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Pod Meets World

Pod Meets Twirl'd: The Traitors 401

16 Jan 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: What transformations did Will and Rider undergo since last season?

0.031 - 32.478 Ryder Strong

Welcome to Pod Meets Twirl, the podcast from two guys who had never seen an episode of Dancing with the Stars, but took it on and walked away experts. So now we turn to Traitors, another show I've never seen, but Will is convinced that he could win. We are Will Friedle and Ryder Strong, two best friends, one a TV expert, one a TV skeptic, both dance scholars.

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33.139 - 42.634 Ryder Strong

Join us as we step into a castle full of lies, alliances, and over-the-top wardrobe choices. This is Pod Meets Twirled, Trading Places.

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43.035 - 43.456 Will Friedle

Yes.

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44.577 - 47.703 Ryder Strong

Will, you are looking glorious.

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48.684 - 54.947 Will Friedle

I don't know what you're talking about. I'm unaware of what's happening. I'm just prepping.

54.987 - 58.071 Ryder Strong

Oh, wow. I did not get the memo that we are doing costumes.

59.232 - 67.262 Will Friedle

No, I figured eventually I'm always going to be the traitor and you're going to be Alan Cumming. So you're just going to be more fabulous every single episode we have.

67.343 - 72.449 Ryder Strong

I got to dye my hair apparently. He's not doing just wardrobe. He's doing makeup, hair.

72.95 - 74.031 Will Friedle

Oh, yeah.

Chapter 2: What is Rider's initial impression of the castle setting?

74.011 - 82.461 Will Friedle

By the end, he's literally just wearing a yellow melted candle. It's the greatest thing ever. Okay, so. It's the best.

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82.621 - 93.515 Ryder Strong

We've ended up watching three episodes. We'll break them up into three pod episodes. But because they were all dropped right off the bat, I feel like I was thrown into the deep end.

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93.835 - 94.215 Will Friedle

You were.

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94.456 - 96.879 Ryder Strong

I spent three hours watching Traitors.

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98.04 - 103.587 Will Friedle

But tell me it wasn't a glorious three hours. You know, it's pretty glorious. Yes. It's pretty glorious.

103.627 - 119.29 Ryder Strong

You know, there's one thing that's undeniable about this show is that it knows exactly what it is. Yep. And it's going for it. Oh, yeah. All right. So I want to hear your background with the show because we're in fourth season. Have you watched all the three previous seasons? Oh, okay.

119.27 - 131.689 Will Friedle

So I was told to start with season three, which is the last season, which is then how I knew, for instance, Dylan Efron going into the dance with the stars. So no, I, this is the second season I've ever watched.

131.749 - 133.632 Ryder Strong

I'd never seen it before.

133.652 - 134.634 Will Friedle

He was one of the winners.

Chapter 3: How do Will and Rider plan to tackle the new season of The Traitors?

134.674 - 154.184 Will Friedle

Yeah. More than one person can win. It's not just one winner. So he was a faithful. Yes. Well, I guess we can tell people. Yes. So he was a faithful. Okay. And it was one of those things where I forget who told somebody at iHeart. I forget. It might have been producer Tara. It might have been Amy. I can't remember who, but somebody was like, you should watch this, Traders.

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154.965 - 175.119 Will Friedle

And Sue and I were like, was it you? Okay, perfect. Thank you. And we didn't even have... She gave us her link for Peacock to start. I've since gotten my own. But it was one of those things where... And then it was like... That's how they get you. That's how they get you. And it worked. The show got you hooked. Well, it was one of those things where I said, okay, I guess we'll watch this.

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175.239 - 189.385 Will Friedle

And by three episodes in, Sue and I were not only hooked, but saying, this is no business being as good as it is. And it's just... So addictive and wonderful. And by, I don't know, the end of the credits of the second episode, I knew I could win the whole show.

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190.407 - 211.564 Ryder Strong

OK, yeah. So, I mean, I'm I'm going to assume everybody listening has a general sense of what traders are, but or what traders is. But let's just go over it as quickly as possible to sort of lay the ground. It's essentially, from my point of view, the game Mafia. Which is like a party game that I've played before. Right. And then there's other variations on it, like Werewolf. Right.

