedle]

True romance.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, yeah. I haven't seen that for ages. I don't even remember him in that.

[Will Friedle]

He was Brad Pitt's roommate, who actually is the actor.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

And he was great in Higher Learning, too. He played the crazy skinhead in A Higher Learning, which was another good movie.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Maybe.

[Ryder Strong]

I just haven't seen much of his career beyond Beautiful Girls, but I always associate him with beautiful girls. Wonderful mov x change from RuPaul's Drag Race. No idea. No. Natalie Anderson from Survivor. I actually do know.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, okay.

[Ryder Strong]

This. She's. She was also on Amazing Race. I think she did Amazing Race with her sister. I think that's where she started. And then she ended up going on Survivor. I love her. Love her.

[Will Friedle]

At one episode, she just came out wearing a bra and a jacket.

[Ryder Strong]

Yep.

[Will Friedle]

That was. It was literally a joke on Seinfeld. Like, she's just wearing a bra. And I was like, what?

[Ryder Strong]

Is she?

[Will Friedle]

Is she just wearing a bra?

[Commercial Narrator]

Something.

[Ryder Strong]

In general, the Traders clothing thing is a real.

[Will Friedle]

It should also be called the Land of stupid hats is what the name of this show should be.

[Ryder Strong]

And fuzzy sweaters. Lots of fuzzy. It's like the textures are textures and colors. I'm sitting there. I was like. By episode three, I'm like, well, this is just like. We're gonna look back in, like, 20 years and be like, man, the 2000s were crazy.

[Will Friedle]

Look at those.

[Ryder Strong]

You know, the same way that we do, like, when we see, like, insane late 60s, early 70s outfits that people wore on TV, and then it, like, goes through periods where it gets more subdued, you know, where, like. But we're in a crazy. We're in a peacocking period. Like, everybody is just. Let me go nuts. And this show is the epitome of that.

[Will Friedle]

That's what scared me when I first watched it. I was like, well, I don't have the outfits to be on the show. And then I saw Rapoport walk on with, like, his regular shirt on. I'm like, okay, I'll be fine.

[Ryder Strong]

You'll be that guy.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, I'll be fine.

[Ryder Strong]

All right. Portia Williams, Another Real Housewife. I mean, so how many housewives are.

[Will Friedle]

We have this, like, it seems like they did that last year, too. They had a lot of housewives, a lot of Survivor. I guess they're just called. Not the Housewives, but the Survivor and, like, Big Brother people, I guess, are just called gamers. I guess Love island technically are gamers.

[Sue (Will's wife)]

No, the other one that. No one from this season, but the last two seasons was the challenge on mtv.

[Will Friedle]

Right, right. Okay.

[Ryder Strong]

Right. All right. Rob Cesternino was from Survivor, but I must have missed this season because I don't know who he is.

[Will Friedle]

I don't either.

[Ryder Strong]

Rob.

[Will Friedle]

He was really smart, too.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, my God. Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Which is why they kicked his.

[Ryder Strong]

They were right to get rid of him.

[Will Friedle]

Yep.

[Ryder Strong]

All right. Rob Roush from Love Island. You didn't know that one either. Ron Funches. I do know who he is. Actor, comedian, Very funny guy.

[Will Friedle]

Yep.

[Ryder Strong]

Stephen Coletti from One Tree Hill.

[Will Friedle]

Sue said she knows him from something else, too. It wasn't just. And Laguna Beach. That's the one.

[Ryder Strong]

But One Tree hill was like, late 90s, early aughts, right?

[Will Friedle]

I think so, yeah. One Tree Hill was a regular show, right? Yeah. Like, it's a show show. It wasn't. It wasn't a reality show. It was a show.

[Ryder Strong]

No, it's the show that Leonoris was on.

[Will Friedle]

That's right.

[Ryder Strong]

That's right.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Part in that he played Mouth. I've never seen it. I've known multiple people who worked on it or were on it.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

But. So he's kind of like a contemporary of ours.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay, cool. Yeah. All right. Tara Lipinski, another Olympic figure skater. You know who she is? I do not. I do.

