Warner Bros. Discovery ANZ has announced Paul Henry will be returning to Three and ThreeNow as the host of the upcoming reality TV show, The Traitors NZ.
The series mixes up the murder-mystery format and encourages competitors to lie and cheat during a series of challenges as they attempt to uncover the traitors in their midst.
The show has become a global phenomenon, with the UK version of the Netherlands original being streamed more than 34 million times on the BBC iPlayer.
The New Zealand version of the format will see 19 participants compete for a cash prize.
It is based on Dutch series De Verraders which premiered in 2021 and has since been adapted for the Australian market.
The concept of the show is based on Mafia, a social deduction game created by Dimitry Davidoff in 1986.
The series was announced by Warner Bros. Discovery ANZ in November last year and was described as "an addictive, whodunnit reality series where contestants work with and against each other using lies, deception and betrayal to win".
Henry said: "I love that the format allows for dramatic twists and shock endings three or four times in every episode, which is brilliant. I said to the executives, 'if everything you're saying about this show is true, I'm in!'"
"I love that it encourages deceit and treachery, and lying. Here I am lording it up over a group of semi-scared individuals for two weeks in an isolated place that is so me and I relished it."
Warner Bros. Discovery ANZ's senior director of production, Vicki Keogh, said Henry was "the perfect choice" for the role.
"The Traitors is the hottest format in the world right now and we needed a host who could do it justice.
"Paul's passion and commitment to the game was evident from our first conversations and his natural wit and cheeky sense of humour made him the perfect choice. This is the role he was born to play."
The Traitors NZ is set in a secret New Zealand location with a top secret cast and will premiere on Three and ThreeNow later this year.
