Les Traîtres (Belgium)/Season 2

***Les Traîtres Saison 2*** is the second season of *Les Traîtres (Belgium)*. It aired every Sunday beginning from January 22, 2023 to February 26, 2023 on RTL TVI from around 8:40pm to 8:50pm onwards. Although the season launched with lower viewer figures compared to *Season 1'*s debut, its viewership figures were stable, with all episodes outperforming the previous season finale, and viewership numbers climbing towards the end to beat most of the previous season's episodes.

## Background

The announcement of the season, as well as confirmation of its cast and start date, were announced on January 9, 2023. A short teaser featuring the cast was released on January 10, 2023.

### Aftershows

        Two streaming-only aftershows exclusive to RTL TVI's web service RTL Play were produced: ***Les Confessions d'Un Banni*** (or *Confessions of an Outcast* in English), where Fiona De Paoli chatted with the most recently Banished contestant while driving them away from the filming venue, and ***Le React***, where Christopher Calice reacted to clips and happenings with a variety of guests affiliated with the show. These aftershows were five and six episodes long respectively.

## Unique Characteristics & Twists

* **Pre-existing Relationship:** Brothers Malik and Manzul Akhmedov were cast on the show together, competing as individual contestants. This is the first season in the global franchise to cast siblings.
* **Dagger:** A Dagger was introduced in the Armoury from Episode 4 onwards, allowing its user's vote to count twice.

## Contestants

Unlike *Season 1*, which focused exclusively on Walloon reality TV participants, this season featured both reality competitors and other miscellaneous celebrities, including TV presenters and a politician. Director of Entertainment at RTL Belgium Wiet Bruurs attributed this wider casting pool partially to the difficulties of securing interested 'famous' participants.

 **Winner: Traitor**

 **Finalist: Faithful**

 **Finalist: Faithful**

 **Banished: Faithful**

 **Banished: Faithful**

 **Banished: Traitor**

 **Murdered: Faithful**

 **Banished: Faithful**

 **Murdered: Faithful**

 **Banished: Traitor**

 **Banished: Traitor**

 **Murdered: Faithful**

 **Banished: Faithful**

 **Murdered: Faithful**

## Voting History

1. ↑ Frédéric offered the final four two options: to either end the game immediately if they unanimously voted *Share*, or hold another Banishment if there were any votes for a *Final 3* instead.
2. ↑ Christophe used the Dagger with his vote, making it count twice.
3. ↑ Denis used the Dagger with his vote, making it count twice.
4. ↑ Manzul used the Dagger with his vote, making it count twice.

## Viewership

The ratings for the season, while on average lower than the previous one, were relatively stable.

## Trivia

* This is the first season internationally to have more male than female contestants.
* It is the first Walloon season to feature the Dagger.
* There was some internal controversy at RTL TVI over Vanessa's win, as not only was she a network employee participating in a competition against outsiders, she was also playing for herself rather than a charitable organisation. However, the network clarified that it was clear from the outset that she could participate in a personal capacity, and her freelance status meant she was not as contractually bound. Additionally, RTL-TVI admitted that she was invited to participate due to casting difficulties, and they had not foreseen a conflict of interest since they did not expect her to win.

## References

1. ↑ https://soirmag.lesoir.be/487773/article/2023-01-09/voici-les-premieres-personnalites-laffiche-de-la-saison-2-des-traitres-sur-rtl
2. ↑ https://www.sudinfo.be/id599443/article/2023-01-10/les-traitres-qui-sont-les-candidats-de-la-saison-2-sur-rtl-tvi-voici-le-casting
3. ↑ https://www.lavenir.net/culture/tele/2023/03/11/les-traitres-la-victoire-de-vanessa-matagne-fait-jaser-en-interne-PZBONWVSWJGAFEQT7FX6PVPZTM
4. ↑ https://www.cim.be/fr/television?type=daily
5. ↑ https://azapmedias.be/audiences-combien-de-telespectateurs-ont-regarde-la-derniere-soiree-daudition-de-the-dancer
6. ↑ https://www.lavenir.net/culture/tele/2023/03/11/les-traitres-la-victoire-de-vanessa-matagne-fait-jaser-en-interne-PZBONWVSWJGAFEQT7FX6PVPZTM