The Traitors is arguably one of the best reality shows on the air right now, as evidenced by its Emmy-winning success and popularity for those with a Peacock subscription. Season 4 has offered plenty of viral moments, including the way the internet reacted to Michael Rapaport eating and drinking in host Alan Cumming‘s castle. And now he’s offered an explanation for his behavior during mealtime.
When The Traitors Season 4 cast was announced, there was some backlash about Rapaport’s inclusion in the beloved series. He definitely made an impression in the castle, including his controversial comments about Colton Underwood. But perhaps the biggest story to come from his tenure on the show is the puzzling way he was shown eating and drinking. But what does the actor have to say about it?
Why Michael Rapaport Holds Drinking Glasses With Both Hands
Rapaport went viral quickly on The Traitors Season 4, for both his confrontational way of playing and the way he was seen eating during various meals in the first few episodes. On his podcast I Am Rapaport, the 55 year-old Housewives superfan first addressed why he was seen holding his water glass by both hands at breakfast. He got honest, saying:
I’ll go to the drinking of the water part first. There is a cutaway in the breakfast room of I’m not sure what episode it was, of me drinking water with both my hands on the cup. People call me a big toddler, people call me a baby. People call me a man child. This that and the third. The reason why I drink water with both hands on the cup, if I remember correctly, is earlier during that meal I spilled a little water on my shirt when I was drinking it.
While spilling water isn’t exactly a big deal, especially considering how dirty the cast of The Traitors can get during their missions, Rapaport didn’t want to have to walk around with a wet shirt while filming Season 4. Namely because he didn’t have any other clothing choices thanks to the rules of the game. As he went on:
There was no straws and the shirt is actually wardrobe. It’s not just a shirt, you’re not just wearing a shirt. It’s wardrobe for a TV show. It’s a show. So everything everyone’s wearing is approved by a wardrobe department, a wardrobe head… the next time I was drinking I used both hands because I didn’t want to stain my wardrobe anymore.
Points were made. The cast of The Traitors typically bring tartan fashion to the castle while filming the acclaimed reality competition show, and it turns out that every article of clothing has to be approved by wardrobe. As such, Rapaport didn’t have the ability to simply change if he spilled a bunch of water on his clothes. So after he spilled a little bit on himself at breakfast, he started holding his glasses with both hands in the now-viral moment from the latest season.
The star of Atypical (which is streaming with a Netflix subscription) has heard the chatter about him being a baby thanks how he was seen drinking water on The Traitors. His comments from the podcast at least offer an explanation as to why he used both hands when taking sips in the castle. But what about the wild way he was seen eating?
What Michael Rapaport Said About His Viral Eating Style
In multiple episodes of The Traitors, there are shots of Michael Rapaport eating his meals in a wild way. He’s seen putting his mouth around the bottom of his plate, and literally shoveling food into his mouth. This made its round on the internet, and later in the same podcast, the actor admitted that he can be a bit of a “gavone” at mealtime. As he put it:
As far as the eating: listen, I’ll be the first to tell you I am not the most civilized eater in the world, okay?… That scene of me eating my food was I believe in episode four and five. I will say this: I can take that, that shit’s funny to me. It’s very real, it’s very genuine. I at times eat like a gavone, an animal, a savage, gorilla, a goon. I don’t eat like that all the time.
For those who are unaware (or haven’t watchedThe Sopranos) “gavone” is an Italian-American term for a glutton who excessively eats. Rapaport didn’t pretend that his viral eating shots were about anything other than his penchant for being messy and hungry. He seemingly stands by his eating habits, later saying:
That being said, that now iconic moment, I feel like every moment I was on Traitors is now an iconic reality TV moment. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
While Michael Rapaport didn’t win The Traitors or even make it deep into the game, you can’t deny that he made an impression. And he’s seemingly happy to create some memorable TV moments while competing on the reality competition serries.
New episodes of The Traitors air Thursdays on Peacock as part of the 2026 TV schedule. While Rapaport was voted off, I have to assume he’ll still be offering commentary on the rest of the season, and he’ll probably have a spicy appearance on the reunion whenever that airs.
