Where Maura Higgins, Rob Rausch Stand After Traitors Betrayal

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Maura Higgins has forgiven Rob Rausch—mostly. 

The winner of season four of The Traitors, who also worked with snakes on Love Island USA, said she doesn’t hold grudges—as long as her ally from the show buys her a Hermès Birkin bag.

She told TopMob News that she and Rob are on good terms. She admitted she hadn’t been bothered by the situation, explaining that she sees it all as just a game, and that Rob played it very effectively.

Rob won $220,800 on the show, and at the season four reunion, he promised to buy Maura a Birkin bag with his winnings. Maura is playfully holding him to that promise before fully forgiving his actions as a ‘Traitor.’ She joked, ‘He’s forgiven, but he’s fully forgiven when I get my bag!’ He beat out Candiace Dillard Bassett, Lisa Rinna, and fellow secret Traitor Donna Kelce to win.

Rob managed to trick everyone, including celebrities like Colton Underwood, Kristen Kish, Johnny Weir, Tara Lipinski, and others, before winning on February 26th.

Although some people, including Eric Nam (who knew Rob was secretly a Traitor), doubted Maura’s strong support for Rob, she maintained she wouldn’t have changed her mind.

She explained that she truly trusted Rob. He seemed like the same person she’d met on the Love Island Aftersun sofa, and she didn’t suspect he was pretending to be a Traitor. He just seemed consistently himself.

Throughout the final episode, it was clear Tara desperately wanted Rob and Eric to leave. However, she remained loyal to her fellow Islanders and chose to vote out Johnny, Tara, and eventually Eric. She was then surprised to learn the truth about Rob’s standing in the competition.

Even though Rob broke Maura’s trust on the show, he’s still working to fulfill his promise to her, even from a distance. According to Maura, Rob is trying to get her a Birkin bag, and he’s getting help from another contestant on season four of Traitors.

Maura pointed out that it’s extremely difficult to purchase a Birkin bag from Hermès – they can cost as much as $300,000. She believes Lisa Rinna is using her connections to help someone obtain one, suggesting Rinna’s well-connected status gives her the ability to do so.

Maura says that experiencing the castle firsthand is much harder than it looks on TV.

Maura thought about what people were saying online: ‘Some claim he wasn’t a skilled Traitor, just that the Faithful players were easily fooled.’ She disagreed, explaining that it’s simple for viewers to judge knowing who the Traitors are. If he’d been a poor Traitor, wouldn’t the other players have discovered and removed him? There were over twenty other adults in the castle, and nobody suspected him.

Although Maura didn’t win, she was incredibly proud of her performance, especially since she’d never even watched the show before.

She explained that she simply wanted to be herself, do her best, and enjoy the experience while making friends. She was pleased with how calmly she handled the situation, reminding herself that it was just a game show – not something to take too seriously, and definitely not real life.

Maura emphasized, “I had the experience of a lifetime.”

For more secrets from The Traitors, keep reading…

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve been completely hooked on The Traitors! While the show is all about strategy and figuring out who’s lying, the contestants don’t get to choose if they’re a Traitor or Faithful. But things got really interesting in season two! Stars like Phaedra Parks and Kate Chastain actually had the chance to try and convince host Alan Cumming of their innocence – it added a whole new layer of drama and suspense!

As a huge fan, I was so fascinated to hear producer Mike Cotton talking to Variety about how they choose the Traitors! He explained that Alan’s input is really important, but honestly, the whole selection process sounds intense. It’s like each potential Traitor is being interviewed! They really think about who will create the most interesting dynamic and bring something unique to the game right up until the last minute. They want a good mix of personalities and skills, and it’s clear they put a lot of thought into it.

The players didn’t initially know how many Traitors were among them. Cirie Fields, winner of the first season of Survivor, explained to TopMob News in 2023 that they were told at the start of the game there could be three to five Traitors.

Players were also asked to take the Traitor’s Oath, which involved promising to lie and deceive others throughout the game, being willing to eliminate other players each night, and keeping both their own and other players’ identities hidden.

To get a sense of who might be good at deceiving others, the show uses a personality test for the contestants. According to Cotton Variety, this helps identify traits that could make someone a convincing liar. However, the producers don’t actually know who the ‘Traitors’ are until the moment Alan Carr secretly selects them.

I was thrilled when I got the offer for this role – it’s wonderfully over-the-top, a bit like playing a Bond villain, honestly! The best part? They were totally on board with me bringing my little dog along. I remember pitching the idea to The Daily Beast last year, suggesting my character actually pet my dog, and they loved it! That sealed the deal for me – I knew I had to be a part of it.