[Will Friedle]

She was. And she's Johnny Weir's partner, so she's Tara Lipinski, I think was the gold medal. She was a gold medalist. Like, she won the whole thing. Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Cool. Tiffany Mitchell from Big Brother. No clue. And then Jam. Jam from Survivor, who I. I did actually know. Really. Okay. Finished his season. He won, apparently, which I. This was news to me. But I definitely watched the beginning of his season. I think it might have been the last. Might have been the last season. Anyway, I'd watched the beginning of it, but my family finished it without me, so I knew who he was. All right, going in. Based on what you knew, any predictions, any people you were behind Saying, this is. This is my person. I'm rooting for them.

[Will Friedle]

No, I was rooting for Kristen Kish and for Mark Ballas because I know.

[Ryder Strong]

Right?

[Will Friedle]

But no, I have no. No idea whatsoever who I was going to like or who I wasn't or. None. None.

[Ryder Strong]

How about you?

[Will Friedle]

Because you had Survivor people.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. I came in. I was like, Natalie's. Natalie's got a good shot. And I'm still. I was like, I think. Because she has a way of being very forceful and very strong but not obnoxious. Like, she doesn't. She doesn't bug people. And I was like, that's a good position to be in, you know, which I think has played out a little bit. Not. She hasn't spoken of that much. And then I was rooting for Mark Ballas just because I. I liked him with the stars, and I was like, yeah, this will be cool. But I kind of also thought Jam. Jam had a. Has a good shot. Had a good shot. I feel less so after watching the.

[Will Friedle]

First three episodes going in.

[Ryder Strong]

I was like, well, he's really. He's, like, really likable, and if he ends up being a traitor, I was like, oh, he's going to be able to get away with it.

[Will Friedle]

I also thought Donna Kelce really had a shot only because. And they mentioned it on the first episode, no one would want to vote against her because of the Swifties.

[Ryder Strong]

Right.

[Will Friedle]

They're an army. It's like, if you sneeze in her direction, they want to kill you. So. No. Everyone even alluded to the fact where they're like, I don't want to vote against her because. So she had a legitimate shot. I thought of taking the whole thing.

[Ryder Strong]

Wow. Well, you were wrong.

[Will Friedle]

I know. I'll say.

[Ryder Strong]

I kiss everybody. I couldn't believe the way that all that went down. All right, let's get into episode one. They introduce all the players outside of the castle. We got flames. And then we got this new thing, which, I mean, all of this was new to me.

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Ryder Strong]

This notion of a secret trader.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, brilliant idea.

[Ryder Strong]

Really great idea. Now that I've watched three episodes with the Secret Trader, I don't know how this show works without the Secret Trader, because part of the fun was not knowing who the traitor was.

[Will Friedle]

Like, exactly.

[Ryder Strong]

Yes, man. I was sitting there guessing constantly based on people's behavior, and I feel like that's a really cool wrinkle that they're gonna have to keep up because it was pretty fun. Great. But anyway, so all the. All the contestants went up One by Alan Cumming showed off a. A card reveal.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

A box that he opens up, and one of them sees that they're a traitor. We find out who that is in episode three. But once the traitor was chosen, they all go into the castle. They get to mingle. No windows in this castle, by the way.

[Will Friedle]

You know, it's like you got to block everything out.

[Ryder Strong]

Block everything out.

[Will Friedle]

They also allude several times to how hot it is in there. You heard them say, like, it's so hot in here. So they're probably blocking off everything. It's stifling. There's lights everywhere. They're all caked makeup with all that fabulous outfit. They're all probably sweating profusely in there as they're doing the show. Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

And then getting drunk.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. It seems like there's probably some. Some alcohol, lots of good food.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. All right.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

So then they. They sit around a table, and they put on their blindfolds, and the traders are chosen. So this is the way traders are usually chosen, Right? Correct. Okay.

