'I asked Americans to watch The Traitors and their reaction shocked me'

When I first asked Americans to watch The Traitors, I honestly thought they'd hate it. I assumed they'd find it too British - too slow, too polite, too many cloaks and dramatic stares across candlelit tables. After all, this is the country that gave us Survivor, The Real Housewives of everywhere and The Bachelor - reality TV powered by emotional chaos. Meanwhile, The Traitors is psychological warfare in wool capes and knitwear. Surely, I thought, Americans just simply wouldn't get it.

I was wrong. Badly wrong. To test my theory, I asked a retired couple from New Orleans - Brad and Kathy Collins - to watch the BBC series. They're not exactly reality TV obsessives. They don't scroll Reddit threads about game strategy or scream at the TV during eliminations. But by episode three? They were fully invested. Kathy went first - polite, well-established, dabbles in the occasional reality TV fare.

She told me: "My insight on The Traitors was that I actually found the series quite good. I love the accents, I liked Claudia a lot and enjoyed getting to know the characters.

"I really loved how everyone played the game. I didn't think this would be the case going into it but I got more invested.

"I actually plan to keep watching because I'm curious about the strategy - how they stay under the radar and play to win has really piqued my interest."

Then came Brad - and he was a tough sell. Reality TV isn't usually on his menu. Golf? Yes. The nightly news? Absolutely. Psychological mind games in a Scottish castle? Not so much. But, he also surprised me.

"I thought overall it's a really entertaining show," he said. "At first I felt not too sure about the show as I found it hard to empathize with or like most of contestants.

"Over time after watching the first few episodes this changed and I began to enjoy how the game played out and the contestants became more interesting.

"I especially liked the host's character as it developed. Eventually I was hooked and wanted to see how the show played out. Would recommend the show to anyone, especially fans of gamesmanship and intrigue."

So what's the verdict? Forget glitter and overproduced drama - Americans have discovered the dark joy of quiet British betrayal.

What starts as a polite psychological game turns into something primal: suspicion, loyalty, betrayal. It's human nature on TV - and apparently, that translates in every accent.

America might not have embraced the series like us Brits in the UK - Or Claudia's fringe - But you know what? They're watching. And like the rest of us, they're not stopping any time soon.