‘Producers threw her to the wolves’: The Traitors US fans split over ‘worst casting ever’
The Traitors fans think that Donna Kelce has been thrown to the wolves. Over on Reddit, viewers for the Peacock favorite are discussing the newest season of the reality competition series.
Notably, Travis Kelce’s mother, Donna Kelce joined the ranks of contestants this season. But, for some fans on the Internet, Kelce’s stint on The Traitors feels like a publicity grab in all the wrong ways. One user, /rudy_attitudey, highlighted some of the early missteps from the beloved NFL figure early in the game.
Unfortunately for Kelce, she exposed her position as a traitor very early on. She’s a big fan of the series, but things went south quickly because the producers made her a “Secret Traitor.” ( For the uninitiated, the “Secret Traitor” is a rogue element among the faithfuls and the traitors. Like the traitors, they look to eliminate as many of the faithfuls as possible to make it to the end. But, because they’re kept separate from the other traitors, they evade suspicion and add an added element of intrigue to the game.)
You would think one of the women on the Internet with a massive social media following, her sons being multiple times Super Bowl champions and her daughter in law being the mega star Taylor Swift, she would be given a role where she could hang out for as long as possible. But, the producers miscalculated according to the people watching at home.
Viewers think The Traitors left Donna Kelce out to dry
There’s a lot of opinion out there from both sides of this. Is it Kelce’s fault for not adapting or is this one on the producers? ‘Least-Plantain’ thinks the production side has a lot to atone for. They wrote, “Donna isn’t a Reality TV Pro or actor. She would have been fine as a faithful.”
Down in the thread, ‘Infamous_Animal_8149’ agrees, “ She should have been a faithful she would have been the most faithful of all of the faithfuls and it would have been so precious. I am sooooo mad.” A lot of the comments would have liked to see Kelce as a faithful. Count ‘FakeKhaby10’ is in that number. They wrote, “It was also ‘on the nose’ she’s the one who’s out of place. She’s not an actor or a gamer or a housewife.’”
But, ‘TheKevmiester’ sees it differently. They wonder, “Is it so hard to believe that one woman who is not a celebrity, and has not been on TV would be quiet and more reserved when in a castle with all those huge TV personalities?” Everyone wasn’t as kind. ‘Ok-Confidence4455’ said that she was indeed very bad. “It almost had the feeling of a Make A Wish experience come true. Seems like a nice lady, just not for reality TV.”
Maybe the most level-headed take comes from ‘beyluvislandria’ on X. They are just annoyed we ignored an obvious slam dunk. “I’m so irritated that they wasted a traitor position on Donna. TIFFANY was right there.”
Who is Donna Kelce?
Donna Kelce is the former banking executive who rose to prominence after her sons, Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce, became NFL Superstars. She graduated from Ohio University with a communications degree in 1974. Kelce was a Vice President at KeyBank, now Truist, for a long time.
She was married to Ed Kelce for 28 years. Now, viewers would know her from being a featured part of most NFL telecasts featuring Travis. One of her most viral moments pre Taylor Swift was trying to support both of her sons when they faced off in the Super Bowl in 2023.
Where is Donna Kelce from?
Donna Kelce is from Moreland Hills, Ohio. That’s just outside of Cleveland. (Credit to Ohio Today for their interview with the fan-favorite.)
Was/Is Donna Kelce the Secret Traitor?
She was the Secret Traitor during Season 4 of the hit Peacock program. Donna Kelce Try to navigate the tricky spot of being both a traitor hidden from the main group of players and hidden from the faithful as well.
However, her inexperience at the game and quiet streak led to the other players banishing her pretty early on in the season. With a lot of fan outcry.
Did producers on The Traitors let Donna Kelce down?
Well, that depends on how you’re looking at things. The reason that Donna Kelce was cast in this season of The Traitors was because she’s a massive social media star. Being Taylor Swift’s prospective mother-in-law, and the mother of a social media star in his own right with Travis Kelce, is going to bring a lot of eyeballs.
In my opinion, the producers felt like they could get all the bang for the buck if Kelce could adapt to the Secret Traitor role, and make it near the end of the program. This calculated gamble backfired though, and they’re left with Traitors fans who feel annoyed that a spot was seemingly wasted. And, Swifties enraged at one of their favorite celebrities didn’t get a fair shake of things.
(featured image: Euan Cherry/PEACOCK)
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