Rob Rausch Would Rather Not Be Doing This

by

Rob Rausch wasn’t thrilled about doing another interview. Since winning the reality show Traitors on February 27th, he’s been incredibly busy with appearances – he gifted Maura Higgins a Birkin bag on Watch What Happens Live, chatted with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, and even let Lisa Rinna borrow his overalls in New York. Throughout it all, he seemed mostly amused, exhausted, and unsure if all the publicity was worth it. I spoke with him while he was promoting Kind bars, and he spent the entire time lying down on a hotel couch. While some might see his laid-back attitude as ungrateful, on Rausch, it comes across as a charming disbelief in his own sudden fame.

Before appearing on The Traitors, Rausch was already known from Love Island USA, where his quiet and enigmatic personality attracted a lot of attention. On The Traitors, he became a controversial figure, both admired and disliked for his clever strategies. Despite being a Traitor from the start, he managed to appear innocent and unassuming, leading the other players to trust him. He surprisingly betrayed his fellow Traitors, Rinna and Candiace Dillard Bassett, and later did the same to Eric Nam. In the end, he reached the final round with another Love Island contestant, Higgins, but had to reveal his deception to her, creating a powerful and memorable moment that launched both of them into reality TV stardom. Now, Rausch is flooded with new opportunities, though he admits they aren’t necessarily things he ever actively pursued, simply things he’s now able to experience.

It’s been a long day of interviews, and honestly, I’m really tired. I’ve had to repeat a lot of the same answers, which is draining. Still, I’m thankful for the opportunity and happy to be talking with you.

Doing all this press, have you thought about who you are as a public figure?
No, not really.

Honestly, I hadn’t given it much thought. I just recently started working with a publicist – that’s something new for me – and I suppose that’s what she’s there for. I haven’t really considered it on my own.

What are your discussions like with your publicist? She’s wonderful and I really like her, but she’s constantly focused on managing my image – advising me on what to say and do, and what to avoid.

When you agreed to be on The Traitors, did you consider how much media attention and potential brand deals might come with it? What led you to that decision?

Honestly, I wasn’t initially interested. I turned it down several times. But the producer who was asking me to do the show is a close friend – I’ve known her since my time on Love Island. She convinced me it would be a fun game, knowing I enjoy those kinds of challenges, and encouraged me to give it a shot. Eventually, I decided to go for it.

Honestly, going into the show, I hadn’t really watched The Traitors at all. I did start the first episode of season three, but I couldn’t even finish it before filming began.

So, what skills helped you in this situation? Well, I grew up playing a lot of the game Mafia, both in high school and at family gatherings. It’s actually very similar to this. I also used to watch the original seasons of Survivor and remembered some strategies from that, even though it had been a while.

Were you familiar with any of the other people who were competing in the show? Not really. I watched three seasons of Survivor that were added to Netflix in 2020.

Knowing you enjoy competitive games like Settlers of Catan and Risk, I was curious if you played Traitors with the same win-at-all-costs mentality. And the answer is yes! I always try to win when I play a game, and I made that clear from the start. I told everyone on day one that I was there to compete and win.

Were most of the people there thinking the same way? Many were, but others were just there to have fun and gain experience.

Several players seemed as focused on winning as I was. Natalie, Mark, Rob Cesternino, Tiffany, and Ian all clearly came to the game with the intention of taking home the prize.

It was mostly gamers, and I really respected how dedicated they were to playing their best.

I approached working with people differently depending on who they were. With Mark and Natalie, I felt they were competitive but also trusted me, so I wanted to keep them around, hoping they’d unknowingly help my game. However, I didn’t have that same connection with Ian and Rob, and I knew they were strong players, so I decided to eliminate them.

Given that Love Island has a winner, were you trying to win the show when you went on it?

Not at all. I didn’t even really know what Love Island was when they asked me to be on it. They described it as a free trip to Fiji with attractive people, and I thought, ‘Sure, why not?’ I definitely wasn’t going on there to play a game.

Had you seen the show before you were on it? No, I hadn’t. It wasn’t very well-known in the US at the time, so I didn’t think being on it would be a huge thing. I certainly didn’t expect it to change my life, but it actually did!

You probably recognize Maura Higgins as the host of Love Island: Aftersun. Did anyone else seem familiar? Michael Rapaport looked like someone I knew.

I was immediately drawn to Natalie and Maura. They were both very laid-back and just wanted to have fun and enjoy the experience, not create drama. Maura hadn’t even seen the show and wasn’t focused on getting attention on camera. Natalie, Mark, and Kristen were similar in that way. Eventually, I became friends with everyone, and I really grew close to Dorinda and Lisa.

Dorinda was head over heels for you.
I adore her. She’s wonderful.

Would you say you see yourself as a performer in any way? I wouldn’t describe myself that way, no.

I was using ‘it’ as a thing, not an action. Are you asking if that’s what I do for work? I might be amusing, but I don’t think of myself as a ‘performer’ because I’m not deliberately trying to put on a spectacle; I’m just being myself.

It was good. I really enjoyed meeting Lisa Rinna – she’s one of my favorites. She’s a total performer and gives it her all, but she’s also a genuinely amazing person.

The show has a lot of dramatic moments, like when Alan Cumming asks you to become a Traitor and take the oath. Previous players like Candiace, Lisa, and Bob the Drag Queen really leaned into that intensity. What was that experience like for you?

