Exclusive Interview: Parvati Shallow, Peppermint, and Sandra Diaz-Twine Talk ‘The Traitors 2,’ Adapting to the Cast and Twists, and More

The Traitors is a nail-biting psychological adventure in which treachery and deceit are the name of the game. Entertainment’s most competitive reality stars and famous faces play the ultimate murder mystery game. Hosted by award-winning actor Alan Cumming at an ancient castle set deep in the Scottish Highlands, contestants work together on a series of exhilarating missions to build a prize fund worth up to $250,000.

Hidden amongst the Faithful are the Traitors, whose goal is to eliminate the Faithful and claim the prize for themselves. Under the cover of darkness, the Traitors murder the Faithful one by one in a treacherous spree, while the Faithful try to uncover the Traitors and banish them from the game. If the Faithful contestants banish all the Traitors, they will share the prize fund, but if a Traitor or Traitors makes it to the end, they will steal all the money.

Among the competitors this season are Parvati Shallow (Survivor), Peppermint (RuPaul’s Drag Race), and Sandra Diaz-Twine (Survivor).

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Parvati, Peppermint, and Sandra about The Traitors 2, their initial game plans, adapting to the casts and twists, and more.

PC: Parvati, adaptability is such a key component in being successful in any competition show. You’ve done that so brilliantly on Survivor. Having built a reputation as the Black Widow, was your strategy to lean into that or stray away from it? How did you adapt your gameplay to the cast and various twists?
Parvati: Wow, that’s a very thorough question. I didn’t really want to play into the Black Widow. I wanted to come in and be more unassuming because the cast is full of people that aren’t necessarily game players. There are people from Love Island, Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars, and John Bercow (Speaker of the House). These are individuals who aren’t necessarily gamers. If I could avoid having a target on me, that’s what I wanted to do. So I aimed to come in, be charming, smile, be friendly, and as non-threatening as possible, and make friends and create some bonds. That was my plan this time, so I could fly under the radar.

PC: Peppermint, one of the reasons why you came onto this show was to continue using your platform to advocate for the transgender community, which you’ve undoubtedly done. How did that motivation and strong sense of purpose aid you throughout this experience?
Peppermint: I’m not sure. You probably know more than me. I hope it didn’t hinder me; it may have. Because I was definitely focused on the community. I’m not only a drag queen on RuPaul’s Drag Race, but I also work as an activist outside in the real world, so I brought a lot of that with me into the castle, which is really important. I’ll never let go of the LGBTQ+ community and advocating for them no matter what I’m doing. I enter the room as a Black trans woman, and that’s something I can’t separate. That instantly means that whatever people think about the community before they meet me is what they’re going to serve me when they do meet me, especially because it seems there were plenty of people in that house who never watched RuPaul’s Drag Race before. I do think that may have hindered me if I had maybe spent more time focusing on how to be conniving rather than making sure that people understood who the trans community and the LGBTQ+ community really are. Maybe I would have lasted a little longer in the game.

PC: Sandra, your reputation as one of the best players to ever play Survivor precedes itself. It’s your social game and your ability to connect with people that has led to the success that you’ve had. As Parvati said earlier, there’s such a wide mix of different contestants on this show. How were you able to bring all of your skills to this series where you’re competing against politicians, boxers, and other reality show winners? How would your strategy have varied if you were or were not selected as a Traitor?
Sandra: For me, it was entirely my social game because I can’t rely on being a physical threat or doing anything athletic and being good at that. I wanted to get to know every single person. Peppermint, everyone loved you out there. For me, it was my social game. Like Parvati and Peppermint said, a lot of people didn’t watch Survivor. All they knew was who won the last season. So right there, we had an obstacle because everyone assumed it was the survivors or the Big Brother players who get picked as Traitors. But for me, it was my social game. That’s all I have. I don’t have anything else. I wanted to make sure to speak to everyone. Then I got a sense early on as to who wanted to be my friend and who didn’t. It’s obvious.

PC: You’re all legends. This season has such a star-studded cast. Who’s somebody that you’ve competed alongside in your respective franchises that would do well on Traitors 3?
Parvati: Tyson [Apostol] would be amazing on The Traitors. I’ve already told him he has to do it.

Sandra: I think Kelley Wentworth would be a good one.

Peppermint: I’d say Tammie Brown. She’s the ultimate decoy. People would be like, “What the hell are you talking about?” She’s so random and seems disconnected. She’s literally on her planet. I think that people would be so thrown off by her; they wouldn’t know whether they wanted to marry or murder her.

Make sure to follow Parvati (Instagram), Peppermint (Instagram), and Sandra (Twitter/Instagram). Stream The Traitors 2 on Peacock today.

Photo Credit: Peacock