She’s The Boss! Host Karine Vanasse is Loving The Fun, The Friction, The Power, and The Delectable Deception on THE TRAITORS CANADA

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede Watching Karine Vanasse take charge and set the mood on THE TRAITORS CANADA, it’s clear that she hasn’t merely embraced a hosting gig, but it’s kind of an acting job as well. “It is, totally!” Vanasse said. “In my role as the host, I need to maintain the tone of the show, and so much comes from the editing, the music, the darkness, the mystery around it, and how I’m presenting things. If you’re watching THE TRAITORS CANADA, right away you know that you’re not watching any other reality TV show. And also with the way I’m dressed, my makeup, my hair … I feel like I’m in an Agatha Christie book!” For the uninitiated, CTV’s THE TRAITORS CANADA is an exciting new reality series that debuted earlier this week (the first episode is available for catch-up on CTV.ca, and the CTV app), with the second episode airing Monday, Oct. 9 at 10 p.m. ET. Twenty cunning contestants – some of whom are already well known to reality-TV devotees – have gathered at a large manor in the Montréal area for the ultimate murder-mystery game. With a certain number of participants having been secretly selected as “traitors” in the first episode, and tasked with plotting against the “faithful,” treachery, trickery, and disloyalty will be on full display, with everyone trying to figure out who they can trust, and who they can’t. Vanasse, of course, has a lengthy acting resume, including her four-season role as Detective Lise Delorme on CTV’s CARDINAL (every episode is on Crave). Having done some hosting very early in her career in Québec, Vanasse said she was always open to the idea of getting back to it at some point, but only if the right opportunity came along. “I’ve been offered things before, for certain reality TV shows, where I didn’t feel the fit was good,” she explained. “But this one, because it’s a psychological game, it’s like a suspense series. It feels different than what I had seen before.” THE TRAITORS is an international franchise, with versions from other countries available on Crave. After initially being approached about hosting the Canadian version, Vanasse said she watched the Australian show first. “I loved it, and I could quickly see why they came to me, and what I could do with it, and how much fun I could have exploring that, because the host is really a character,” she said. “You need the balance of making the players comfortable enough, but not too comfortable…when we gather at the roundtable, they still respect the authority I have over them, and that I’m still imposing something.” So would Vanasse be a better traitor, or a better member of the faithful, if she were ever a player on THE TRAITORS CANADA? She gave an answer right away, but then second-guessed herself almost immediately. “I would be a better traitor, I think, because I’m an actor … but at the same time, because I’m an actor, everything shows on my face … so maybe I’d be too obvious … maybe I’d be a terrible traitor!” she said with a big laugh. “I don’t know. I don’t think you could predict the kind of player you’ll be until you’re actually in the game.” The next best thing to actually being in the game is watching all the fun and the drama unfold, episode by episode, as THE TRAITORS CANADA rolls out, Mondays on CTV. “I think reality TV fans already know why they should be watching, but I think everyone will be surprised at how deep this show goes,” Vanasse said. “Yes, it’s a game, but it’s so much more than that. Some of the players didn’t expect it to be as challenging as it is, or as emotionally intense. To me it feels like watching an experiment. If you were excited by the first episode, it’s nothing in comparison to the rest of it!” billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv