After weeks of speculation, comedian and actress Madeleine Sami has been announced as the new host of The Traitors NZ, the Herald can exclusively reveal.
Following the departure of season one and two host Paul Henry, who has joined the board of the show’s rival broadcaster TVNZ, Sami will step into the hotly contested role, presiding over contestants, faithfuls and traitors, vying for a cash prize on the hit Three show.
Speaking to the Herald, Sami said she couldn’t be more excited to step into the shoes first made famous by the UK’s Claudia Winkleman.
“I’m a huge fan of the show, Claudia Winkleman especially, and it’s such a great franchise, such a successful show, and a lot of naughty fun, which is kind of my MO. So I’m very thrilled and honoured to be jumping on board.”
Sami, who starred in The Breaker Upperers, Deadloch, Sione’s Wedding and Taika Waititi’s Our Flag Means Death, says she couldn’t contain her excitement when the call came in, suddenly confirming the hosting role.
“It was all very last-minute because Paul [Henry] jumped off, and then there was a flurry of [the production company] trying to see a bunch of people and fill that position, and so it came in very last second. It was a bit out-of-the-blue to be auditioning, so when I got the call, I gave out a little squeal.”
The reality competition pits a group of strangers against one another in a remote location where a handful of them are marked as traitors, who have the job of “murdering” their fellow contestants one by one.
The faithful contestants try to vote out the traitors each night. If a traitor is among the last contestants standing, they win all the prizemoney. If it’s just faithfuls, they split the pool.
Sami says she’s most excited to see how contestants behave in the strange environment, a heritage home in a secret location.
“I’m really excited to observe human behaviour and the way groups of people act together under this kind of stress and pressure – it’s obviously kind of like what I’ve done for my whole life as an actor.
“It’s really fun to have a front row seat to watching the story of the season take place,” the 45-year-old adds.
With Henry having two drama-filled seasons under his belt as a host, will Sami be taking any lessons from the broadcasting veteran and his Traitors persona?
“Paul Henry as a human being is just a very mischievous kind of spirit,” Sami says with a laugh.
“I think that’s in the spirit of the show – his personality and that sort of playfulness, cheekiness and kind of naughtiness, it’s really essential. So I’m very happy to pick up where he left off, carry that bat on for my own.”
Sami is set to be the first female to host the New Zealand iteration of the show, something she says she’s thrilled about and not taking lightly.
“I‘ll tell you what, I’m putting in the hours now, so let’s see what happens. I’m just really excited to bring my persona to the role. I’m not giving anything away, but it’s going to be great.”
So how does she think she might fare as a contestant on the show?
“I think I’d be a terrible contestant. I joked about this the other day, you know, as a moderately successful, occasionally award-winning actress, I always tried and hoped to use my power for good,” she says.
“Contrary to popular belief, I find lying quite hard to do in real life. I’d have to completely immerse myself in some sort of character and then I think everyone would just know the jig is up.”
Thankfully for Sami, her role as host will place her on the other side of the schemes, and she says that’s where she is most comfortable and most grateful to be.
“It’s so much less pressure to be the host, so I’m very excited to see what happens. I can’t wait.”