The Traitors: New Blood Season 5 Episode 8 The Traitors: New Blood Season 1 Episode 8 Review: A Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch

The Traitors: New Blood Season 1 Episode 8 Review: A Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch

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Fruitgate continues. Victor gets an unexpected second life, but it stagnates The Traitors: New Blood Season 1 Episode 8, “A Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch.” Great storytelling isn’t just rehashing the same storyline over and over again.

This is why the latest version of the gigantic franchise isn’t holding up to previous editions yet. It is just becoming lost in the Fruitgate and Victor show.

Victor is a charismatic and entertaining lead, but we want more. 

The Traitors: New Blood Season 5 Episode 8 The Traitors: New Blood Season 1 Episode 8 Review: A Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch
THE TRAITORS (NBC) — The Traitors: New Blood — “A Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch” Episode 508 — Pictured: (l-r) Wyatt Gillespie, Kriste Lewis, Joe Vanella — (Photo by: Euan Cherry/NBC)

We need to build the show beyond this storyline, but that isn’t likely to happen for a couple more episodes.

We already know that next week will likely revolve heavily around whether Joe can escape the stink of the Fruitgate theory. He might, but that doesn’t seem plausible.

Now that Tomica has been a confirmed Traitor, Victor becomes the Faithful to trust. If he nails a second one, Victor will skate far to the end, if not win.

The fate of the remaining traitors on The Traitors: New Blood may come down to whether a recruitment can save them from total extinction. Katie doesn’t have a ton of suspicion on her now, but she was one of the early suspects.

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It’s bound to circle back to her before the finale. A lot of pressure may be on a recruit to save the Traitors and the season.

The Traitors: New Blood Season 5 Episode 8 The Traitors: New Blood Season 1 Episode 8 Review: A Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch
THE TRAITORS (NBC) — The Traitors: New Blood — “A Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch” Episode 508 — Pictured: Alan Cumming — (Photo by: Euan Cherry/NBC)

It’s hard to tell if the issues with this season are the fault of the editors or casting. Victor is clearly a star, and the Traitors seem to be as well. Yet, there is very little focus on anyone else. We briefly got a glimpse of Jay and his chaotic gameplay.

Now he’s taking a backseat to this Frutigate storyline. But what’s Jay doing? What’s Shane doing? He has such an important role in “A Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch,” and then he’s only seen here and there.

We need to learn more about these other people. We’re in episode 8, and the same problems persist.

We appreciate that the show isn’t just trying to be a repeat of  The Traitors: US, because it’s far less dramatic. However, it’s also lacking some of the iconic characters and moments.

You can create that with civilians. Many of the international versions only have civilians and not celebrities or reality TV stars. It’s just about learning to tell a compelling story over the course of a few episodes.

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The Traitors: New Blood Season 5 Episode 8 The Traitors: New Blood Season 1 Episode 8 Review: A Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch
THE TRAITORS (NBC) — The Traitors: New Blood — “A Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch” Episode 508 — Pictured: Alan Cumming — (Photo by: Euan Cherry/NBC)

There is one there, but it’s getting ignored for some reason to focus on the one drop of juice that has caused the internet to buzz. This makes us worry about what happens if Victor gets rid of Joe and Tomica.

Is there anything in the remaining episodes that is worth watching for? Hopefully, but this repetition is making us doubt that this season has enough interesting storylines to keep people glued in until the end.

“A Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch” doesn’t rely on the cliffhangers to get people coming back. However, it doesn’t advance the storyline enough to keep us faithful to the series. We will hopefully see something in the final episodes to make New Blood feel at least like a worthy companion to the main show.

What did you think of this episode of  The Traitors: New Blood? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!

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The Traitors: New Blood airs Thursdays at 8/7 C on NBC.

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Jerrica Tisdale is your favorite neighborhood pop culture junkie. She will annoy you with random TV and film facts, while complaining about whatever is the hottest new book. She has been a TV fan all her life but writing about it for over a decade. You may find her work all over the internet especially reality TV rants. She is a senior writer at Tell-Tale TV.

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