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211.885 - 233.655 Ryder Strong

Secret Hitler is the board game version that came out, like, I want to say eight years ago that became super popular. And there are always these games where you're either one of the masses who are innocent and helpful, in this case, faithful, or a villager, or you're a killer or a mafia member or a werewolf or something. Hitler or something evil. And you won't, you don't know who's who.

233.895 - 255.884 Ryder Strong

So you sit around and you basically lie to each other's faces. These games make me so uncomfortable. My wife and I have made it a rule to never play them again because they're very, in Hollywood, these are very popular games. And, and, and my wife and I are very into games. Like we do running charades all the time. We host huge running charades. It's been a huge part of our relationship.

255.904 - 266.743 Ryder Strong

Right when we started dating, we started going to running charades games and then started hosting them ourselves. And it's become a big, like a pillar of our community to the extent that we played like a hundred person running charades game at our wedding.

267.112 - 267.553 Unknown

I know.

269.015 - 288.521 Ryder Strong

Yeah. We've done it for charity. We do it at Sundance every year. It's become like a big part of our identity. But we also, as part of our sort of gaming community of friends, we always get invited to Mafia and Werewolf Nights and Secret Hitler games. And we've only played a couple of times. And the last time we played Secret Hitler, I want to say, was like eight years ago.

Chapter 4: What are the similarities between The Traitors and classic party games?

320.876 - 338.949 Ryder Strong

I was like, you're right. I'm totally I'm totally a fascist. I'm sorry. I just I can't do it. In that same game, my wife played it so well that when we finished, the game was over and somebody was so pissed. They were like, you're actually a Nazi. You're actually a Nazi. And like got in her face. Oh God. And Alex was like, we can't do this anymore.

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338.969 - 349.549 Ryder Strong

Like this game, like these games are too emotional. And I'm like, great. Cause I hate these things. So, so I would be horrible on traders. I could not take, I mean, like I watch faithful.

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350.255 - 363.273 Will Friedle

Because, again, what you're doing, what you're doing as a faithful, it's essentially you're a detective. You're trying to. And that's the other thing. It's like a memory game, too, because what did you say three days ago? Because that doesn't match up with what you just said now. And so that I think you'd be very good at.

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363.293 - 370.343 Ryder Strong

But I would be terrified to be sitting there. And I feel like everybody on this show is so excited to be a traitor. Like that's all they want to do.

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370.363 - 370.623 Will Friedle

Right.

371.084 - 371.925 Ryder Strong

I'm not that.

371.905 - 379.775 Will Friedle

I think I'd want to be a faithful as much as, as much as I can wear the hell out of a cloak. I think, I think I'd want to be a faithful.

380.276 - 382.98 Ryder Strong

Cause I want to be, it was that you're a sociopath who wanted to.

383.46 - 400.883 Will Friedle

Oh, I didn't say I wouldn't be great as being a trader. Cause I would, that was the same thing. I told Sue when we first got together and obviously this is not a conversation you should ever have to have with your partner, but because I'm an actor because of the way I am, because I am incredibly good at lying. I said to her, I said, I'm never ever going to lie to you.

Chapter 5: What strategies do the contestants use to identify the traitors?

677.513 - 678.556 Ryder Strong

It's a beautiful castle.

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678.716 - 683.667 Will Friedle

I know. And again, then you've got one of the most fabulous hosts in the history of the world.

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684.308 - 693.347 Ryder Strong

Yeah. So Alan Cumming, I've seen him on stage a couple of times. He's one of these legendary, legendary actors who doesn't often get to do his own accent.

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693.982 - 698.948 Ryder Strong

He really does have that Scottish accent and man, he is letting it, letting it fly.

698.988 - 717.15 Will Friedle

Was I with you in New York when we saw him at, you and I were having lunch somewhere and then he came in a full lime green with the tiny little dog on the leash. Was, I want to say that you and I were together when we saw him. Yes.

717.33 - 723.437 Ryder Strong

Thank you. Yeah, that's right. He had like a full, like a, like an overcoat that was green and a hat too, I think.

723.518 - 724.859 Will Friedle

Yeah, of course. That's so funny.

725.5 - 728.283 Ryder Strong

So this really is kind of his style to be this way.

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