Spoilers for The Traitors Season 4 ahead. The Traitors always have some tricks up their sleeve — both the show and the “Traitors” themselves. The long-awaited fourth season of the Emmy-winning Peacock series premiered on Jan. 8, debuting a dynamic cast full of Real Housewives, reality competition alums, seasoned actors, and even Taylor Swift’s future mother-in-law.
Usually, The Traitors brings together stars in Scotland for a murder mystery game, where a few contestants are named Traitors and have to “murder” one of their opposing “Faithfuls” each night. Before the murder, the contestants argue who they think is a Traitor at a nightly roundtable, and vote for someone to banish from the game.
But it wouldn’t be The Traitors without some twists. In the first 10 minutes of the premiere, host Alan Cumming revealed that there would be a “secret Traitor” whose identity wouldn’t be known to anyone — including the viewers. But how exactly did this twist work, and who was named the secret Traitor? Fret not, all is explained below.
How Did This Twist Work?
After the contestants arrived at Ardross Castle in their carriages (aka fancy SUVs), Cumming gathered them to the lawn to reveal that the first Traitor of the season would be chosen before anyone set foot into the castle. He typically selects each Traitor at the iconic roundtable on the first night, but for this special twist, things would be done differently.
Cumming instructed each contestant to step up to a podium one by one and watch as a special box was opened. Just one of their boxes contained a “Traitor” card, and each contestant had to put on their best poker face to conceal their fate.
Later that night, at the usual ceremony, Cumming selected former Real Housewives of Potomac star Candiace Dillard Bassett, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Lisa Rinna, and Love Island USA’s Rob Rausch as this season’s Traitors. However, when the trio gathered in the turret for the first time, they found out that the fourth Traitor would be a secret to them as well.
Rather than meet in the turret, the secret Traitor would work alone and form a shortlist of Faithfuls that would be eligible for murder that night, leaving Bassett, Rinna, and Rausch to decide which contestant to remove from the game. And given that Rausch landed on the first shortlist, the secret Traitor is clearly unaware of their fellow Traitors’ identities as well.
Who Was The Secret Traitor?
Although Cumming promised that the secret Traitor’s identity wouldn’t be known to viewers, it didn’t take long for them to be revealed. In the third episode, it was revealed that Donna Kelce – yes, mother of Travis — was named the secret Traitor before entering the castle.
Many contestants grew suspicious of Kelce as she chose to stay quiet and observe rather than have many speculative chats — including the other Traitors, who were torn between keeping her safe or banishing her to protect themselves. However, she put up a good fight even to viewers, stating in her confessionals that she was simply “fangirling” over her fellow contestants.
After her identity was revealed, Kelce acknowledged that being a Traitor was “tough,” but teared up over how much fun she had. “I gave it my best shot,” she said. “This has been a dream come true. These are happy tears that I get to do this at this point in my life. It’s just the joy of being in the game.”
Rinna, Bassett, and Rausch earned the opportunity to meet the “secret Traitor” after successfully completing a murder in plain sight. However, they didn’t get the chance, as Kelce was banished, and she revealed her identity at the roundtable before the meeting. That said, a Traitor exiting early in the season gives them more time to conceal themselves, giving them an advantage in the game.
