I figured we’d get news on Season 4 of The Traitors this week, but oh my Lord, sweet baby Jesus, not Ekin Su was I surprised by the list that dropped this morning. A few of the names (Dorinda Medley, Lisa Rinna, Porsha Williams, Maura Higgins) have been bouncing around for a hot minute, but a lot of others are completely out of left field. Travis Kelce’s mom Donna seems to be the big WTF most people are talking about, but she’s not my biggest surprise. That would be Survivor favorite and podcasting extraordinaire Rob Cesternino.
Before I get into why I’m so blown away though, let’s talk about the whole cast, which, I have to stress, is rumored right now. The alleged leak came from Reality TV News/ Updates on X this morning, but unlike most rumors, fans are taking this very seriously, as are people in the reality community. That’s because the source is typically reliable with their info, and there’s also been some corresponding social posts the past few days that seem to back up at least some of the names.
Let’s just run down the whole alleged cast. From Survivor, we have Rob, Natalie Anderson and Yam Yam Arocho. From Real Housewives, it’s Dorinda, Lisa, Porsha and Candiace Bassett. From Big Brother, it’s Ian Terry and Tiffany Mitchell. Plus, we’re supposedly getting Mama Kelce, Mark Ballas from DWTS, figure skater Johnny Weir, Monet X Change from Drag Race, Colton Underwood from The Bachelor, singer Eric Nam and the aforementioned Higgins from Love Island.
Even if everyone in this list is one hundred percent accurate, there are almost certainly names missing too. The last two US versions of The Traitors have had twenty-two and twenty-three people. There are only sixteen names on this list. Even if they cut back a little, it’s hard to imagine they’d cut back so much. So, look for at least a few surprises to be named later.
Regardless of who they are though, I am stoked as a Traitors fan and as a Survivor fan, particularly about Rob Cesternino. He, of course, played Survivor twice in the show’s early seasons, then launched a podcast empire called Rob Has A Podcast that is the go-to source of news for many in the reality competition community. He was heavily rumored to be part of the Survivor 50 cast but was cut late in the process like so many legends. Most fans assumed he’d probably never enter the casting process again, but then out of nowhere, his name showed up this morning.
The best part about The Traitors is how many fanbases the show can bring together. This cast is a great example of that. There’s all the representation from Housewives, Survivor, Big Brother and more that you’d want, but to my delight, there are also so many random people here you’d never expect, which I love. As a huge figure skating and wild outfit fan, I am particularly stoked to see Johnny Weir. He’s the best and will almost certainly go even bigger than host Alan Cumming with his outfits.
Lisa Rinna seemingly confirmed her casting with an Instagram story with luggage and a passport. It’s unclear whether the other alleged cast members are currently in the process of traveling to the castle in Scotland, but hopefully we get some more of these semi-confirmations today. I’d also take an official casting list if Peacock wants to be generous and drop one.
There’s a part of me that’s preventing myself from being all capital letters EXCITED until it’s official. To be honest though, I’m lower capital letters excited and cannot wait for this season.
