“The Traitors”' Alan Cumming Teases Matching Outfits with His Dog for Season 2: 'She Really Is a Pro'

The Peacock host tells PEOPLE that, in season 2, he'll be wearing more "campy" looks that feature capes, cloaks and "themed hats."

On Friday, Alan Cumming will welcome 21 new contestants to season 2 of The Traitors — plus one furry friend.

Cumming, 58, tells PEOPLE his dog Lala will be by his side when he hosts the new season of the Peacock reality competition. The actor planned to have his pup join him for season 1 to help him make his Traitors persona more "like a James Bond villain," he says, but COVID got in the way.

"She was supposed to come last time, but because of COIVD, her jabs had gone out of date when the vet was closed, so there were a few months where I couldn't travel with her," Cumming explains.

Related: The Traitors Promises 'Chaos' and 'Diabolical Twists' in Season 2 Trailer: 'Hold on to Your Kilts, Dearies'

The Tony Award winner received praise for his season 1 outfits, which included tartan suits and a velvet purple smoking jacket. This season, Cumming, who works with stylist Sam Spector, teases more "campy" looks that feature capes, cloaks, and "themed hats with the missions." "I love I've brought capes back into the fashion lexicon," he quips.

Of course, Lala will also get in on the fashion fun.

"She's got a little wardrobe upstairs," Cumming says, referring to the Scottish castle where The Traitors films. "There's a few matching matches. She's got a little cloak."

Lala's no newcomer to the glamour that comes with being on screen.

"She's been on camera quite a lot so far," Cumming says. "She really is a pro. She's very well-behaved. She's quite used to film sets and stuff like that. She's done a few things."

Lala's star is so large that she gets recognized on the street. "I was walking her, and this lady just said, 'Is that Lala?'" the four-time Emmy nominee recalls. "And I went, 'Yes.' And she said, 'Oh, she's much smaller than she looks in pictures.' I said, 'We all look bigger on TV.' "

Cumming believes Lala creates a "nicer, kinder atmosphere" on set, especially one like The Traitors, where the competitors all want to walk away with the $250,000 grand prize. He finds season 2 and its all-celebrity cast to be "much more intense" than season 1, which also included layperson contestants.

"I think people know what the game is like now," Cumming says. "They're all wearing their gaming on their sleeve, definitely. It's much more conscious. The Traitors in the first chat are very conscious of how good people have been in the past at these sorts of things and whether that's a benefit to them being a Traitor or not. And the double bluffing, it's taken it up a notch, which I really think is going to be fireworks."

The Scotland native says, "there's a class system" among the season 2 cast based on the shows on which everyone previously appeared.

"Survivor [contestants] are a bit snobby about the Housewives," Cumming continues. "But the British, like John [Bercow] and Ekin-Su [Cülcüloğlu], I think nobody knew who John was, nobody has a clue. And that's hilarious."

Cumming interviews all of the contestants at the start of the season, but the producers have the final say on who becomes a Traitor and who stays a Faithful.

"It's not ultimately down to me, but I definitely am a part of that," he says. "It's actually great. Sam [Rees-Jones], the producer who's in my ear, literally the voice inside my head, we talk about stuff all the time because when I'm here on the floor or in missions, whatever, I'm talking to them. But under my breath, I'm saying things to him, and he's telling me things."

Related: Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan Join 'The Traitors' Season 2 Cast (Exclusive)

Traitor or Faithful, Cumming advises competitors: "Stay calm, bring your wellies."

"What amazes me is how intelligent people just do the stupidest things, that I would probably do it too because you are in this world," the Romy and Michele's High School Reunion star says. "That's why it's this combination of Big Brother, and Survivor, and Clue, I suppose. It is a combination of these things. It's like three shows all on top, like a sandwich."

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The Traitors season 2 premieres Friday on Peacock.

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