[Will Friedle]

So, yeah, this is all the same.

[Ryder Strong]

They get a little tap on the shoulder, which is very tense.

[Will Friedle]

Very tense.

[Ryder Strong]

This would be my nightmare. This is when I would be sweating bullets. And Would you.

[Will Friedle]

So you would not want the tap.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, my God.

[Will Friedle]

No, no, please don't tap me.

[Ryder Strong]

Please don't. Let me be honest and upfront and building alliances based on, you know. But even that's stressful because as the show goes on, I'm like, I. No one knows, man. Now, you know, if someone's lying, you don't. And I'm so trusting. If someone looked me in the eyes and was like, ryder, I am a faithful. I don't. I just. I would just be like, okay, okay, I believe you. Yeah, I believe you.

[Will Friedle]

But you can also tell Alan, you know, he has those preliminary interviews with everybody before the roundtable. And I saw especially more last year than this year. Last year, there was a bunch of people like, I want to be a faithful. I really want to be a faithful. I want to root out traders. Whereas this year, you got more people going, like, I'd be the best trader in the world. I don't know what I'd tell him other than, you're fabulous and don't wear stupid hats like everybody else is wearing.

[Ryder Strong]

Well, I wonder how they make this decision, because this is the central decision of. Oh, and then I have another question. Are there more traitors as the episode, as the season goes on?

[Will Friedle]

There can be. If traders are being picked off one at a time. They can also have the ability to go, instead of murdering somebody, saying, you either die tonight or you become one of us. So it's like they. There's times where they can go to murder somebody and instead turn them.

[Ryder Strong]

So. So the traitors get to decide if they want to not murder somebody.

[Will Friedle]

And no, it's not the traitors. Like, they'll come back. Like last year, Alan would come into the tower and be like, everyone here is what will happen? And he'll say, like, you can either kill this person tonight or you can turn them to the traitors. And then they've got to. You know, the fun part, and I'm sure it'll happen at some point, is when the traitors start turning on each other. I mean, that's when they're throwing each other under the bus during the.

[Ryder Strong]

Could they technically murder each other?

[Will Friedle]

No, but they can get themselves. They can have one of the other people eliminated.

[Ryder Strong]

Wait, Tara saying yes. At the round table.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, at the round table. They can. They can banish somebody.

[Sue (Will's wife)]

Yeah. So you can.

[Will Friedle]

So the tr.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, right. So they can banish somebody.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, yeah. They can't murder somebody, but they can banish somebody.

[Ryder Strong]

But now, do the traders always have to agree on who they're murdering, or is it just like.

[Will Friedle]

I think so, because there's been.

[Sue (Will's wife)]

Yeah, yeah, you do. But, like, a lot of them don't. It's usually, like, 2 out of 3 vote and 1's upset with the decision. Like, that's happened many times.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, yeah. I'm also wondering, so sue and I were talking about, like, a lot of the logistics where it's. How do they. How do they guarantee nobody sees the traitors leaving the building to go to the tower?

[Ryder Strong]

Well, obviously, they have cameras everywhere.

[Will Friedle]

Well, but that's. I mean, that's my other question is that. Is it, like, do you hear, you know, an announcement like, all right, everybody stay in your room. Nobody's allowed to leave your room for the next five hours.

[Ryder Strong]

There's a dong. At one point, there was, like, a thing telling them to go to bed. So.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. So I'm wondering if that's what it is. It's like, you're not allowed to leave. You're not allowed to do anything. Because we were just wondering the legit. And exactly what you were saying, do. Does Alan Cumming get to pick who they are? Are all the producers deciding who's gonna be the traitor? I mean, my guess is the producers sit around and they figure out who.

[Ryder Strong]

They want to pick.

[Sue (Will's wife)]

They don't stay in the castle.

[Will Friedle]

What?

[Sue (Will's wife)]

Yeah, they're not actually, like, they don't sleep in there.

