The Traitors 3 Finale Proved Queer Players Belong At The Table

Gabby Windey, Ivar Mountbatten, Miss Guided (Dylan Efron), and Dolores Catania outplayed the traitors to win The Traitors in Season 3…

Reality TV has always been more than just a guilty pleasure for me—it’s shaped the way I see competition, strategy, and even myself. Growing up in Sudbury, a place where I didn’t know a single other gay person, these shows felt like an escape into a world where anyone could outwit, outplay, and outlast. I wasn’t just watching; I was studying, imagining what it would be like to play the game myself.

I’m not quite sure what it is about competitive reality television, but it’s always been my version of sports. From stranding sixteen players in Borneo for 42 days to locking ten people in a house for the summer, or the nostalgia of MTV’s The Real World, the shift from scripted television to Survivor, Big Brother, The Real World, and Road Rules/The Challenge revolutionized a new arena of competition. It was a sport where you didn’t just need to be physically fit but also mentally strong—an equalizer where anyone, regardless of background, could compete.

A History of Queer Representation in Reality TV

Over the years, these shows began to diversify, but they often highlighted a very whitewashed world, tokenizing minorities as characters rather than casting them authentically. Richard Holman Hatch (who, fun fact, shares my name) was the first-ever winner of Survivor and one of two queer people on his season, taking home the inaugural win and defining a game that would evolve to open doors for players of all kinds. Meanwhile, Sonja Christopher, the first lesbian contestant, was voted out first in that very same season. Filling in two positions, to pander to a community that would further fall in love with the television program throughout the years to come. 

Big Brother didn’t introduce its first gay contestant until Season 2. When Bunky Miller made waves with his unlikely friendship with Kent Blackwelder—a dynamic duo, at the time, that would have been considered completely taboo. A conservative straight man from Tennessee and an openly gay man, forming a bond that otherwise would never have existed, outside of this heightened reality. 

It took six seasons for Big Brother to cast its first lesbian, Ivette Corredero, and 17 seasons to cast its first transgender woman, in 2015. Two years later, Survivor finally cast its first transgender contestant, Zeke Smith, in Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X (Season 33).

Recently watching queer people step into these competitions has always been both satisfying and bittersweet. Seeing people I identify with, like Dash Katz from Squid Game: The Challenge or James Wallington and Will Jardell winning The Amazing Race, made me proud, but also left me quietly yearning for the same opportunity. It’s inspiring to see representation grow, but there’s always that feeling of wishing I, we, could be part of it too.

Peppermint, a legendary drag performer, faced a similar challenge when she entered The Traitors. After her loss on RuPaul’s Drag Race, this was her second chance in a completely different competitive world, where she found herself the sole queer person in a space that tokenized her in every way, as the only member of the LGBT Community. Not to take credit away from reality television royalty and Traitor Parvati Shallow, who later came out as queer herself. 

The Traitors: From Peppermint’s Early Exit to Season 3’s Queer Takeover

Despite reality TV’s commitment to increasing BIPOC representation through a 50% diversity pledge, it still fell short for decades when it came to the 2SLGBTQ+ community. It wasn’t until recently—largely thanks to the influence of Big Brother Canada, MTV’s The Challenge, The Traitors, and the “New Age” Survivor—that we began to see an intentional shift. These shows finally started casting two-spirit, trans, non-binary, gay, and lesbian contestants in meaningful ways, showcasing them together across different ethnicities and backgrounds.

On Season 2 of The Traitors, we got to see reality TV legends from multiple shows and networks collide, delivering us a nostalgia-filled dream cast—including the incredible Peppermint, a legendary trans drag performer, and Broadway Star. She had the chance to play against some of her favorite reality stars, people she had watched for years. But her journey was cut short—as she was the first person banished from the Scottish castle.

Alan Cumming, the show’s openly queer icon and proudly bisexual host/producer, recognized that The Traitors was shaping up to be the next great reality competition. But he also understood that, due to a mix of factors—her identity included—Peppermint was positioned to fail from the start. The odds were stacked against her, and reality TV veteran Trishelle Cannatella (who would later win the season) led the charge to turn the entire castle against our beloved drag performer, robbing her of what could have been an incredible run.