I just acted naturally. I hadn’t seen the show before, so I didn’t realize people were supposed to exaggerate their reactions. I thought we were just meant to be ourselves. It was amusing watching it back and seeing everyone play that part. He asks, ‘Are you ready to murder?’ and I just said, ‘Yeah!’

People seem to think my choices on Traitors were based on gender, which is really frustrating. Some assumed I didn’t align with Candiace and Lisa because they’re women, and then others said I chose Eric because he’s a man. The truth is, I picked Eric because I thought he had the best chance of winning.

Interestingly, the two Traitors we’d already discovered were both women. That’s why I chose him – or, if not him, I would have chosen a man. It wasn’t about preferring to work with a man, but simply because it would have been useful to know if a male Traitor emerged, since all the Traitors found so far had been women.

Did people ever consider how things would play out if this were a real-life situation while they were strategizing? Absolutely. It was a constant topic of conversation. That’s why I mentioned Jonny and Tara as potential Traitors – their dynamic would make for compelling television.

If Candiace hadn’t drawn attention to herself, the fact that Lisa was already seen as untrustworthy might have actually worked in her favor. By not siding with Lisa, Candiace could have remained a strong contender – she was playing the game very well at that point.

Would you have eliminated her? No, I don’t think I would have. If someone who was identified as a ‘traitor’ from the beginning managed to reach the end, I’d feel they deserved to win just as much as I did.

During the first season, Cirie eliminated Arie because, as a newer player, he wasn’t contributing as much as she was. Eric was quickly discovered as a traitor – everyone figured it out in just three days! He was a really funny player, though. It was amusing to see Kristen directly accuse him, asking, “You’re a traitor, aren’t you?”

I noticed you seemed really excited as your time in the castle was coming to an end, and you thought you were going to win. Did you ever consider quitting the game? Not really. I was thrilled with Maura because we both felt like I was actually going to win. The show didn’t show it, but she believed we had the game won before that point.

I remember her telling me, even before that conversation in the kitchen about winning the game, that we had it in the bag. She’d constantly say things like, “We’re gonna win, man!” and I’d always tell her to be quiet because I didn’t want to jinx it. I had a plan to get Johnny and Tara out of the picture, and she had her own plan to take care of Eric, which she’d actually told me about well beforehand. She really believed I’d follow through with my part, and I absolutely intended to. Those were honestly the only times I let myself get genuinely excited and show it, because she was just as confident we’d win.

She briefly pretended to be the betrayer, and it startled you. That really shows how immersed I was in the game, because even then, I was thinking, “Why did you do that? You didn’t need to keep acting.” I was so focused on maintaining the pretense, even after it was no longer necessary.

So, I was chatting with Maura, and she pointed out something interesting – she thinks I won The Traitors because I’m pretty much the same person on and off camera. Apparently, Eric really shifted his personality when he became a Traitor, and she was curious about how I managed to stay so consistent. Honestly? I think I’m just always me. The only real ‘acting’ I did during the game was simply denying I was a Traitor when asked! I was scheming and lying, of course, but I mostly just needed to keep Candiace and Eric in the dark. The rest of the time, I wasn’t really lying – I was just presenting myself as a Faithful. I focused on building genuine connections, sharing about myself, and getting to know everyone else.

How do most people see me, Rob Rausch? I think a lot of people probably view me as just a good-looking guy from Alabama who found success on reality television. That’s likely how I’d describe the general perception.

So, are you saying that’s all there is to it? I’m trying to understand how you see ‘Rob Rausch’ – the public persona – as something separate from who you actually are.

Basically, I try not to pay attention to what people think of me. For my own well-being, it’s important to remember that both positive and negative comments aren’t necessarily real. People only see a small part of me and don’t truly know me. I don’t let their opinions bother me. Instead, I rely on the people who really know me – my close relationships – to give me honest feedback if I’m looking for it. Their opinions are what matter.

Many people in your situation struggle to stay grounded, but you seem to handle it really well. Living in Alabama definitely helps – I mostly avoid the public eye and am treated like a normal person. I’m not seen as a celebrity, and my friends and family keep me humble. It’s easy to forget everything when I’m home, and that’s exactly how I like it. It keeps me real. I felt that way from the beginning with Love Island – I was determined not to let the show change me. It’s easier to stay true to myself because I go home and surround myself with people who genuinely know and love me.

So, people are curious about how I pick the brands I work with, especially when I’m also doing things like releasing a bit of spicy fiction! Honestly, the Kind bar partnership was a no-brainer. I’ve genuinely been a fan of Kind bars for ages. I especially love the Protein Max bars – 20 grams of protein is a fantastic boost. And their granola with 15 grams of protein? Perfect for breakfast or a quick snack. It’s a delicious and easy way to get some extra protein in your day. Plus, I appreciate what the brand stands for – kindness is always a good thing, right?

Oh, and what about that erotic story project? I really enjoyed working on it. I thought it was great that it was a business owned and run by women – it felt really empowering to support them and their work.

What would you say “no” to? 
Not a lot of money.

Asked if she’d do another reality show, she said she might be open to it someday, but isn’t thinking about it right now. She’s really focused on going home and getting back to normal after a busy week of interviews and promotion.

Did anything good happen to you this week? I recorded a podcast with Jake Shane, and I really enjoyed it! He’s hilarious and seems like a really authentic person.

I’m curious about how competitive you are. Would you ever consider being on Dancing With the Stars? Well, honestly, that would be really challenging for me. I have no dancing ability.

That’s a limiting factor.
However, if I did do it, I would try my hardest.

Read More

2026-03-06 00:57