[Ryder Strong]

They go to a hotel every night.

[Will Friedle]

That's so sad.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

So when they walk upstairs to bed, they're not really walking upstairs to bed bad.

[Ryder Strong]

No.

[Sue (Will's wife)]

And those glamorous shots of them in like their room or the bathtub. Like, we saw Dylan like shirtless in every scene last night.

[Will Friedle]

All he did last season was work out with weights at 12:00 clock at night. And Israel's like, why are you doing sit ups right now, bro?

[Ryder Strong]

Faking that.

[Sue (Will's wife)]

It's definitely like. It's definitely. Yeah, they're okay.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

I was curious because, like, whenever they like walked out to get murdered, I was like, where are they? Where are they? Walking into a room with a chair. You know, like, the geography never quite made sense to me, so. All right.

[Will Friedle]

So they don't stay at the castle.

[Ryder Strong]

You're upset about this.

[Will Friedle]

I am a little upset.

[Sue (Will's wife)]

I'm not.

[Will Friedle]

I want to go. I still want to go on the show, but not as much. Yeah, I can stay to Radisson here. Wow.

[Ryder Strong]

Probably a nicer spot than the Radisson.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, probably. Okay, so it's a Radisson. Radisson.

[Ryder Strong]

All right. Candace, Lisa and Rob R. Robert. I had no feelings about any of this because I didn't know who any of them were. I didn't either, but they were all stoked. Yeah, three of them were stoked.

[Will Friedle]

And is there a reason why Candace, through most of the first episode was dressed like a flight attendant from 1970? It was like she was dressed like a Pan Am flight attendant from the seven. I was like, what are you wearing?

[Ryder Strong]

That's kind of her vibe throughout all of them. Because I'm trying to.

[Will Friedle]

In the last episode, they picked their own outfits. Course they do. Nobody's picking that but her.

[Ryder Strong]

Wow.

[Will Friedle]

And then there was the one woman the Stansberry who was. Had borrowed the jacket from the lead singer of Talking Heads, the huge jacket she was wearing. And then everyone went to dumb hat store. It was. It was an interesting, interesting first episode.

[Ryder Strong]

I mean, I think the amount of money just on their clothing, like these are like thousands of dollars in outfits that these people.

[Will Friedle]

But they must bring their own is what. Yeah, they.

[Ryder Strong]

Every day they're showing up with a. It's. It's a lot.

[Will Friedle]

I'd be sponsored by Target. All my clothes would be from Target. Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

All right. We. We met up in the turret where the traders took their own. I have.

[Will Friedle]

I have a question for you.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, for.

[Will Friedle]

So they're Picked around the table, and they're in the blindfold. The second they say, take your blindfold off, would you rip your blindfold off to then stare at everybody to see if anybody had a weird reaction? Or do you think that would draw too much attention to yourself for then people thinking, oh, he's overdoing it. He's obviously a traitor?

[Ryder Strong]

No, I would. Well, I don't know. I would definitely see. This is why it'd be so bad. I would just do it. I would just look at everybody, but I don't think I would get any answers.

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Ryder Strong]

Like, my. My takeaway so far from the show is that there's just no way to read people. Right. Like, and maybe I'm just horrible at it, but I have been consistently wrong in my predictions. Absolutely everybody. Right. You know, because. Because we don't know who the secret trader is. So I'm sitting there going like, oh.

[Will Friedle]

No, I called that from. I called that from step one. But I also. Oh, God, of course. Of course. Because it's per. It was perfect. It was perfect.

[Ryder Strong]

But you were just thinking like a producer then, or were you reading the situation?

[Will Friedle]

No, no, no. Totally just thinking like a producer. No. Had nothing to do with situations, which.

[Ryder Strong]

Was how they were all thinking, apparently, because they were right. And I was sitting there going, poor Donna. There's no way. Oh, see, that's. I'd be so bad at this game.

