I Went To The Traitors Experience & Have Never Been More Stressed

Calling all duchesses of deception and misters of murder, The Traitors Experience in Los Angeles, California has opened its castle doors. On select nights through March 2, fans can immerse themselves in the world of The Traitors for a night of murder, mystery, and Alan Cumming’s stunning wardrobe.

Following a successful run in 2024, the Traitors pop-up returns to SoCal just in time for Season 3, which is currently airing with new episodes Thursdays on Peacock. This season features reality TV stars like Bob the Drag Queen from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Rob “Boston Rob” Mariano from Survivor, Dylan Efron from Down to Earth with Zac Efron, and Gabby Windey from The Bachelor franchise.

As a superfan since Season 2, I couldn’t wait to enter the mansion-turned-castle in Hollywood and play games as if I was a contestant on the series. For anyone who wasn’t able to snag the $40 tickets to the experience, produced by JFI Productions, or aren’t able to make it out to L.A., here’s what diving into The Traitors pop-up is really like:

Your Evening Begins With Light Bites In Scotland

After checking in at the mansion located in the West Adams neighborhood of L.A., our group was treated to a gorgeous spread of finger sandwiches, glasses filled with fruits and cheeses, macarons, and champagne.

When it was our time to enter the faux Scottish castle, we were introduced to our game host, who would be guiding us around the experience and, most importantly of all, secretly assigning us the role of either Faithful or Traitor. Unfortunately for me, I was chosen as a Traitor. Similar to Tom Sandoval — and probably the only way I relate to the Vanderpump Rules star — I didn’t really want to be a Traitor, because I’m not very good at lying. I’m also not as good an actor as Dylan’s brother Zac Efron, despite what Bob the Drag Queen may say.

Another reason I wanted to be a Faithful was to play the games. This experience works a bit different from the show, where Faithfuls and Traitors alike want to work together to amass the largest prize pot possible. Instead, our goal as Traitors was to sabotage each puzzle. Whenever the group successfully completes a mission, the Faithfuls earn a coin, whereas if they lose, the Traitors earn that point. At the end of the experience, the team with the most coins wins a prize. So as soon as I got the tap telling me I was a Traitor, I was stressing.

The Games Were Made For Superfans Of The Show & Escape Rooms

After a bit of getting to know each other, we were brought into our first game of the evening in a room filled with outfits inspired by Alan Cumming’s wardrobe on the show. The Emmy-winning host’s ‘fits on The Traitors are what I look forward to the most each week, so I really wanted to take in all the details around the room, but we jumped right into a mission that reminded me of an escape room puzzle.

Like on the show, there was a hidden shield within the game that would save whoever discovered it from murder. Despite being one of the Traitors, I found the shield and was safe from myself. The Traitors were also successful in getting the group to fail our first game, and then it was time to murder one of our new friends.

Whoever is chosen to be murdered can still play the rest of the games in the experience, but to a disadvantage. The pop-up included another round of murder, recruitment, and three more games featuring lasers, seating charts, and coffins. One of the best parts about the experience was the actors in each room, who played their roles perfectly. They may even give Fergus the groundskeeper a run for his money.

The Experience Ends At A Dramatic Round Table

It wouldn’t be a Traitors experience without a round table vote, which was probably the most stressful part of the evening. I know I didn’t play a perfect game, but I didn’t expect people to start pointing fingers at me right away when it was time to vote out a potential Traitor.

I did my best vouching for myself, and was able to survive by the skin of my teeth. It wasn’t without a bit of Traitor on Traitor fighting, though, which was very fitting for Season 3’s messy dynamics. Thankfully, we managed to vote out a Faithful and both Traitors won the game. We got to walk away with a new mug, and a cloak like the ones the Traitors wear in the turret.

After the reveal, I felt the need to apologize to everyone for deceiving them. As much fun as it was to play the game and immerse myself in The Traitors experience, I was sweating the entire time.

I don’t think I could do a full season of lies and deceit like the contestants on the show, so I have to give them all props. However, I would totally do this again and I hope they bring the experience back to L.A. for The Traitors Season 4, which has already been picked up.