‘The Traitors’ Season Four: Rob Rausch Named Winner

This post contains spoilers for the Season Four finale episodes of The Traitors.

At long last — a Traitor has done it again.

The Season Four finale of The Traitors premiered Thursday night, capping off another epic season of mischief and murder. And in the end, it was proven that diabolical deception really can take you far, as Traitor Rob Rausch was crowned the sole winner. This marked the first time a Traitor has walked away with the prize pot since Season One, when Survivor‘s Cirie Fields lied her way to the end.

“We did it,” he said after being crowned the winner. “I had to think without emotion, like I’ve done this whole game. It feels satisfying.”

Rausch played a nearly perfect game, going almost the entire season completely undetected by his fellow cast members. He even went as far as to be a driving force in the banishment of his fellow Traitors, Lisa Rinna and Candiace Dillard Bassett.

Going into the final episode, Rausch was left in the game with his fellow Traitor Eric Nam, whom he personally recruited into the turret, and faithfuls Johnny Weir, Tara Lapinski, and Maura Higgins (Mark Ballis was murdered at the top of the show). And while Lapinski and Weir did their best to turn suspicion on Rausch and Nam, it wasn’t enough to banish either of them at the final roundtable. Instead, Rausch used Weir and Lapinski’s friendship against them.

“Wouldn’t it be interesting if Alan had picked one of you and you had to keep this big secret from one of your best friends,” Rausch said to Weir and Lapinski. “On top of that, if one of you were a Traitor and did recruit, you’re going to pick each other.” 

It was convincing enough to get Higgins, whom he’d been close with all season, to vote alongside him and Nam and vote out Weir. 

But unlike past roundtables, Weir did not reveal whether he was a Faithful or a Traitor to the group. Instead, they went straight into the final round of voting, where Rausch, Nam, Higgins, and Lapinski would either choose to end the game or continue banishing until they believed all the Traitors had been rooted out. 

At the final fire pit, Lapinski was the first to go, receiving a unanimous vote from the group. 

And while Nam thought the next move would be for him and Rausch to end the game and reveal themselves as Traitors, thus splitting the $220,800 cash prize in half, Rausch had other plans. He opted to continue banishing; together, he and Higgins voted Nam out. 

“If I had done that, I just wouldn’t be able to live with myself in that way,” Nam said of being betrayed by Rausch. “It’s just a different line in the sand we have. Money is great, but I think relationships are more important, and it doesn’t feel good.”

“Would you give 100,000 to someone you met three weeks ago? I wouldn’t,” Rausch explained of his decision. 

With that, it was just Rausch and Higgins left — meaning Rausch was set to walk away with all the money to himself. All he had to do was reveal himself to Higgins. 

“Maura, I am, and I always have been, a Traitor,” he said, leaving Higgins nearly speechless. “I’m so sorry, I’m a Traitor. I’m serious.” 

“I was so fooled by you, you absolute asshole. I was so convinced,” she said, before admitting that if she had been a Traitor she would have done the exact same thing. “No hard feelings, I think I’m just in shock.”

“You’re never going to have a girlfriend after this, you’re such a good liar,” she added. “Rob, you’re a fucking snake, but well done.”

After Higgins left, Rausch and host Alan Cumming walked outside to watch fireworks and revel in the win. 

“You are a really epic player,” Cumming said. “I think one of the greatest Traitors we’ve had thus far.”

“People just see me as a dumb hot person, but I’ve been a Traitor since day one. I beat everyone,” said Rausch. 

It’s safe to say he’s going to have a lot to answer for at the reunion.