The Traitors' surprise victory triggers mass 'walkout' by competing series at 2024 Emmy Awards

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The 76th Primetime Emmy Awards show was held on Sunday, September 15 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

It was a night filled with star-studded glamour — but it wasn’t just the wins that had people talking. Rather, it was the drama that unfolded right after 'The Traitors' snatched the coveted award for Outstanding Reality Competition Program.

The win may have left some of their rivals, especially the 'RuPaul’s Drag Race' team, a little less than thrilled.

'RuPaul's Drag Race' team appeared to walk out after 'The Traitors' surprise victory

'The Traitors' dropped jaws as they took home the Emmy for Outstanding Reality Competition Program — beating out tough competition from major shows like 'The Amazing Race', 'RuPaul's Drag Race', 'The Voice', and 'Top Chef'.

Shortly after the winner was announced, it seemed like the entire 'RuPaul’s Drag Race' team had somewhere better to be. According to Chris Gardner — a senior staff writer from The Hollywood Reporter — there was a bit of an exodus.

Gardner took to X (formerly Twitter) to spill the tea. He wrote, "After the category was announced the team from Drag Race (including all the queens) cleared out and headed to the lobby," 

Accompanying the post was a clip of the 'RuPaul's Drag Race' cast — who had just dazzled audiences at the MTV VMAs earlier that week — making a quick exit from the venue. While some may wonder whether this was a subtle shade, one of the queens quickly put that rumor to bed.

According to Plane Jane, there was no snub intended toward 'The Traitors'. On X, she wrote, "It was a commercial break and the girls wanted a drink. We all stayed until the end of the ceremony."

Jane also slammed Gardner, saying, "Take you pseudo journalism elsewhere." 

Amanda Tori Meating, another 'RuPaul’s Drag Race' squad member, gave a pretty relatable reason for the sudden exit. "It was a commercial break, are we allowed to go p*** girl," quipped the drag performer. 

While there were murmurs online of a potential rivalry between the two shows, the cast of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' made it clear that they weren’t throwing any shade. After all, the show has a whopping 29 Emmys under its belt.

However, what may have stung fans the most was the fact that 'The Traitors' host Alan Cumming took home the Outstanding Host in a Reality or Reality Competition Program, ending RuPaul's eight-year winning streak in the category.

Alan Cumming thanks the Emmys for recognizing 'The Traitors'

Alan Cumming won the Emmy for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program, beating heavyweights like Survivor’s Jeff Probst, Top Chef’s Kristen Kish, and of course, RuPaul.

Taking the stage alongside his collaborators, the Scottish actor voiced his gratitude toward the Emmy voters for recognizing the show.

"Thank you so much everybody – thank you so much to the Academy. We are so grateful because we are a new show and you guys, when you like something so much you tend to stick to it—which is a good quality, so we appreciate it all the more," said Cumming during his speech. 

He gave a special shout-out to Peacock for all their support throughout the production, noting, "It's so great to be part of a new streaming service – we love them." 

With 'The Traitors' renewed for a third season, the show is gearing up for even bigger and bolder moves. Some of the cast members of the upcoming season have already been announced, and it's shaping up to be a star-studded affair.

Among the new contestants are Britney Spears’ ex-husband, Sam Asghari, 'Vanderpump Rules' star Tom Sandoval, and the 'Real Housewives of New York' alum Dorinda Medley, as per the Daily Mail.