The Traitors: New Blood Premiere Recap: Alan Picks His 'Cutthroat Cabal' And Introduces A Devilish New Accomplice Twist

The time is nigh for "New Blood." 

"The Traitors" returned to us faithful viewers Thursday night, and along with its two-hour premiere came a couple key changes. First off, host Alan Cumming welcomed 22 fresh-faced contestants into his castle — no Housewives here! — for the very first time in the show's history, following in the footsteps of its British counterpart. Without any "gamers" leading the charge, "The Traitors: New Blood" (which is being referred to as Season 5 by the network) is anyone's game. The other new component: The show is airing on NBC this time around instead of on Peacock (though episodes will stream there next day).

So who will survive and win up to a quarter-mill, and who will DIE!? (Metaphorically, that is!) Bring on the drama and murder! Let's dive into premiere night's biggest moments below. 

After some of the newbies' brief introductions, one thing sticks out the most: Mississippi realtor Kriste has never ridden a train before. (Like, ever, ever?! Does Mississippi not have trains? Has she never left her state? How did a woman in her 50s avoid that particular mode of transportation for so long? I have a lot of follow up questions here.) Anyway, there's also a pilot, an ironworker, a writer... but will any of these skills be useful on "The Traitors"? Heck if I know, but we're about to find out. 

Once the cast arrives at the castle, Alan announces that, for the first time ever, each Traitor banishment will bank the team an additional $15,000. That's some nice money in the bank, baby! While the cast ooohs and ahhhs at the same castle we've seen a buncha times before, I'm ready to get into it. Let's pick these Traitors already, Alan! 

With the players assembled around the roundtable, the theater finally begins. Alan's chosen few are Joe, a chatty 44-year-old funeral director from Wantagh, N.Y.; Tomica, a 54-year-old pilot from Boston; and... wait. Only two Traitors? Shortly after, he tells the group that the "cutthroat cabal" is not yet complete, and that one more player will soon be chosen to join the dark side.

After plundering some treasure chests in their first mission, the group banks $50,000, while Victor, Abby L., and Madeline snatch up the game's first three shields. 

After Tomica and Joe finally meet in the turret, Alan shows face to tell them that they will get to choose their third compadre. But first, they must select two players as accomplices. Those players will then go through a series of tests to prove that they have what it takes to earn their robe. At the end of that trial period, Tomica and Joe will select one of them as a Traitor. The other gets the axe!

Episode 2 reveals that Katie (the 23-year-old marketing manager from Jacksonville, Florida) and Xavier (the 38-year-old MLB analyst from Wesley Chapel, Florida) were chosen by Joe and Tomica as the accomplices in training. And before the night is through, the first victim is put into a casket and sent down a river. That victim, the rest of the Faithfuls learn the next morning, is... Coach lawyer Kim. 

After Alan buys every single brooch he could find within Scotland's legal borders, he tells the group that they'll be going from breakfast to the roundtable. During their short time in between, Xavier decides to target his fellow accomplice Katie. (Little does he know, he does it in front of both Joe and Tomica.) 

In a private conversation between Madeline, Victor, and Kriste, Kriste thinks she hears Madeline say that she feels bad for picking Kim. (What she actually said was, "I'd feel like s**t for picking Kim.") After Victor takes heat for immediately running for a shield during the mission, Kriste naturally brings up what she thought she heard minutes before. Madeline of course denies saying it, causing Kriste to get fired up. (And boy, is she coming in hot! Lady, it's only the first roundtable, chill!) She is so resolute about hearing the wrong thing that it's comical, to the detriment of poor Mads, of course. 

In other news, there's apparently evidence in how sweaty Victor has been, but he exclaims: "I'm a sweaty boy, guys!" Then, everyone starts talking about the trials and tribulations of being sweaty on a reality show, which is just the dog and pony show it sounds like. Victor and Madeline both get heaps of votes, but it's Madeline who is ultimately banished from the game. The perpetually perspiring Victor lives to see another day. 

To cap off the episode, the accomplices must each retrieve a blank death warrant that's hidden in a book, one in the atrium and one in the library. If either of them fail to secure a warrant before their face-to-face meeting with the Traitors, they'll be automatically eliminated from the game. Will they be able to get the job done? We'll have to wait until next week to find out.

What did you think of the premiere of "The Traitors: New Blood"? Grade the combined two hours below, then light up the comments!