‘The Traitors’ Wins Outstanding Reality Competition Program at Emmys

The Traitors proved to be faithful when the series took home Outstanding Reality Competition Program at the 2024 Emmy Awards.

Host Alan Cumming took the stage at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, September 15 to accept the award.

“Thank you to the Academy. We are so grateful because we are a new show and you guys when you like something you tend to stick to it,” Cumming, 59, said in his speech. “Which is a good quality but we appreciate it all the more.”

The actor was joined on stage by the crew of the series’ production company, Studio Lambert. Cumming also gave a shout out to his native Scotland, where the reality show currently films, and Holland, where the first ever Traitors series premiered.

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The Traitors took home the award for season 2 which starred reality stars Chris “CT” Tamburello, Trishelle Cannatella, Mercedes “MJ” Javid, Sandra Diaz-Twine, Phaedra Parks and Peter Weber, among others. The Peacock series was up against RuPaul’s Drag Race, The Amazing Race, The Voice and Top Chef.

At the 76th Creative Arts Emmy Awards earlier this month, The Traitors was up for Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program and Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program but lost to Life Below Zero and Love on the Spectrum, respectively.

Despite the defeats in other categories, Cumming won Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program, ending RuPaul’s eight-year winning streak for RuPaul’s Drag Race. Although Cumming was not present at the Creative Arts Emmys, he reacted to his victory from bed.

“A series of selfies taken at 3:38 a.m. just after waking up to find I had won an Emmy!” he wrote via Instagram on September 8. “In my dream I was thinking I had set my alarm too early and I should really wake up and change it to an hour later, and of course the reason I was dreaming this is that my phone had been buzzing constantly for about 20 minutes with people trying to tell me I had won the Emmy for hosting The Traitors!”

He continued: “I wasn’t able to be at the Creative Arts Emmy ceremony in Los Angeles because of filming commitments in Scotland, so I wasn’t able to thank the people who made this possible. But I hope writing my thanks down here — and not spouting them in a frenzy of fear at having the dreaded music cut me off on live TV — will make them feel more sincere and heartfelt to those I am truly indebted to.”

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Cumming subsequently thanked his collaborators, his husband, Grant Shaffer, and the cast and crew of the show. “Thank you to all the Traitors crew up at Ardross Castle who keep smiling despite the long hours and the Scottish weather, and sweet baby Jesus, how could I forget the amazing cast who were so fun to play with,” he wrote.

Season 2 of The Traitors aired from January to March, with CT and Trishelle, both 44, ultimately winning and splitting the more than $200,000 in prize money.

A third season of The Traitors was announced in February, with Wells Adams, Sam Asghari, Nikki Garcia, Rob Mariano, Tom Sandoval, Chrishell Stause and more set to compete. A premiere date has yet to be confirmed.

In August, Peacock renewed the hit series for seasons 4 and 5.