Karan Johar`s show The Traitors finally premiered today, and it was packed with drama, confusion, betrayals and deception. The 20 celebrity contestants were taken to the majestic Suryagarh Palace, where they will be locked and will compete. The show, hosted by Karan Johar, is the Hindi version of the one-of-a-kind and globally popular format of the American show of the same name. The first episode packed a punch to keep viewers hooked and keep them waiting for the next episode.
First elimination
The contestants were taken to the palace in groups in separate cars. Once they arrived at the Suryagarh Palace, they were greeted by the host, Karan Johar, who welcomed and explained the rules of the game. They were then asked to unanimously choose one contestant they all found to be the most trustworthy. After a brief and chaotic decision, everyone chose Maheep Kapoor.
She was then asked to choose the one contestant she personally trusts the most, and naturally, she chose her niece Anshula Kapoor. Anushla was then asked her most trustworthy contestant from the lot, and so on until just one contestant remained. Elanoor Norouzi emerged as the least trustworthy contestant after being the only contestant left on the other side. Karan announced that she had been eliminated from the show.
While everyone pitied Elanoor, the tables were turned when Karan gave Elanoor the option to exit the show or choose one person whom she thought was the least trustworthy. The catch – the person she chose would be eliminated instead of her. After a moment of deep thinking, she chose Nikita Luther, citing the reason of the latter being a poker player, and thus she was a strong contender. Nikita has to walk out of the game on day 1.
Mission and prize money
The players were taken for their first mission – The Traitors Express. The contestants will have a chance of winning Rs 1 crore as prize money throughout the game. In the first mission, they had the chance to win Rs 18 lakh, but they failed to complete the mission.
Traitors chosen and innocents murdered
The contestants were called to an enclosed room before the mission, known as the `Circle of Shaq`, where they would assemble regularly to guess the traitors. In the first episode, Karan chose the traitors by blindfolding everyone and tapping on the shoulders of the chosen traitors. Raj Kundra, Purav Jha and Elanoor Norouzi were chosen as the three traitors.
I don’t do betrayal… I do brunches.#TheTraitorsOnPrime, a new reality series coming on June 12@PrimeVideoIN @bbcstudiosindia #KaranJohar #MukeshChhabra @maheepkapoor @ashishvid #ApoorvaMukhija @sudhanshu1974 #PuravJha @jasminbhasin #HarshGujral #UorfiJaved @salathiasahil… pic.twitter.com/NaJpcO8m9u
— Manchu Lakshmi Prasanna (@LakshmiManchu) June 11, 2025
Everyone then began their games of manipulation, deception and mind games. As the night arrived, the contestants were sent to their separate rooms. The traitors then assembled in the secret tower where they were introduced to each other. They then strategically chose three innocents whom they murdered. These were Anshula Kapoor, Sahil Salathia and Lakshmi Manchu.
