Most of Season 4 cast for The Traitors leaked yesterday, and the fan reaction was initially pretty positive. There were some light complaints about certain personalities who didn’t make the cut as there always are, but in general, there seemed to be near unanimous excitement about the cast members who were chosen. That’s not the case anymore, as one controversial choice has some fans lashing out on social media.
The rumors started yesterday, a few hours after the initial names went public on social media. Reality TV News/Updates reported that a more controversial choice was supposedly also on the cast but that they didn’t want to reveal the name until it was finalized. That had fans speculating about a whole host of choices from Candace Owens to George Santos to Casey Anthony. At one point I had convinced myself it was Matt Gaetz. Well, it turns out the person in question is Michael Rapaport.
The well-connected actor turned podcaster has grown increasingly outspoken with his opinions over the past few years, especially in defense of Israel. He’s also gotten louder politically, and his abrasive tone has earned him many followers, as well as enemies online. Clearly, Peacock is banking on his brash demeanor to create interesting storylines and good reality television inside the castle, but not all Traitors fans are happy to see the show bring him in.
Many of the posts announcing the cast are littered with comments from users complaining about Rapaport, and there’s a thread going with thousands of likes asking users to comment the worst things he’s ever said or done. One post openly wishing the controversial person had been accused murdered Casey Anthony has also attracted more than a hundred likes.
You would have to imagine Peacock knew there would be some unhappy fans when they decided to cast Rapaport. He’s an openly divisive figure who has repeatedly commented very openly about Israel and Palestine. He also has more than two million followers on Instagram and has had recurring roles in major projects like Friends, as well as series regular roles on shows like Boston Public and Prison Break. He’ll no doubt bring some of his own fans with him, who may not have watched Traitors in the past.
Regardless, the cast is now finalized, and it includes some less controversial choices that weren’t among the early rumors. Top Chef host Kristen Kish, Olympian Tara Lipinski and former Laguna Beach star Stephen Colletti are among my favorites, but you can check out the entire list below, per Variety…
- Natalie Anderson (Survivor)
- Rob Cesternino (Survivor)
- Yam Yam Arocho (Survivor)
- Ian Terry (Big Brother)
- Tiffany Mitchell (Big Brother)
- Dorinda Medley (Real Housewives)
- Lisa Rinna (Real Housewives)
- Porscha Williams (Real Housewives)
- Candiace Dillard-Bassett (Real Housewives)
- Caroline Stanbury (Real Housewives)
- Colton Underwood (The Bachelor)
- Donna Kelce (Kelce Bros Mom/ Future T Swift MIL?)
- Monet X Change (RuPaul’s Drag Race)
- Mark Ballas (DWTS)
- Eric Nam (Singer)
- Maura Higgins (Love Island)
- Rob Rausch (Love Island)
- Johnny Weir (Olympian)
- Tara Lipinski (Olympian)
- Ron Funches (Comedian)
- Michael Rapaport (Actor/ Podcaster)
- Kristen Kish (Top Chef)
- Stephen Colletti (Laguna Beach/ One Tree Hill)
Season 4 of The Traitors is currently shooting in Scotland. No date has been announced for when we’ll get to actually watch the new season. In the past, the seasons have dropped in January, but with the show rapidly gaining popularity, there’s hope Peacock may move to multiple seasons a year. We’ll just have to wait and see what the result schedule will look like and if we’ll get any of the structural changes some fans have been asking for.
