The Traitors Host Alan Cumming Turned Down A Terrifying Reality TV Series

Alan Cumming has gained a whole new following thanks to his job as the quick-witted host for "The Traitors," and the show definitely wouldn't be the same without him. But before he became the master of ceremonies for Peacock's hit series, he was offered the opportunity to head another, much more frightening, reality program. 

"I once got asked to host 'The World's Most Dangerous Roads,'" Cumming told Gold Derby. "It was, 'Alan will drive down this road in India where 30 people died last week.' That's when I thought maybe not." That wasn't Cumming's sole flirtation with reality show fame. "They invited me to go on 'Top Chef' as a sort of promotion thing. I couldn't, the dates didn't work out," he admitted.

Cumming is well-known for his professionalism and his ability to stay unflappable under pressure, even when he's stuck in the middle of a frightening electrical storm on the set of "The Traitors." Perhaps that's why, if he had his druthers, he would go on a game show that encourages creativity — one that would give him the opportunity to display his talents as a competitor instead of an emcee.

Alan Cumming would love to appear on a reality show as a contestant, but instead of cutting throats and manipulating his fellow players, he'd like to create something beautiful. "I think it'd be one of those ones where you make cakes or crafting or something. Is there a crafting one? They have 'The Great British Bake Off,'" he mused to Gold Derby. "A few of my friends have done that and said it's hilarious. I'd quite like to do a cooking one." Since the program is co-hosted by fellow comic Noel Fielding and has included all sorts of celebrities on its "Celebrity Bake-Off," specials, Cumming would surely be welcomed in that show's kitchen. That's the kind of thoughtful sentiment from the actor that explains why "The Traitors" will have a season with no celebrity contestants — the beauty will be in the ordinary people whose lives could be changed by that top prize.

The Emmy-winning Cumming keeps quite the busy agenda, however, so don't expect to see him elbows-deep in extra reality TV dough anytime soon. When he's not onstage in a play, acting up a storm (in anything but a "Harry Potter" film, which he rejected for a good reason), or hosting "The Traitors," he's appearing in charity benefits or posing for fashion photographers. Perhaps someday he'll get to plunge a knife into a cake. For now, he seems to be quite content with watching others do the stabbing.