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Everything to Know About The Traitors' Carolyn Wiger: Can She "Outlast" the Competition?
The Survivor free spirit joins the posh life on The Traitors Season 3 in Scotland.
Come January when Peacock’s Emmy Award-winning series The Traitors returns for its third season, there's going to be a mini-reunion of four separate Survivor players coalescing under Ardross Castle's stately roof in Scotland.
Yes, the show's Emmy Award-winning host Alan Cumming is going to have to retrain these competitors to apply their "outwit, outplay, outlast" training toward becoming the best Faithful or Traitor they can. If their skills translate — like those of Season 1 winner Cirie Fields — then any one of them could find themselves rewarded with a cash prize of up to $250,000.
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In our latest NBC Insider deep-dive exploration of the 21 announced contestants for The Traitors Season 3, we focus our attention on former Survivor Season 44 player Carolyn Wiger, whose big personality saw her through to the very end of her season, if not the actual $1 million prize.
Can her earnestness as a recovery counselor and propensity for saying exactly what she thinks work in a castle full of reality players who judge quickly and then think about the consequences of their strategy later?
Carolyn Wiger's fans include a major recording artist
A Minnesota native and drug counselor by profession, Carolyn admits she came to her career by experiencing addiction personally. She told Parade Magazine that getting sober actually prepared her well for Survivor.
"Active addiction is mental and emotional torture," she said bluntly. "It took me years to realize my mistakes don't define me. I've worked hard to become this person I am proud of. I know this game will break me down but I am strong, resilient, and most importantly I believe in myself!"
While Carolyn may not be a million-dollar Survivor, she did walk away from the competition with a slew of new fans who admired her for her quirky and candid nature, her empathy as a recovering addict, and her "emotional" playing style.
In fact, a Gold Derby poll right after the May 2023 finale found that 54 percent of Survivor Season 44 viewers thought that Carolyn should have won.
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One of the most famous to agree with that sentiment was equally quirky singer/songwriter Sia Furler, who is a Survivor super fan. She surprised Carolyn during her press tour during a call-in show and said, "I just loved watching you and I loved how authentic you are. You were and are by far my fast favorite player in forever, and I wanted to offer you $100,000 for you and your son, because I know that you have been struggling."
As someone who has publicly revealed her battles with depression and substance abuse, Carolyn was brought to tears by the vote of confidence and the financial gesture.
Carolyn said in May 2024 that she was now 15 years sober, is a life coach, and is now single. Now what remains to be seen is whether Carolyn's eclectic approach to competition reality play will be as beguiling to a bunch of reality stars and celebs inside The Traitors castle.
The Traitors will return for its third outing starting on January 9, with the recently renewed Seasons 4 and 5 coming down the line.
Catch up on Seasons 1 and 2 of The Traitors, now available on Peacock.