Was this exclusion intentional? We’ll never know. But what we can say for certain is that representation played a major role. The other players simply didn’t relate to Peppermint—a queer person of color, someone who didn’t fit into the rigid mold society has historically pushed.

The Traitors Season 3 Delivers Its Queerest Cast Yet

And then came Season 3—which, well… let’s just say, they made it gay, baby. Queer as hell.

This time, they cast an undeniably LGBTQ+ powerhouse lineup, screaming: We’re here, we’re queer, and we’re ready for battle. Not only did we get the iconic Bob the Drag Queen, but also Selling Sunset’s Chrishell Stause, known for her very public relationship with non-binary musician G Flip. The cherry on top? Fitness guru Bob Harper from The Biggest Loser, Bachelorette star Gabby Windey (who made it clear that dating 26 men taught her one thing… I’ll leave it at that), and even Ivar, the first openly gay royal. 

And they weren’t alone—throw in Survivor’s quirky Carolyn Wiger (also queer), along with strong allies like Real Housewives legend Dorinda Medley and Big Brother icon Britney Haynes, we finally had a season that felt like a true, meaningful shift for the community that has been trying to scratch and crawl their way to be seen on such a public platform, not alone, but together. 

A Queer Takeover at The Round Table & in The Turret

The game started with queer representation in the turret from the very beginning, with Carolyn and Bob the Drag Queen ready to deceive as traitors alongside Big Brother legend Danielle Reyes. And as the season progressed, LGBTQ+ contestants dominated the competition.

Though we lost Bob early, thanks to the hands of Boston Rob Mariano and the traitors’ dysfunctional gameplay, Carolyn reigned supreme as a fan favorite. Her quirky personality, strategic brilliance, and social savviness helped her outshine her traitor counterparts—until she ultimately fell short due to others’ messy gameplay, and selfishness of her fellow traitors. 

Spoilers Ahead: A Landmark Traitors Victory

In the end, the season wrapped with a very queer victory. The faithfuls—Gabby, Ivar, Miss Guided (the beloved Dylan Efron), and RHONJ’s Dolores Catania—triumphed over the traitors, taking home the prize money. They systematically eliminated the traitors, episode after episode, proving not only that the “good guys” can win, but that it can also mean something deeper to a community that has often been marginalized and unseen.

Traitors Carolyn, Danielle, and Britney turned on one another one by one, paving the way for their fellow players and leading to the largest number of winners in Traitors history, with four.

Representation Matters: It’s Time to Take Up Space

For me, my dream is to one day be shipwrecked on a beach, starving as I strategize and manipulate my way to becoming the Sole Survivor—or to find myself in a castle, playing The Traitors Canada. With Big Brother Canada recently ending, we as Canadians—and more importantly, as queer Canadians—now have the opportunity to apply for shows like Survivor and The Traitors Canada (which is currently casting!). 

With the U.S. in turmoil over transgender rights and the ongoing backlash against the LGBTQ+ community (not to mention women), it’s more important than ever that we take up space in these spaces. If America can do it, so can we. Let’s make The Traitors Canada its queerest season yet. Unlike many U.S. shows, CTV offers a chance for regular people—not just established reality stars—to compete. And they’re looking for you.

Apply Now and Be Part of the Change

So don’t hold yourself back—get those applications in. Not everyone is built to be a traditional athlete, but if there’s one thing the 2SLGBTQ+ community knows, it’s how to adapt. We’ve spent our lives learning when to hide, when to conform, when to make ourselves smaller. But in this game, those skills could be your superpower. Whether you’re ready to be unapologetically yourself or to play the ultimate social chameleon, now is the time to step up.

Canada has already produced some incredible queer reality TV winners—Big Brother Canada 1’s Gary Levy and Survivor 41’s Erika Casupanan, to name a couple. But we need more. We will get more. It’s our time, for now, and forever. 

So, let’s keep it going, Canada. Let’s take over reality TV. 🌈🏆

Apply to be on seaon 3 of The Traitors Canada today! Visit: thetraitorscanadas3.castingcrane.com.