How similar is The Fortune Hotel to The Traitors?
Viewers have compared the two game shows
The Fortune Hotel has opened its doors and one thing has got everyone asking, is it just The Traitors on the beach?
ITV’s new game show got under way on Monday 13 May, with contestants vying for a £250,000 jackpot under the watchful eye of host Stephen Mangan. Viewers were gripped by the action but plenty also claimed the series was very close to the BBC show, with some joking that it was just “The Traitors with suitcases” and others calling it a "carbon copy".
So how do the shows match up? We have a look at the similarities – and differences – between The Fortune Hotel and The Traitors.
How do the shows work?
The Fortune Hotel
In The Fortune Hotel, pairs of contestants staying at a holiday resort are each given a case. Most are empty but one contains the £250,000 jackpot and one contains an early check out card, which effectively means elimination for whoever is left with it at the end.
The aim of the game is to swap the cases around in a dramatic pass the parcel to try and nab the money prize - while avoiding the check out card.
Every episode ends in a nail-biting case swap in the Lady Luck bar, with each pair deciding whether to keep or trade their case.
The Traitors
The Traitors is all about secrets too, but while the hotel guests have to hide what's in their cases, in the BBC show the contestants have to conceal their true role in the game.
The contenders are tasked with unmasking and banishing all of the Traitors hiding in their midst in order to get their hands on the prize. If all Traitors are banished, the others win the money. But if any Traitors have managed to sneak under the radar and make it to the end, they pocket it all.
Most episodes include a high drama Round Table run by host Claudia Winkleman, where it's all tension and tears as the participants point the finger at whoever they think is a Traitor. It leads to a dramatic banishment, with many an innocent member of the group culled in the group's bid to sniff out the baddies.
The contestants
The Fortune Hotel
ITV's show sees 20 people start out in the competition, with 10 pairs of two people. The duos include married couples, a mother and son and close friends. The hopefuls are quickly split, with whoever gets the money being dubbed the Fortune Holders and the rest becoming the Fortune Hunters.
The unlucky couple who opened their case to see the dreaded early check out card were named The Unfortunates.
The Traitors
Twenty-two strangers rock up at the start of The Traitors but they are whittled down fast, with one banished on most days. The BBC show also divides its contestants, with the innocent members dubbed Faithfuls.
What are the prize funds?
The Fortune Hotel
It looks as if whoever wins the Fortune Hotel will pocket a life-changing amount of money, with £250,000 up for grabs. However, as it is early days for the series yet, it remains to be seen whether there will be any twists that could chip away at the pot.
The Traitors
The Traitors isn't quite as lucrative, as the maximum prize that the winner can walk away with is £120,000. During the course of the series, competitors get the chance to boost the prize pool through daily tasks and challenges.
Series one winners Aaron Evans, Hannah Byczkowski and Meryl Williams won £101,050 between them. And series two champ Harry Clark walked away with £95,150.
The gameplay
The Fortune Hotel
The gameplay is one of the main things that has got viewers comparing the two programmes, with both contestants in both needing to reply on deceit and trickery to triumph.
In The Fortune Hotel, the participants have to bluff and blag to try and convince others of what they have in their cases. Anyone stuck with the check out card needs to slyly convince the others they are sitting on the cash. And the real Fortune Holders will need to play it cool to throw their rivals off the trail.
Ramping up the fun is the fact that viewers at home know exactly what's in the cases, so can watch all the strategies playing out.
The Traitors
The Traitors is a similar beast, with secrets at the heart of the BBC show too. In the two series that have aired so far, viewers have seen friendships rocked by the deceit and backstabbing as the real Traitors insist on their innocence and the Faithfuls try to sweet talk the truth out of them.
Both shows also include challenges for the hopefuls, where little insights might be gained. Plus there's the dark, dramatic soundtrack, with some fans convinced the programmes are using the same "cloak-and-dagger" music.
The location
The Fortune Hotel
One area where the shows clearly differ is the location. The Fortune Hotel serves up a slice of summer with its picturesque setting in the Caribbean. The contestants are all being put up in a plush resort, with sun, sand and sea on tap while they try and eliminate the competition.
The Traitors
The setting of The Traitors is no less grand. Filming takes place at Ardross Castle in the Scottish highlands, although the Traitors and Faithfuls don’t actually get to sleep in the castle overnight, staying at a hotel nearby instead.
As filming locations go, the 19th century Baronial-style castle is certainly not too shabby - with its grand breakfast room and lush furnishings. But it is very different to The Fortune Hotel, with its twists and turns playing out in the dim Round Table room and the murky Turret rather than poolside under the palm trees.
