The Traitors: New Blood Season 1, Episode 2, “I’m a Sweaty Boy,” reveals Katie Fites and Xavier Scruggs as the two Accomplices competing for the third Traitor seat. Their first job is helping carry out the season’s first murder, and Kim Daily is the victim. At the first Round Table, the Faithful banish Madeline Kostopulos by a 13–7–1 vote, and she reveals she was Faithful. The episode ends with Katie and Xavier sent on a new test, and the third Traitor is still undecided.
The episode picks up directly from the Accomplice cliffhanger at the end of Episode 1 and aired back-to-back with it as the second half of NBC’s two-hour premiere. Joe Vanella and Tomica Adams remain the only confirmed Traitors. For the wider picture, see our complete The Traitors: New Blood season coverage.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Series | The Traitors: New Blood |
| Season | 1 (listed on Peacock as The Traitors Season 5) |
| Episode | 2 |
| Episode title | I’m a Sweaty Boy |
| Original air date | September 17, 2026 (NBC) |
| Streaming | Peacock |
| Runtime | 42 minutes |
| Host | Alan Cumming |
| Confirmed Traitors | Joe Vanella, Tomica Adams |
| Accomplices | Katie Fites, Xavier Scruggs |
| Murdered | Kim Daily (Faithful) |
| Banished | Madeline Kostopulos (Faithful) |
| Vote | 13–7–1 |
| Prize pot | $50,000 |
| Third Traitor | Not revealed |
What Happened in The Traitors: New Blood Episode 2?
Katie and Xavier Are Revealed as the Accomplices
The two masked figures from the end of Episode 1 are Katie, a 23-year-old marketing manager, and Xavier, an MLB analyst. They are unmasked to each other and learn the terms. Both are competing for one eventual Traitor place, and the candidate who falls short faces murder.
Joe and Tomica explain their picks. They saw Katie’s access to a younger social circle as an asset, and they valued Xavier’s ability to think ahead.
Neither is a Traitor yet. For now, Katie and Xavier are Faithful players working on the Traitors’ orders. That makes them partners and rivals at the same time: they carry out tasks together while competing against each other for the same seat.
Joe and Tomica Choose Kim as Their First Murder Target
Before the Accomplices act, Joe and Tomica weigh their options for the first murder. They consider Michael Foote and Arisa Thomas before settling on Kim.
Their reasoning is influence. They see the woman the castle knows as a college basketball coach as someone capable of swaying the group.
The irony is that they don’t know who they’re actually targeting. Kim is a lawyer who adopted the coaching cover story in Episode 1 because she worried attorneys come across as manipulative. The Traitors pick her for her influence without knowing her real profession.
Katie and Xavier Carry Out the First Murder
Katie and Xavier learn that Kim is their assigned victim. They escort her to a coffin on a floating boat and release it from the dock. Kim, a Faithful, becomes the first player murdered this season.
The murder matters for the Accomplice contest as much as for the game. Both candidates have now done the Traitors’ work before earning the role, and Joe and Tomica are watching how each handles it.
Kim’s Absence Reveals the First Murder
The rest of the castle learns about the murder at breakfast, when Kim doesn’t appear.
This is where the Accomplices’ different approaches show. Katie exaggerates her surprise, hoping to impress the Traitors with her performance. Xavier goes the other way and publicly points to what he calls Katie’s “nervous energy.” He is casting suspicion on the one player he is competing against.
To the other contestants, Xavier’s comment looks like ordinary suspicion. To Joe and Tomica, who are observing both candidates, it is part of the audition.
Cumming then announces that the players will go directly from breakfast to their first banishment Round Table.
Jay Vinnedge Holds Back Two Names
Jay Vinnedge adds a strange note to the morning. He announces that he plans to “say two names at the end of the day” but refuses to say who they are. Joe points out that withholding names only makes Jay look suspicious. That is a pointed observation coming from one of the two people in the castle who are actually hiding something.
Kriste Misunderstands Madeline’s Comment
The accusation that decides the episode starts in a conversation between Madeline, Victor Vollbrechthausen and Kriste Lewis.