[Will Friedle]

But, yeah, no, that was. So that's what I was thinking was because as I said that, I was sitting here watching sue, and I was like, oh, first thing I would do, rip off my blindfold and stare around the table to see if I can catch somebody smiling or something. And she's like, no, the second you do that, they're gonna think you're overdoing it. And then now you've drawn attention to yourself because you can also just get banished. So if everyone's like, I saw at the table, and I felt like you were so that's all things.

[Ryder Strong]

You also just don't want to be annoying. Like, you just realize that, like, a lot of times they're just voting out people like. Like Michael Rappaport is not long for this castle. No. And it's because he's just bugging the crap out of everybody. It's like, you know, even knowing he's not a. I was kind of thinking he was a.

[Will Friedle]

The secret traitor, because I thought so. Maybe for a brief second there, and then I was like, he can't be. He's just doth protest too Much like.

[Ryder Strong]

He'S just like, dude, it's not about you. Calm down. But he's just manages to make everything about him and just like, I'm a. I'm a hunter. I'm a traitor hunt. I'm like, stop. When he got to.

[Will Friedle]

I'm a traitor, and you know it. Clap your hands. I was like, I hope they vote him off. Even if they don't think he's a traitor at this point. They go to the turkey it. So they're picked. Those three are picked.

[Ryder Strong]

Right. They're happy about it. I guess they picked the right people.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. I don't think there would have been anybody there that would have been unhappy to be picked to be a traitor. I don't think you go on that show if you only want to be a faithful.

[Ryder Strong]

Right, so. Which is why I should not go on the show. You'll.

[Will Friedle]

You'll be fine when we're there. I'll take care of you or I'll take care of you.

[Ryder Strong]

All right. The next day, the first mission. Coffins floating in a loch. A loch lock. They gotta row out in groups, pick up coffins, bring them back and throw the. I mean, the sixes are amazing.

[Will Friedle]

Amazing. There's what, a hundred coffins in the lock, and some of them had dollar signs and some of them had X's, right? So if you find a dollar sign, you have to hook it up to your boat and bring it all the way back to the shore. And you thought that's all you had to do and then throw it in. But no, then of course, there's the other twist, which is you have to put it in the. The coffin or you have to put it in the ground in the grave of one of your fellow contestants.

[Ryder Strong]

Be the pool from which there they can be murdered.

[Will Friedle]

They can be murdered. So it's even that. Right?

[Ryder Strong]

So that's where. Yeah, it's the psychological factor that, you know, because the physical challenges don't seem that hard. It's not like on Survivor. It's like real. You know, they're like. Like climbing or they have to work in teams and do crazy, physically exhausting things. This is, like, not that hard. But there's always a psychological element of, like, how are you going to, you know, choose your group, turn on people, you know, from the other team or from the other boats? Yeah, a lot of chaos. I couldn't really keep up with, like, who was with who at this point. It felt. Felt a little muddy for me. Like, I just. I just couldn't tell you Like, I.

[Will Friedle]

Don'T think there was any.

[Ryder Strong]

Or who's doing.

[Will Friedle]

I don't think there was, because there was no. There was no real rhyme or reason to it. You know, it's just kind of like you grab the thing, you go, and then you throw it into the ground. So they weren't working in teams, even though they were. I don't know. It was confusing.

[Ryder Strong]

But wasn't there drama afterwards? Yes, because there. This, like, question whether Michael Rapaport had said, put it in one of the.

[Will Friedle]

Housewives, which I thought he.

[Ryder Strong]

He did.

[Will Friedle]

Was I wrong? He did, too. I thought he did.

[Ryder Strong]

I'm. I was going crazy because they keep acting as if he didn't say it.

[Will Friedle]

And I thought he did.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

And Susan said he didn't. And I was like, no, he did. He said, put it in one of the Housewives. And then somebody said, no, we don't. We're not just going to target the housewives. Like, I could have sworn he said that.

