AceShowbiz - The Traitors season four concluded Thursday night with a dramatic and cunning victory by Rob Rausch, the treacherous Traitor who outplayed everyone to claim the prize.

Rob Rausch, known from his time on Love Island, entered the game as a Traitor on day one and executed a calculated, strategic gameplay. Despite being underestimated as a “dumb hot person,” he proved everyone wrong by winning the entire competition. Throughout the season, Rausch betrayed his fellow Traitors, notably voting to banish Lisa Rinna and Candiace Dillard Bassett earlier on. These three started the season as the original Traitors, joined later by a secret Traitor, Donna Kelce. In the final moments, Rausch also backstabbed his late-game ally, K-pop star Eric Nam, securing his win.

Heading into the finale, the remaining contestants were Eric Nam, Johnny Weir, Mark Ballas, Maura Higgins, Rob Rausch, and Tara Lipinski. The season’s final murder was set to be revealed at the start of the finale in front of all players. Potential targets included Weir, Ballas, Higgins, and Lipinski, with Ballas becoming the Traitors’ last victim.

The last mission was a thrilling helicopter jump into water, after which Nam, Weir, Higgins, Rausch, and Lipinski gathered for the final roundtable. Weir was voted off, separating the Olympic duo of himself and Lipinski. At the final flaming roundtable, players threw red or green bags into the fire to signal whether they believed Traitors were still in the group or if they were ready to proceed as a united group. Every contestant chose red, signaling suspicion.

Throughout the season, Higgins had maintained that Rausch could not be a Traitor, but in a surprising twist, she cast the final vote to banish Lipinski. Lipinski, devastated by the betrayal, said she was “so devastated” after Higgins’ vote.

With only Nam, Higgins, and Rausch left, Nam was the sole player voting to move forward without elimination, while Rausch and Higgins voted for another banishment. Higgins tried to convince herself that Nam was the Traitor, but she’d soon discover her closest ally was also playing a deceptive game. During the vote, Nam targeted Rausch, and both Higgins and Rausch voted against Nam.

Host Alan Cumming revealed the final stakes: if both remaining players were Faithful, they would split the prize. However, if a Traitor remained, that player would claim the entire pot. Higgins smiled, believing they were both Faithful, only to be shocked when Rausch revealed he had been a Traitor the whole time. Her reaction was one of disbelief and heartbreak. “Oh my god, I’m so stupid,” she admitted.

Higgins confronted Rausch about his betrayal, recalling his pinky promise to her. She called him an “absolute asshole” and told him to stop explaining himself. Despite her anger, she acknowledged his skill at deception, saying, “You’re such a good liar... fair play though. If I was a Traitor, I’d have done the same. No hard feelings.”

She concluded her bitter farewell with, “Rob, you’re a fucking snake. But well done.”

The $220,800 winner expressed mixed feelings about having to betray those he grew close to in the game, especially Higgins and Nam. In his confessional, he questioned whether he would be willing to share the money with someone he had only known for three weeks, ultimately concluding he would not.

Host Alan Cumming reminded viewers that the show is called Traitors for a reason, underscoring the ruthless nature of the competition. Outside the castle, Rausch quietly celebrated his hard-fought victory, cementing his place as the most cunning player of the season.