Tag: Bob Harper

The Traitors alum Bob The Drag Queen just nominated some of her fellow icons as part of the upcoming potential future casts.

Speaking with Gayety at the Queerties, the star stated that fellow drag queens like Kandy Muse, Monet X Change, and Bianca Del Rio would be smash additions to the reality series and potentially take home a win for queens alike.

Actor Alan Cumming recently revealed that he fought to ensure more LGBTQ+ representation on season 3 of The Traitors, the competition series airing on Peacock. Cumming, who served as the host of the show, explained that he lobbied for greater visibility of queer contestants, believing that it was crucial for LGBTQ+ individuals to be seen and represented in mainstream media.

The Traitors is a high-stakes reality competition where a group of contestants, divided into “Traitors” and “Faithfuls,” played a game of deception. The Traitors had to “murder” the Faithfuls—eliminating them from the game without being discovered. The Faithfuls, on the other hand, work together to identify and oust the Traitors. If the Faithfuls succeed in eliminating all the Traitors, they won a prize of up to $250,000. If any Traitors remained in the game at the end, they walked away with the money.

Season 3 of The Traitors featured a diverse group of contestants, including reality TV stars Tom Sandoval from Vanderpump Rules, Sam Asghari (former spouse of Britney Spears). Other notable participants included Chrishell Stause from Selling Sunset and Bob Harper from The Biggest Loser.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Cumming, shared his thoughts on why LGBTQ+ viewers could relate to the show’s dynamics. He pointed out that the central theme of The Traitors—hiding one’s true identity in order to survive—paralleled the experience of many queer individuals who had to conceal aspects of their identity in order to navigate societal challenges.

“Something about queerness is that you understand the concept of having to hide something about yourself, so that’s very similar to the experience of The Traitors,” Cumming explained. He emphasized that LGBTQ+ people often experienced a heightened sense of awareness about being different, which made the game’s theme of deception and concealment resonate on a personal level.

Cumming also spoke candidly about his efforts to bring more LGBTQ+ representation to the show. While the previous season of The Traitors had seen diversity in race and gender, Cumming felt that LGBTQ+ representation was lacking. He stressed the importance of visibility, explaining that the representation of queer and trans individuals in media was essential for fostering acceptance.

“It’s exposure therapy, it’s visibility. And you have to do it in every small way you can,” Cumming said. “We need to see that trans people are everywhere. They felt more comfortable to be visible in the last couple of decades. But historically, there’s always a backlash against change, and we were in the midst of a huge one right now.”

Cumming’s comments reflected his commitment to advocating for LGBTQ+ visibility in all areas of life. He further added, “My response to that is to push back and say, ‘No, we’re not going to hide. Here are those people.’ And if I had a chance to help do that by just saying to the producers of The Traitors, ‘We need to make sure there’s more queer and trans people on the show,’ I would.”

The need for greater visibility of LGBTQ+ people in reality television was especially pressing given the political climate at the time. In recent years, Pride celebrations had become a focal point for political discourse, with conservative opposition to LGBTQ+ rights growing louder. A report from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) had highlighted a record spike in LGBTQ+ hate during Pride Month 2023, with incidents of hate and extremism becoming more prevalent across the country.