[Ryder Strong]

I am so with you, dude. And I'm so confused by this. Good. Because I was like, wait, like. Like when. When Candace, like, backed down from that. I was like, but.

[Will Friedle]

But he did say. He did say.

[Ryder Strong]

Thanks.

[Will Friedle]

I thought the same thing.

[Ryder Strong]

So are we both having, like, a Mandela effect here?

[Will Friedle]

Maybe. I don't know. I'll have to go back and watch it again. I could have sworn he said something about putting it in the ground in one of the Housewives.

[Ryder Strong]

Man. I was so. I. Yeah, I just, like, totally, like, got gaslit by the conversation for the next two episodes that I was like, oh, I guess he didn't say it. And she really was just being, you know, manipulative by bringing it up in the car.

[Will Friedle]

No, but I swear to God, he said it. I thought he said it.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. Otherwise, it felt pretty random. Who ended up with a grave, you know? And, yeah, you know, they. They were just marked for death, apparently.

[Will Friedle]

But there was a couple people remember where it was. Like, was it Mark. It might have been Mark Ballas, who they had to go out of their way to make. He even said he's like, well, that wasn't convenient. Like, he had to walk, like, three back to put it in his thing.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

So it's like, why are you picking? And by that point, I don't think he'd spoken a word.

[Ryder Strong]

No, I know.

[Will Friedle]

Since the beginning of the show. Yes.

[Ryder Strong]

Very subdued. I actually am concerned. I was like, he's not speaking up enough. But also, maybe that's the way to go.

[Will Friedle]

Play under the radar. Yes. Let Them get the. Separate the wheat from the chaff. Kind of get to where you gotta go.

[Ryder Strong]

The strong personalities are already getting on my nerves.

[Will Friedle]

Exactly. And they're gonna be voted off.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. Just.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

This dude.

[Will Friedle]

The second the eye of Sauron is on you.

[Ryder Strong]

Right.

[Will Friedle]

It's like, you know, oh. So you gotta make sure there's this hands over here. So then you're just over here. Just nice, quiet it. Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Right. All right. So in the car on the way back from the challenge is where this drama with Candace and Porsche, and, man, Candace is a lot.

[Will Friedle]

I also don't think she's particularly good at this game.

[Ryder Strong]

She's not.

[Will Friedle]

No. I don't think she's particularly good at this game. She doesn't remember what she said.

[Ryder Strong]

Yep. And, yeah, Porsche is also truly horrible at this game. Awful at this game.

[Will Friedle]

There's a couple people that are not.

[Ryder Strong]

Good at this game. Like, I mean, she got voted out, and I was like, I would have voted for you. And I knew she wasn't well, I guess, like, she could have been a secret trader, but I was like, oh, yeah, vote for her, because she's slipped. Slipped of the tongue, saying, we killed.

[Will Friedle]

What are you doing?

[Ryder Strong]

You're saying twice. And you have every opportunity to defend yourself, and you don't really have a good defense. So anyway. But Candace decided to, like, tell this maybe a lie. But you and I both seem to think she was telling the truth.

[Will Friedle]

Telling the truth. Yes.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Anyway, and then Maura is another one. Because when they said, hey, well, Maura, you were in the car.

[Ryder Strong]

What did she say?

[Will Friedle]

She's like, I don't remember.

[Ryder Strong]

I know.

[Will Friedle]

I don't even remember being on the show. Like, wait, what?

[Ryder Strong]

I'm not here. Don't notice me. It was weird. Yeah. They were all sort of, like, backing down. Yes. You know, interesting. But, I mean, that's where, like, Rappaport was so confrontational. It's like, what she said. What? I'm gonna go talk. I'm talking right now.

[Will Friedle]

Yes. And so either he's the still out. I love what one. I. I forget who it was who said it at the end. It might have been Rob C. But one of them at the end was like, either you're the worst trader in the history of the world or you're a bad faithful. Like, kind of. Either way, you. You should go.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Because you're. It's. It's one of the two. And neither one of those are conducive to the game, essentially.

