Alan Cumming calls them traitors -- and they could win money for it

As emcee of “The Traitors,” Alan Cumming is playing a heightened version of what he refers to as “an imaginary me.” The producers specifically recruited him because they wanted the host role to be different and more theatrical than viewers expected. Even when I used to go in and brief on a certain rule, I would just be reading my paper and thinking, ‘Don’t look anywhere,’ because I didn’t want to give anything away.’” Unlike the original incarnation, which featured only celebrities, and a UK version that cast everyday people, the U.S. franchise went with a mix of newcomers alongside recognizable Bravo reality veterans and familiar faces from “Big Brother,” “Survivor” and “The Bachelorette.” Executive producer Mike Cotton reveals that originally, his team pitched a civilian cast, but the network proposed going in a different direction. It was definitely an experiment and new because it hadn’t been done anywhere else.” As the show’s emcee, Cumming is playing a heightened version of what he refers to as “an imaginary me.” The producers specifically recruited him because they wanted the host role to be different and more theatrical than viewers expected. “Sometimes my job was to get them going, because sometimes they’re all in a bad mood and nobody wanted to talk,” Cumming says.