Faithful vs Traitor strategy: what the US winners actually did

Four American seasons, four finales, and a scoreline that could not be more even: the Traitors have won twice and the Faithful have won twice. That makes the US version a pretty good laboratory for the question every viewer shouts at the screen. What actually works?

Here is what the winners did, according to the game record and their own interviews. Everything below is from seasons one to four. Nothing here touches the season currently airing.

Season 1: Cirie Fields and the art of saying nothing

Cirie Fields was one of three original Traitors in season 1, alongside Cody Calafiore and Christian de la Torre. Cody was banished in episode 6 and Christian in episode 9. Cirie was never really in the frame.

Her own explanation, given to Us Weekly after the finale, is almost insultingly simple. She rarely offered names herself. She went along with the names other people brought to the table, and she credits her tight numbers with two allies for keeping her own name out of circulation. She told E! News her advice for future players was to read the room, find the most trusted person in the game and stick close to them. For her, that was Andie Vanacore.

The endgame was a masterpiece of nerve. At the final four, the first vote went 3 to 1 in favour of ending, with Cirie the lone vote to banish again. Arie Luyendyk Jr., recruited as a Traitor in episode 7, then took himself out and admitted he was a Traitor. Cirie told Us Weekly she did not want to split the money with someone who had only just joined. The remaining three voted to end, and she walked away with the full $250,000 while Quentin Jiles and Andie finished as runners-up.

The Traitor lesson: never lead a charge. Let the Faithful do your accusing for you.

Season 2: CT and Trishelle strike first

Season 2 was the first time the American Faithful won, and they did it by catching every single Traitor. Dan Gheesling and Phaedra Parks started as Traitors and recruited Parvati Shallow in episode 1. After Parvati was caught, Phaedra used an ultimatum to turn Kate Chastain. All four were banished: Dan in episode 6, Parvati in episode 8, Phaedra in episode 10 and Kate in episode 11.

The finale showed how brutal a clean Faithful win can be. Kate was the only player who voted to end the game, so the group banished again and removed her. Then the last three split three ways on a banishment vote before Mercedes "MJ" Javid, a Faithful, went out 2 to 1 on the revote. Chris "CT" Tamburello and Trishelle Cannatella split $208,100.

Talking to NBC Insider, the pair said years of eliminations on The Challenge had made them numb to the drama. CT said he trusted exactly one person and wanted to go all the way. Their approach was to strike first rather than wait to be picked off.

The Faithful lesson: a small, tight pair beats a big, loose alliance, and sentiment is expensive at the fire.

Season 3: four Faithful and a 10 out of 10

Season 3 was a Faithful rout. The original Traitors were Bob the Drag Queen, Carolyn Wiger and Danielle Reyes, with Rob Mariano added in episode 2. Bob went in episode 4, Rob in episode 7 and Carolyn in episode 9. Danielle then gave Britney Haynes an ultimatum and Britney accepted. Danielle lost a tied Round Table on the revote, and Britney followed 4 to 1 before the remaining four voted unanimously to end.

Dolores Catania, Dylan Efron, Ivar Mountbatten and Gabby Windey split $204,300, which is $51,075 each and the largest winning group so far. Under that season's new rule, Britney left without her role being revealed, so the four had to end the game on conviction alone. TVLine asked how sure they were. Dolores said 10 out of 10; Ivar said 8, because you can never be fully sure. Dylan said the case against Britney was strong and they were tired of banishing.

Dolores also admitted some of her votes along the way were off, because she had been judging people by their real-life personas rather than by how they were playing. That might be the single most useful confession in the show's history.

The Faithful lesson: judge the game being played, not the reputation walking in the door.

Season 4: Rob Rausch plays dumb and plays everyone

Season 4 started with Rob Rausch, Lisa Rinna and Candiace Dillard Bassett as Traitors, plus Donna Kelce as a Secret Traitor. Donna went in episode 3, Lisa in episode 7 and Candiace in episode 8. Rob, suddenly alone, used the ultimatum to recruit Eric Nam, then won the Dagger and used its double vote to help banish Natalie Anderson in episode 10.

At the fire, the final four of Rob, Maura Higgins, Eric and Tara Lipinski voted to keep banishing. Tara went. Then Rob and Maura banished Eric, which means Rob voted out his own recruit. Rob took the $220,800 alone, and TODAY reports Maura kept waiting for him to say he was joking.

Rob told TheWrap he played someone who was not especially smart and not there to win, and that he kept asking questions rather than making statements. He picked Eric as his recruit because Eric was trusted enough to reach the end but less trusted than Rob, so Eric would be the one banished at the fire. He credits Love Island with teaching him to stay calm, since nobody was really dying.

The Traitor lesson: pick your recruit for the final, not for the week.

What the pattern says

• Both Traitor winners stayed quiet at the table. Cirie followed; Rob asked questions. Neither led the loudest accusations.
• Both Traitor winners were alone at the end by design, not by accident, and both were willing to cut loose a partner.
• Both Faithful wins came from groups that caught every Traitor, which is the only way the Faithful win at all.
• The no-reveal rule rewards confidence. The season 3 four ended it at 10 out of 10; a group at 6 out of 10 might not have.

Want the full record? Every season has its own page in the archive, and the winners have profiles in Past Players. For fantasy purposes, the lesson is that the quiet ones score late and the loud ones score early. Read how that shows up in the points.