[Ryder Strong]

Right.

[Will Friedle]

So it was. Yeah. He's Very grading.

[Ryder Strong]

All right. They get back and have that little confrontation and then the players go to bed. Traders get together. And now this whole aspect where the secret trader got to send them the list from which they. They chose. Super interesting, because otherwise normally they would just be wide open. Right. They could just pick whoever they wanted as.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. From that. From the list of whoever lost the.

[Ryder Strong]

Game, from the graveyard.

[Will Friedle]

So if they didn't get a shield in one of these things or something like that, then it's like that's your pool to pick from. But normally in the ones I've seen the traders get together and here are the five we can pick from. Who are we going to pick?

[Ryder Strong]

Right.

[Will Friedle]

And this, that's not this time. Now it's. And it makes sense too that the list they send has four, because the secret trader also doesn't know who the regular traders are. So if they just picked the three traders, it's like, well, we can't murder anybody on that list.

[Ryder Strong]

Right.

[Will Friedle]

So that's why there's four people, because one of them has to at least be eligible to kill.

[Ryder Strong]

Well, so here's a question, because this came up. This. One of the things that Porsche slipped up about was saying four traders and is it always four? Is there a number of traders? Is it.

[Will Friedle]

I thought it was three. I thought it was three. But again they, they change because there's a secret trader or they bring somebody in later or maybe there's. Now there's just two after they kick somebody out. So I think the most there's going to be is four, but I've seen as little as two and as many as four. I think normally it was three.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay, well, the four people on the Secret traders list were Rob R, Ian, Mark and Eric. Rob R. Is one of the. The traders.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

So he wasn't going to.

[Will Friedle]

He wasn't going to go.

[Ryder Strong]

See, I thought the traders reaction to this was they didn't investigate it enough because, like, these were really interesting choices. They were kind of like bland and a little generic.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Like, and it didn't seem based on anything, strategy, anything. And I'm. The traders were just kind of like, oh, well, I don't get it. And then they just picked one. But I would have taken more time to try and figure out who the secret trader was based on this list. I don't know if you would have been able to do that. But after the fact, I was like, why didn't they analyze that more? Like, why didn't they say like, who's picking? Just kind of These four dudes who haven't really stood out. Like, not anybody. Who's been annoying. Not anybody. You know, in retrospect, I don't know if there was much strategy. I think it was just kind of picking names out of a hat.

[Will Friedle]

You know what I was thinking about? It's so ridiculous. But you're obviously in this castle, you're killing time. You don't know what to do. People are playing chess. I would have gotten together a good old fashioned hangman game and I would have played with everybody because then I get to see your handwriting and I would have been able to match it to whatever's on the list and I would have instantly been like, oh, that's, that's a secret trader. Bam, right there.

[Ryder Strong]

You're. You're evil, my friend. I love it, I love it, I love it.

[Will Friedle]

Where's my cloak?

[Ryder Strong]

No, we're good. All right. Right. They decided to, to murder Ian.

[Will Friedle]

Ian, who's a gamer, which I guess makes sense. I know you're not going to get rid of Eric, who. I don't know who that is. I'm sure they don't either. I guess he's a singer songwriter, but.

[Ryder Strong]

You know, he seemed pretty generic. Like he has not made any waves, has not like formed big alliances. That's obvious. No, I mean, the housewives were the only people that really seemed banded together.

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Ryder Strong]

I mean, I guess the, the, the two figure skaters, but they are intentionally avoiding each other. Remember you said they're like, we're not going to let every. Which is super smart. But the housewives keep actually voicing their alliance and their, you know, allegiance to one another, which I think is a big mistake. Although I guess in the same in, in the, in the fact that two of them are traitors, it's going to work in their favor.

[Will Friedle]

But I would like to know how far in advance, if at all, you know, who else you're going to be on the show with.

[Ryder Strong]

Right?

