From ‘Housewives' overload to the ‘shadiest queens' alliance: The dish on ‘The Traitors' Season 4 lineup

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14 hours ago

Welcome to Reality Derby, Gold Derby's weekly deep dive into all things reality TV, hosted by senior editors Marcus James Dixon and Denton Davidson. Watch the video above.
The cast of The Traitors Season 4 was unveiled on Friday, with a whopping 23 reality TV stars and notable figures about to compete for up to $250K. Among the roster are some of our favorite former gamers from Survivor and Big Brother, a pair of sassy Olympic figure skaters, and a whopping five women from The Real Housewives.
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"I do feel like this is a little Real Housewives heavy," Davidson declares. "It's just not a show that I follow. And I understand the fan base is massive. So, the fact that they keep inviting more and more back, it clearly means that it's doing well for them. It's just not my wheelhouse. And they don't know how to play the game!"
Says Dixon, "I really think that one of the Housewives are going to be a Traitor this year, because we did not get one last year in Season 3. In Season 2, we had Phaedra Parks, one of the best Traitors ever." The Housewives in this cycle are Dorinda Medley (returning from Season 2), Candiace Dillard Bassett, Caroline Stanbury, Lisa Rinna, and Porsha Williams.
They both openly wonder if returning contestant Dorinda might be a Traitor this time around, since she was a Faithful last year. "If I was there, I would immediately target her again," laughs Davidson. "Poor Dorinda! Because they're going to think, 'Of course, she's coming back as a Traitor.'"for Churchill Downs
When Davidson initially saw the cast list, he felt "meh," until he noticed Olympic figure skaters Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir in the lineup. He explains, "These are two people I didn't expect to be on a reality TV show — not because they don't have the personality, but because it just wasn't on my radar. Tara Lipinski was an Olympic gold medalist, and Johnny Weir is a very eccentric male figure skater, and they are two of the shadiest queens that do the commentary for the Winter Olympics. They're like every bestie pairing you would see in West Hollywood ... and it's going to be hilarious if one of them is actually a Traitor."
Survivor star Rob Cesternino being cast on The Traitors is a big "F you" to the long-running CBS reality TV show, Dixon says. "He was in the running for Survivor 50, and I guess at the last moment he didn't get the call. And so The Traitors swoops in two weeks later, and they're like, 'OK, we want you in the castle.'" In other words, Survivor's "loss" is The Traitors' "gain."
Other competition gamers about to go for the gold in Scotland include Yamil "Yam Yam" Arocho from Survivor, Natalie Anderson (without her twin sister, Nadiya Anderson) from The Amazing Race and Survivor, and Ian Terry and Tiffany Mitchell from Big Brother.
"It's been a long time since we've seen [Ian]," Davidson realizes. "It'll be interesting to see what he's like now at age 34. He was so young when he was on Big Brother a thousand years ago."
Tiffany was "the creator of the Cookout" and "America's Favorite Houseguest" on Big Brother, so "people love her," remembers Dixon. "I loved that whole season of Big Brother 23. I think it's the best season they've ever done, so I can't wait to see her. She's got a little villainous side."
Dixon wonders if Carolyn Wiger "had any sway" in getting her Survivor 44 buddy, Yam Yam, onto The Traitors, since she was so popular in the castle last year. Just like Rob, Carolyn was in the running for Survivor 50, but she was ultimately cut, possibly because of her time on the rival series. "Jeff Probst is very jealous and protective, and does not like it when his Survivors are on The Traitors," Davidson warns.
They also discuss the hot topic of Donna Kelce, the mother of NFL bros Travis and Jason Kelce, and whether Travis' girlfriend, Taylor Swift, might be posting about The Traitors this year. "You know she's going to watch," Davidson smiles. "She probably already does. I mean, I'm sure Donna had an advisor and got some advice from from Taylor and her kids, or at least spoke to them about it, so it'll be interesting to see their take."
Season 4 of The Traitors is expected to air in early 2026, as the first three seasons all began in January. The show has already been picked up for a fifth season.
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