Heading into the ninth episode of The Traitors: New Blood, Tomica Adams had just become the first Traitor banished by an otherwise frustratingly unsuccessful group of Faithful. The much-maligned Victor Vollbrechthausen led the charge against Tomica with his “Fruitgate” theory. Despite many players not believing him for weeks, the vote was 10–2 to banish Tomica.
Among the votes to banish Tomica were her two partners in crime, Joe Vanella and Katie Fites, who are down an ally as they join the nine remaining Faithful in the dining room for one of Alan Cumming’s special dinners, followed by a game called “Pass the Poisoned Chalice.”
After five missions and their first successful banishment, the players’ prize pot sits at $127,300. Playing as Traitors are Joe and Katie. The remaining Faithful are Shane Beatty, Abbey Benjamin, Morgan Cook, Wyatt Gillespie, Kriste Lewis, Ben McDonnell, Clyde Moser, Jay Vinnedge, and Victor Vollbrechthausen.
Read on for our recap of the important moments from Episode 9 of The Traitors: New Blood, titled “Playing Chess” which aired Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. PT on NBC.
The Poisoned Chalice
Following a dinner where the last 11 players share their reasons for competing in the game and what they plan to spend the prize money on, Alan invites them to join him outside for a game. Before the feast, Joe and Katie were told to select one player to receive the Poisoned Chalice, but they also knew no player would be forced to drink from the glass assigned to them. Instead, once outside, the players are informed that one of the 11 glasses is poisoned and that they have two minutes to choose whether to swap glasses. If, in the end, a Faithful drinks from the Poisoned Chalice, they will be murdered, but if a Traitor does, there will be no murder.
Believing himself to have received the Poisoned Chalice from the start, Victor makes every attempt he can to switch glasses, first directly to Joe, then to Katie, and then with anyone willing, but comes up short and is forced to keep the glass assigned to him. The only swap that occurs is one initiated by Shane with Joe.
At breakfast the next morning, Victor is the last one to enter, and Morgan is revealed as the player who was assigned and drank from the Poisoned Chalice.
The Mission
For the next mission, the players head to the creepy cabin in the woods, where they receive phone calls from spooky spirits looking to be reunited with treasures left behind in the cabin. For each correctly identified item, the group adds $9,000 to the prize pot. After sampling some nasty bottles of expired drinks, sifting through bug-infested wedding gowns, and watching Abbey bravely get dunked headfirst into a toilet, the group walks away with an additional $18,000, and Victor cunningly snatches the only Shield made available during the mission without anyone noticing.
n the cars on the way back to the castle, three names make the rounds as possibilities for the next banishment. Kriste suspects Wyatt because Abby Lee targeted him before she was murdered. Victor still wants to pursue his theory and banish Joe, and Ben floats Kriste’s name, assuming she was an early recruit after making herself a target at the first Round Table.
Find out if Wyatt, Joe, or Kriste is the next to be banished when The Traitors: New Blood returns next week with Episode 10.