[Will Friedle]

Because my guess, because again, I would think, hopefully they don't let them know at all. Because all you would do is if you googled Tara Lipinski, you would see that the skaters are together in all types of weather. They're best friends. So they would never be able to hide the fact that they weren't best friends. Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski. You Google one, you're going to find another. Be like you Googling me or Danielle, we're going to pop up on your feed at some point. Right? So it's. They're going to know. So my guess Is because if you remember, at the very beginning, there was a couple people that like, oh my God, you're here. I can't believe you're here. And I'm hoping they don't know who else is on the show until they get into the cars.

[Ryder Strong]

That must be the case.

[Will Friedle]

Right? Because you don't. Because you'd be able to do too much research.

[Ryder Strong]

Well, so we actually jumped ahead because at the end of this episode we still didn't know who they murdered. Right.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, did that. That's right.

[Ryder Strong]

It was. That's right.

[Will Friedle]

So we don't know who erased that. Maybe Ian isn't there.

[Ryder Strong]

Dead. Yeah. So something I had, I thought about watching this show that was like, compared to other reality shows, I guess Survivor being the one that I watch, I was fascinated by the age of, of the contestants. Everyone's a little older than most reality shows. Yeah, this is definitely like, I mean, there's, you know, Mara and what's his name. Or the, the, the. The Love island.

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Ryder Strong]

Where like the, the. They're like the, the, the, the young crowd. Everyone else is like middle aged. And I think it's smart because you want people with complexity. You want, you want layers, you want people who are like, you know, it's, it's definitely not like the Love is blind crowd where they're just like right here. Let's make out.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, let's make out.

[Ryder Strong]

So I thought that was super interesting. It makes for a really cool dynamic because all these people have, you know, they have very, very interesting approaches. So far, part I'm not a fan of Candace. I'm not either, honest. But the two traders, I'm not super stoked on. No, I'm not really like enjoying their villainy.

[Will Friedle]

Well, the guy, Rob R. Yeah. Has almost no personality.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, that's. But he's playing well.

[Will Friedle]

Actually, he's playing very well. But watching him, I know it's like this guy, there's almost like he doesn't even have any inflection when he speaks. Like, this guy has no personality. It's weird. Weird, right? It's like, dude, how are you? I guess because on Love island, take off your shirt, make out with a good looking girl.

[Ryder Strong]

Right?

[Will Friedle]

That's.

[Ryder Strong]

He makes a joke at one point. He's like, I'm confused by what we're doing here because I haven't taken off my shirt.

[Will Friedle]

That was the funniest thing said the whole time.

[Ryder Strong]

No, he's growing on me. But, but this first episode I was like, why pick him to be a traitor?

[Will Friedle]

It's.

[Ryder Strong]

It's a really boring choice. Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

And I.

[Ryder Strong]

And I. I. I guess maybe the people that seem more sophisticated, like Jam Jam Michael Rapaport, would have been maybe too obvious. You know, the producers decided to go. Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

But, yeah, this was, you know, this was a good episode. I'm. I'm definitely.

[Will Friedle]

Did it suck you in? It did it brought you in?

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, totally. I'm, you know, like, we didn't get a roundtable, you know, which. Which happens next episode. And so I really liked that. Seeing that brought the show fully together for me. Yeah. If I had just seen this, I probably would have been like, it's good.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. Because, you know, like I said, Candace and Lisa are not, like, super.

[Will Friedle]

No.

[Ryder Strong]

I don't know. I'm just like. But, you know, there's a lot of. There's room to grow. There's room to grow.

[Will Friedle]

They also would have had you at Scottish Castle at least for two episodes. Yeah, that's true. Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

All right, well, that's it for this episode of pod. Meets twirled, alliances were tested, trust misplaced, and once again, we are left with a cliffhanger. Join us next time as we continue our journey through season four of Traitors, a show in which, as Shakespeare said in his Scottish play, fair is foul and foul is fair.

[Will Friedle]

Did he say it with a stupid hat?

[Ryder Strong]

Probably.