‘Traitors’ Winner Rob Rausch on If He’d Come Back and His Necessary Maura Betrayal: “I Was Dreading It”

The ‘Love Island’ alum is reflecting on his long, and sometimes treacherous, road to victory: “When you're a Traitor, I feel like the only person that can lose the game for you is yourself.” Rob Rausch in 'The Traitors' season four. Euan Cherry/Peacock Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Logo text If there’s one thing the season four cast of The Traitors can agree on, it’s that Rob Rausch played a good game. Well, his former Traitors, who he voted off, might not agree, but even they’d have their moments of praise. The Love Island alum came into the game knowing virtually no one. But very quickly, the 27-year-old Alabama native, whose non-reality television profession is quite literally snake wrangling, had the entire castle endeared to him. There were many moments throughout the season that contestants would get in their confessional and swear up and down that there’s no way Rausch could be a Traitor. There was no one louder on that subject than fellow Love Islander Maura Higgins, the only person Rausch knew before the show. Related Stories TV 'Traitors' Star Maura Higgins on Acting Aspirations, Manifesting 'Dancing With the Stars' and When She's Getting That Birkin Lifestyle Eric Nam Leads Unforgettable Gala Performers; Charles Melton and Anna Cathcart Among Presenters (Exclusive) Starting the game with Housewives mainstays Lisa Rinna and Candiace Dillard Bassett as his fellow Traitors — Donna Kelce was later revealed to be a secret Traitor, who was also voted out — Rausch flew under the radar in a way his fellow Traitors didn’t. Rausch ended up voting against both, with Bassett returning the favor not once, but twice. He eventually recruited singer Eric Nam to join him as a Traitor, the pair making it until the end until Rausch had to vote against him to win against Higgins. Below, Rausch speaks with The Hollywood Reporter about his journey to victory, whether he’d do the show again and what he’s looking forward to now that it’s done. *** How have things been since the episode came out? They’ve been good. I really haven’t gotten to see a lot of stuff. I’ve been so busy. I’ve been doing a lot of press and traveling and brand deals and stuff, so I’ve been out of the loop, but I’m glad it’s over. I’m glad it can be in the past now. You obviously played a good game. Most people just never had an idea. Take me through what you were thinking going into the game? Going into this show, I had no game plan. It seemed silly to come up with a game plan. Going into a show that’s entirely based off of the cast that you walk in with. I mean, it’s a game, but it’s a game based off the players and their personalities and their mentalities. There was no point in really doing it. Also, I didn’t know if I was going to be a Faithful or a Traitor, so I had no plan. Once I got picked as a Traitor, I was super happy. Having been explained the rules, I was like, “Yeah, I want to be a Traitor.” They have all the control in the game. When you’re a Traitor, I feel like the only person that can lose the game for you is yourself. It’s all up to you to do the best with that position. However, if you’re Faithful, there’s a lot of things that can just ruin your game. In the beginning, you Traitors certainly worked together. Last season, they immediately went after each other. After you guys got Lisa out, was the idea always that you were doing this solo No. No. Every time a Traitor was voted out, it was pretty much their time that they were getting talked about. As soon as Lisa was voted out, that next day, I had heard Candiace’s name from every single person in the castle saying how she rode hard for Lisa, which is the exact reason why I voted for Lisa. I didn’t want that suspicion on me. I mean, Candiace was going to go either way, and it’s better that I voiced a little here and there about her to look like I was a part of the group that got out a Traitor. Can you take me through decision to ask Eric [Nam] to be your fellow Traitor? Eric just made the most sense. I needed somebody who was steady, someone who was playing a good game as a Faithful, but also not someone who was the most trusted. He wasn’t. He had a lot of trust with people, but he wasn’t anyone’s number one. He was just a little bit in the middle. I felt like he was the perfect guy for the job because I needed someone that could last long enough to get to the end of the game and have that extra vote there, but not necessarily someone that was more trusted than me and could flip on me and take me out of the game win. Obviously, when it came down to the end there, he was hoping it was going to be you and him. But it was very clear that Maura was going for Eric. Did you have second thoughts about that? I definitely did have second thoughts because