After winning the title of best reality competition series, The Traitors has swept their 2025 Emmys slate spotless with five wins.
While accepting the award on behalf of the series, host Alan Cumming acknowledged that “it’s a difficult time we live in, but it’s so great that our show brings a little bit of joy into this life,” while also thanking the show’s sprawling cast, crew and fanbase for their support.
“Thank you to the Academy, your support is so lovely. We really appreciate it. Thanks to everyone who watches the show. Thanks to all the people who have Traitors parties and dress up as me. We see you, we love you,” he said.
“Thank you to our cast, our crazy cast and our crew in Scotland who had to understand the concept that the Scottish summer is sometimes oxymoronic,” Cumming added.
The Traitors beat fellow nominees The Amazing Race, Survivor, Top Chef and RuPaul’s Drag Race, which notably used to dominate the category. The RuPaul-led drag competition series won best reality competition program consecutively from 2018-2021 and again in 2023, before The Traitors entered the awards conversation and won the title in 2024.
The Scotland-set reality competition show won all four of the awards the program was nominated for at the Creative Arts Emmys one week earlier. Cumming notably took home the title of best reality host for the second year in a row, while the show also won the reality picture editing, directing and cinematography Emmys.
With five Emmys under their belt from the 2025 cycle, the Cumming-hosted show has solidified itself as a major, here to stay awards contender coming off of a successful third season. Season four of The Traitors will likely arrive in January, and the series has already been renewed through a fifth season.
The franchise’s Emmys domination comes just after NBC picked up a civilian version of the beloved game. Cumming will return to host the competition series that will feature a cast of everyday people, as opposed to the main show that currently features reality TV stars and other notable personalities.
Of his hosting style, Cumming told The Hollywood Reporter he approaches Traitors as if he’s “playing a character.” He added, “I’m called Alan Cumming and I look like Alan Cumming, but that’s where it ends. It’s sort of hilarious to me because I’m asking people to really believe that I live in that castle, wear those things and even sound like that. I’m sort of subverting the form of hosting. It’s exciting, and I stumbled upon it.”
The 77th Emmy Awards aired live from the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on Sunday on CBS and streamed on Paramount+. One weekend earlier, the 2025 Creative Arts Emmys handed out dozens of awards to mostly below-the-line categories.
See the full list of 2025 Emmy Awards winners here. Plus, see the star-studded red carpet arrivals.