‘The Traitors’ Host Alan Cumming Debuts His Reading of Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Cask of Amontillado’ | Exclusive

Prepare for Alan Cumming’s thrilling and theatrical voice to lull you to sleep. The host of “The Traitors” is partnering with the meditation app, Calm, for a reading of “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe, TheWrap has exclusively learned. The Sleep Story is available now on Calm.

“I really enjoyed recording this Sleep Story, taking my character on ‘The Traitors’ on a soothing, suspenseful bedtime journey with Calm,” Cumming said in a Tuesday statement to press. “I hope my voice will be able to lull people off to sleep, and maybe even encourage them to dream about being a traitor.”

Fittingly for the celebrity behind “The Traitors,” “The Cask of Amontillado” is one of Poe’s most esteemed short stories. Set in an unnamed Italian city, it follows a man named Montresor who invites his friend Fortunato down to his family vaults, presumably to sample a cask of amontillado. But as is always the case with Poe, nothing is as it appears in this tale of revenge.

This isn’t the first collaboration between NBCUniversal’s Peacock and Calm. Previously, the brands created “‘The Office’ Soundscape,” an exclusive Calm track that combines relaxing office sounds with special appearances and Easter eggs from the NBC sitcom.

Since its premiere in January 2023, “The Traitors” has emerged as one of the buzziest reality shows in recent years. The series won the Emmy for Outstanding Casting for a Reality Program in 2023 and is up for four Emmys this year, including Outstanding Reality Competition Program and Cumming for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program.

“The Traitors” pits some of the most competitive reality stars against each other in a murder mystery game set in an ancient castle deep in the Scottish Highlands. Contestants have to work together on a series of missions to build a prize fund worth up to $250,000, but there’s a catch: hidden among the Faithful contestants are the Traitors. If the Faithful contestants banish all the Traitors before their killed off, they share the prize fund. However, if even one Traitor makes it to the very end, they steal all the money.

The first two seasons of “The Traitors” are available to stream on Peacock.

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