Madeline talks about how terrible she would feel if she had been the one to choose Kim. Kriste hears the remark differently, as an admission that Madeline did choose Kim. Published accounts render Madeline’s exact wording slightly differently, but the dispute is the same in each: a conditional comment heard as a confession.
The distinction is the whole story. There is no evidence connecting Madeline to Kim’s murder. Kriste’s case rests entirely on how she understood one sentence.
Victor was part of that conversation, which becomes important once the Round Table begins.
The First Round Table: Two Competing Theories
The Round Table is where players debate and vote to banish someone they suspect, and the banished player then reveals their role. Our guide to how The Traitors works covers the format in full. At this first vote, the discussion splits between two targets.
The Case Against Victor
Michael opens by raising the question of who grabbed shields during the first mission. Victor Vollbrechthausen draws the strongest criticism, because his immediate run for a shield during the Episode 1 shipwreck mission still looks self-serving to others. Abby Lee also held a shield, but she isn’t the focus.
Michael adds a second observation: he noticed Victor sweating after the Traitor selection. Victor defends himself by saying he simply didn’t want to be the first player killed. He also delivers the line that gives the episode its title: “I’m a sweaty boy, guys!”
Morgan Cook frames the dilemma around Victor. He could be a Traitor overcompensating, or a selfish Faithful. Both the shield grab and the sweating are real, observed behavior, but neither proves Victor’s role.
The Case Against Madeline
Kriste then tells the table what she believes she heard: Madeline speaking as though she had picked Kim for murder.
Madeline denies saying it. Victor backs her up, saying he didn’t hear an admission. Kriste doesn’t move from her account and calls Madeline a “bald-faced liar.”
Why the Votes Moved
Kriste’s certainty is what shifts the room. Enough votes move away from Victor to make Madeline the target.
Throughout the debate, the discussion stays on Victor and Madeline. Joe and Tomica are not among the players under serious discussion.
Madeline Is Banished 13–7–1
All 21 remaining players vote.
| Contestant | Votes |
|---|---|
| Madeline Kostopulos | 13 |
| Victor Vollbrechthausen | 7 |
| Kriste Lewis | 1 |
Madeline Reveals She Is Faithful
Madeline steps into the Circle of Truth and reveals she is Faithful. She calls Kriste a liar. Kriste is visibly distressed and insists she did not lie. Cumming sums up the result: “tonight they and democracy have faltered.”
The consequence is immediate. The Faithful have banished an innocent player at their very first Round Table, and the $15,000 Traitor-banishment bonus goes unclaimed.
Kriste’s belief is presented as sincere rather than a deliberate lie. But her interpretation has now been disproven in front of the whole group.
Katie and Xavier Face Another Test
Having watched both candidates through the murder and the breakfast, Joe and Tomica set the next task.
Blank death warrants are hidden inside two copies of Crime and Punishment, one in the library and one in the atrium. Katie and Xavier must each retrieve a warrant and bring it to a face-to-face meeting with the Traitors. Arriving without one means immediate death.
The difficulty is doing it in plain sight. Both candidates have to move around among the other players and take an incriminating-looking object without exposing themselves. The task tests a core Traitor skill: acting suspiciously without looking suspicious.
The Traitors: New Blood Episode 2 Ending Explained
What Happened
The episode ends while Katie and Xavier are attempting the death-warrant task. It cuts away before either outcome is shown.
What We Know
Joe and Tomica remain the only confirmed Traitors. Katie and Xavier are still competing, and neither has become the third Traitor. Neither has been shown as the losing candidate.
What Episode 3 Must Resolve
The open questions are who successfully retrieves a warrant, who earns the third Traitor seat, and which candidate is eliminated. The result will also shape the partnership Joe and Tomica end up with. Those answers are covered in our The Traitors: New Blood Episode 3 recap.
