In an incredible display of backstabbing, miscommunication, and cold-hearted calculation, the Faithfuls have yet again banished one of their own on the most recent episode of “The Traitors.” Despite forming an alliance with Olympian Tara Lipinski, “Survivor” winner Natalie Anderson was banished by her fellow Faithfuls in a near-unanimous roundtable vote.
Natalie Anderson’s Dramatic Banishment on ‘The Traitors’
Before exiting the castle once and for all, Anderson delivered a heartwrenching speech to her fellow castmates:
“My whole life I’ve wanted to be so strong, and I try really hard to present as tough, and sometimes it comes with the negative of being judged of being ruthless, cutthroat. But today, a gamer got played. I’m a Faithful, so… good job, guys.”
After this tense exit, Anderson appeared on “The Traitors Official Podcast”—hosted by former “Traitors” co-stars “Boston Rob” Mariano and Bob the Drag Queen—to share her perspective on this season’s gameplay, how her history as a gamer may have led to her demise, and why “Love Island” star Rob Rausch continues to have the Faithfuls fooled.
As the only real “gamer” left in the castle, Anderson said she felt like an outcast among the rest of the cast—currently made up of two Olympians, two “Love Island” contestants, a singer/songwriter, and a professional dancer—and speculated that this outsider status may have led to her banishment.
“Sometimes, when there’s an outcast at the table, everybody’s looking at you like, ‘Why are you here?’ That’s how I felt. It was probably the first time I’ve ever felt like that. I never felt it on ‘Survivor,’” Anderson explained on the podcast. “Everybody’s looking at me like, ‘It’s you, and there’s nothing you can do about it.’ That’s how I felt at that table. At that point, I was like, ‘You know what? Forget these Faithfuls. They suck.’”
Anderson added that her reputation may have preceded her. “There was something in the back of everyone’s minds” that at least one Traitor had to be a gamer, she said.
“I think my antics at the banquet definitely did not help. But I think everybody, in the back of their mind, always thought, ‘I would be an idiot to go to the end with Natalie,’” Anderson said. “There is no way, with the personalities we have and our resumes, that it wouldn’t follow us into the castle. Playing these games as a ‘gamer,’ there’s a reputation. There’s a stigma now.”
What Makes Rob Rausch a Good Traitor?
This season of “The Traitors” has been full of surprises, but nothing has shocked viewers more than Rausch’s undeniable success as a Traitor. Much like season 1 winner Cirie Fields, Rausch has most of the castle convinced he is the most faithful Faithful while he runs the show from the shadows.
GettyAccording to Anderson, his success can be attributed to his relative anonymity outside of the “Love Island” fandom.
“I didn’t know who this dude was. I didn’t know he was such a savage. I was thinking I could take him to the end and then murk him. Instead, it was the other way around,” Anderson said. “Nobody knew about him. I don’t watch bloody ‘Love Island.’ I had no idea who this kid was. He just seemed so innocent and sweet.”
Both co-hosts agreed with Anderson’s opinion, with Boston Rob later commenting that “at this point, it’s definitely [Rausch’s] game to lose.”
With Anderson gone and the Faithfuls more clueless than ever, fans of “The Traitors” are anxiously awaiting next week’s finale episode. Will the Faithful’s band together to pull off a win, or will Rob Rausch’s Alabama drawl and pretty-boy looks help him lie and cheat his way to the jackpot?
All will be revealed during the season 4 finale of “The Traitors,” airing Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on Peacock.
