Greek myth inspires format from The Traitors co-creator

The team that co-created The Traitors has taken inspiration from Greek mythology for its latest strategic competition format Pandora’s Box, which is already in production in three countries. 

RTL Creative Unit Netherlands is behind Pandora’s Box, which it co-developed with Fremantle and its Dutch label Blue Circle.

The format plays into the myth of Pandora, the first mortal woman, who was given a sealed box by the gods and told never to open it. But when her curiosity led her to ignore the warning, she unintentionally unleashed chaos and evil into the world.  

Set against a backdrop inspired by ancient Greece, contestants undertake challenges inspired by Greek mythology, from Sisyphus-inspired boulder-rolling challenges to tense encounters with Medusa’s gaze.

Every quest determines the players that earn the strategic power to decide who visits Pandora’s Box.

If a player opens the box to discover who is cursed, they can swap out the name for another player, but if they do so they risk triggering repercussions that make the whole group suffer: prize money is lost, dire consequences are unleashed and suspicions rise.   

Keeping Pandora’s Box closed raises the prize pot, but opening it offers the chance to change to change their fate but to the detriment of the group.  

Each cycle culminates in a face-off with two cursed players fighting for survival, as they go head-to-head in a duel to avoid elimination, and the game resets every episode to create fresh alliances and new betrayals.  

Blue Circle is producing the series for RTL 4 in The Netherlands, Studio89 is making it for M6 in France and Ufa is adapting it for RTL in Hungary.  

Fremantle handles international production and distribution. 

Andrew Llinares, director of Global Entertainment at Fremantle, said: “From the start the ambition was clear – to bring the myth of Pandora to life by reinventing it as a gripping reality experience that tests human nature. The rule sounds simple: don’t open the box.  But when faced with temptation, players driven by curiosity, suspicion and revenge make  dramatic choices to survive to the end.” 

Peter van der Vorst, director of content at RTL Netherlands, said the format is both “timeless and completely fresh”. 

He added: “Audiences everywhere are craving the next evolution of strategic reality formats with originality and a clear, distinctive identity. Pandora’s Box delivers both. Rooted in a centuries-old myth full of symbolism, it explores universal themes – temptation, disobedience, responsibility, hope and humanity’s ability to overcome.”