With his rescue dog, Lala, by his side, he fully embraced his on-camera role, playfully quoting lines from the works of William Shakespeare and Plato. He described adopting a dramatic, intense persona – ‘a sort of flaring-nostril thing,’ he said. A lot of it was improvisation, even with someone feeding him lines through an earpiece. He likened the experience to stand-up comedy, explaining that he was often ‘winging it’ in the moment.

While the actors film at the beautiful Ardross Castle in Scotland, they don’t get to live there during production.

Cumming told The Daily Beast that the cast and crew didn’t actually stay at the castle during filming. Instead, they stayed at a hotel near the Inverness airport. He did have a room in the castle, though – he used it to get ready and change. It even had a large bed, so he often took naps there, but never slept overnight.

The show almost involved a much more dangerous challenge. Creator Marc Pos told Variety his initial idea was to film on a ship off the coast of Australia, where losing contestants would have to swim to an island. However, he realized it would be too complicated and expensive to actually film that way.

As a huge fan, I was really curious about how much of the castle the contestants actually get to explore! Apparently, they don’t have access to the whole thing. According to Cotton, they’re using just a section – one wing, specifically – as the game-playing area. But the good news is they also have all the outdoor grounds to roam around, so it’s still a pretty expansive space for them to compete in!

He pointed out that with room for around thirty bedrooms, complete privacy would be difficult. While people could spread out and talk separately, the space was still small enough that conversations could be overheard or someone could be seen slipping away for a private discussion.

It makes sense that Rachel Reilly, a former contestant on Big Brother, found car rides to and from challenges to be the best time to plot strategy with other players. She told Reality Blurred that “You’re separated, and nobody can hear what you’re saying,” unlike inside the house where they had to whisper.

Players weren’t allowed to discuss strategy at the hotel. According to Dan Gheesling, a contestant from season two, this was because anything said off-camera couldn’t be included in the show if it revealed important information. He told Business Insider that all game talk had to happen when the microphones and cameras were rolling.

Chrishell Stause, from season three of the show, also shared that they weren’t provided with a hair and makeup team. She told Us Weekly that she would have loved to have glam services available at the castle, but Alan didn’t permit it.

Getting everyone settled for the nightly eliminations is a huge undertaking. As Cotton explained to Variety, it requires a complex logistical effort to ensure the ‘Faithful’ are each put to bed in separate rooms, and then allow the ‘Traitors’ to regroup and meet.

Even though Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan were a couple during season two of the show, they weren’t permitted to share a hotel room. According to executive producer Sam Rees-Jones, producers felt it would have given them an unfair advantage over the other contestants.

Despite the rules, Reza Farahan from Shahs of Sunset tried to add some playful mischief. He told Digital Spy he attempted to slip notes under contestants’ doors while he was supposed to be confined to his room. The notes jokingly accused them of past misdeeds, signed ‘The Traitors’.

The show doesn’t leave much room for downtime. According to director Julian Rees-Jones, they aim to film one episode each day, which is a significant challenge. He explained to Variety that this fast pace helps the cast stay focused and immersed in their roles. While the schedule is demanding, it ultimately benefits the quality of the show. A typical day involves breakfast, a planning meeting, a mission, and then solving a murder, before starting the process all over again. Actress Chrishell Stause mentioned that one night they didn’t return to their rooms until 2 a.m.

According to Cotton, who spoke with Variety, breakfast on set is carefully scheduled with actors arriving at different times. However, the meals themselves don’t last very long – usually no more than an hour.

Producers likely limit alcohol consumption to keep contestants focused. Ekin-Su Culculoglu, winner of Love Island and a participant on season two of The Faithfull, explained to Entertainment Weekly in 2024 that they were only allowed one drink per night, describing the rules as “quite restricted.”

Even though it’s often difficult to find genuine connections with other players, everyone on the show is assigned a dedicated support person. Mercedes Javid, a popular cast member from last season, explained on the Just Sayin’ podcast that these team members are constantly checking in on the contestants. She described them as upbeat and highly professional, adding that she always felt well-cared for.

When it comes to building relationships on camera, contestants don’t find out who their competition will be until they get to Scotland. Casting director Deena Katz told Time that this is intentional – they don’t want people to research each other or form alliances beforehand. However, once the competition begins, players are given information about each other and a journal to keep notes.

Cumming jokingly refers to himself as a “Traitor,” referencing the social deduction game he enjoys. In a 2023 interview with the Daily Beast, he explained that players often accuse each other of being the “Traitor” based on flimsy evidence. He humorously suggested he could label someone a “Traitor” simply by touching them, highlighting how easily accusations can be made in the game.

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2026-03-03 00:48