Game State After Episode 2
Kim’s murder and Madeline’s banishment leave 20 contestants in the game.
| Role | Contestants | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Traitors | Joe Vanella, Tomica Adams | Active |
| Accomplices | Katie Fites, Xavier Scruggs | Still Faithful; test unresolved |
| Other Faithful | 16 contestants | Still competing |
| Murdered | Kim Daily | Faithful |
| Banished | Madeline Kostopulos | Faithful |
| Third Traitor | Undecided | Not revealed |
| Prize pot | $50,000 | Unchanged |
That makes 2 confirmed Traitors and 18 Faithful, with Katie and Xavier counted as Faithful until their status changes.
What Episode 2 Changes for the Season
The Traitors land their first move cleanly. Kim is removed after Joe and Tomica identified her as someone who could sway the group.
The Faithful lose an innocent player. Madeline’s banishment costs the group one of its own and earns nothing for the pot.
Kriste’s credibility takes a hit. She led the case against Madeline, and the Faithful reveal has disproven her interpretation in front of everyone.
Victor is still under suspicion. He survived the vote, but seven players were willing to banish him, and the shield grab has now followed him into a second episode.
The Accomplice contest is already generating conflict. Xavier’s comment about Katie shows that the race for the third seat can create public suspicion before either candidate joins the Traitors.
Joe and Tomica remain hidden. After the first murder and the first banishment, neither has come under serious suspicion.
Every recap from the season is collected in the The Traitors: New Blood episode guide.
Key Contestants in Episode 2
| Contestant | Episode 2 role | Key Episode 2 moment |
|---|---|---|
| Joe Vanella | Traitor | Chooses Kim and sets the death-warrant test with Tomica |
| Tomica Adams | Traitor | Makes the episode’s Traitor decisions with Joe |
| Katie Fites | Accomplice (Faithful) | Helps murder Kim; exaggerates her surprise at breakfast |
| Xavier Scruggs | Accomplice (Faithful) | Helps murder Kim; points to Katie’s “nervous energy” |
| Kim Daily | Faithful | Murdered as the Traitors’ first target |
| Madeline Kostopulos | Faithful | Banished with 13 votes |
| Kriste Lewis | Faithful | Leads the accusation against Madeline; receives one vote |
| Victor Vollbrechthausen | Faithful | Receives seven votes over his shield grab and sweating |
| Michael Foote | Faithful | Considered as a murder target; opens the shield debate |
| Jay Vinnedge | Faithful | Refuses to name the two players he suspects |
| Morgan Cook | Faithful | Frames Victor as an overcompensating Traitor or a selfish Faithful |
| Arisa Thomas | Faithful | Considered, but not chosen, as the first murder victim |
Profiles for every player are on our The Traitors: New Blood cast page.
Where to Watch The Traitors: New Blood Episode 2
Episode 2 aired on NBC on September 17, 2026, as the second half of a two-hour premiere with Episode 1. It streams on Peacock, where it is listed as The Traitors Season 5, Episode 2, with a 42-minute runtime.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in The Traitors: New Blood Episode 2?
Katie Fites and Xavier Scruggs were revealed as the Accomplices, Kim Daily was murdered, and Madeline Kostopulos was banished as a Faithful. The episode ends with Katie and Xavier sent on a death-warrant test.
Who was murdered in The Traitors: New Blood Episode 2?
Kim Daily. Joe and Tomica chose her, and Katie and Xavier carried out the murder.
Who was banished in Episode 2?
Madeline Kostopulos, at the season’s first Round Table.
Was Madeline a Traitor or Faithful?
Faithful.
Why was Madeline banished?
Kriste believed Madeline had admitted to choosing Kim for murder. Madeline denied it, and she had actually been describing how she would feel if she had chosen Kim.
How many votes did Madeline receive?
Thirteen. Victor received seven and Kriste received one.
Who are the Accomplices in Episode 2?
Katie Fites and Xavier Scruggs. They are competing for one Traitor seat.
Did Xavier or Katie become a Traitor in Episode 2?
No. The episode ends before the third Traitor is decided.
What is the death-warrant test?
Katie and Xavier must retrieve blank death warrants hidden in copies of Crime and Punishment and bring them to the Traitors without being exposed. Arriving without one means immediate death.
What happened at the end of Episode 2?
The episode ends during the death-warrant test, before either candidate’s fate is shown.
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