Spoiler Alert: This post contains spoilers for the first three episodes of “Traitor” Season 4, currently streaming on Peacock.
It’s been more than 20 years since Rob Cestanino played mind games on TV, but on Thursday night, the “Survivor” star returned to the competition on “Traitor” Season 4. Unfortunately, his TV debut didn’t last long as the Traitors decided to kill him off, second only to ‘Big Brother’ favorite Ian Terry.
This season brings new twists to the game. Alan Cumming revealed to a player during the premiere that they would be secret traitors. Each night, that person would give the other traitors a list of candidates with options for who they could kill. In the second episode, traitors Lisa Rinna, Candice Dillard, and Rob Rausch were given the chance to learn the identity of the secret traitor. To do so, he had to commit the murder in a private place. The traitors had to get a bunch of tarot cards from the kitchen. Each card represented a player. Then you have to choose who to kill and burn their cards.
Candice chose to start a conga line to distract the rest of the cast, but Rob R snuck in and grabbed the card, sharing it with Rinna. Together they chose Rob C. and burned the card without telling Candice. But when she found out, she was overjoyed. Because right after the congas finished, Rob C. told her that he felt like the traitors were committing murder right in front of her. The traitors never had a chance to meet the secret traitor face to face. Because during that night’s banishment, Donna Kelce was revealed to be a secret traitor. The family then reported her and sent her home.
Rob C. has been a part of the real world for quite some time. He first appeared on “Survivor: The Amazon” in 2003 and came in third place. He returned the following year in Survivor: All Stars, but was voted out in third place. Although he never won a game, he is known as one of the greatest gamers of all time, and has since made a lucrative career out of his fascination with reality television.
In 2010, Chestanino launched “Rob Has a Podcast,” also known as RHAP. This is a platform that summarizes and analyzes reality TV, especially “Survivor,” “Big Brother,” and “The Amazing Race.” The network started as a compilation, but has grown to also feature commentary, interviews, and community events for all kinds of reality TV advocates. Later this year, he’s set to publish a book about “Survivor” titled “The Tribe and I Have Spoken,” which he details below.
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Here Cesternino talks about his surprise at being murdered rather than exiled. What he learned from his “Traitor” experience and whether this means more reality show appearances in his future.
You are known as a great gamer. Were you worried about being targeted from the beginning?
I was very worried that I would be expelled. After Boston Rob came in and had a great game in season 3, I was really worried. I felt like people were going to look at me and my background on Survivor and podcasting and say, “I don’t trust him,” and want to throw me out the door. I was really worried about that. I think I was pleasantly surprised that people didn’t seem to doubt me that much…except for the traitors. I think everyone else liked me too!
When did you find out who the traitor was and how did you react?
After exiting the game, you will be told by the producers who the traitor is, and perhaps it will be shown at some point. I was surprised to find out who the traitor was. I thought it was a housewife, but I thought it was Dorinda Medley. It made a lot of sense for her to come back and make her a traitor, and she was very calm. Dorinda is super zen right now! Since when? She was so different from last season that I really thought she was so calm and collected now because she’s a traitor.
I wanted to say that I shouldn’t have told Candace that the murder happened right in front of her. But in the end, it didn’t even matter because she couldn’t even tell her fellow traitors. They killed you anyway!
I’m glad I told Candiace that. That way I could at least give her a little fear. So that she knows what it’s like to be in a position of being threatened. But yeah, that was a big surprise for me. I had a good relationship with Candace, so I was like, “Here are my friends. I have to warn them about what’s going on.”
Did you form many alliances during your stay?
I felt very close to Tiffany Mitchell from Big Brother, and she’s also a smart and outgoing contestant, and I felt like she was someone I could really work with. I also felt a great affinity for the Monet X-Change, which was my first car. Monet was also someone I trusted a lot. I definitely felt that Monet was a loyal person.
Ewan Cherry/Peacock
Speaking of the cast, I was shocked that Michael Rapaport was cast, but he might just be the most annoying person to play this game. What was it like in the house with him?
By the way, does Michael Rapaport know how to get screen time?
I mean, I think that’s true.
For me, I thought Michael Rapaport was a very interesting disabled person. Apart from everything else, he was very much the center of attention. I immediately felt that Michael Rapaport could not be a traitor. A traitor would never act like that. And I had individual conversations with Lisa, Candice, and even Rob. I said to Lisa, “You know him. He’s all over Bravo stuff. Is he like this?” And she said, “He’s such a good actor.” I said, “Is he a 24/7 method actor, Lisa?!” I think the traitors were trying to make a very strong case that Michael Rapaport was a traitor. And I don’t think my vocal insistence that Michael Rapaport was a traitor ultimately helped. But I said he needed to leave. Because he felt it was a big problem in terms of helping believers. He was always a distraction.
Completely. I was shocked that he stayed until episode 3.
But traitors love such diversions!
What did you learn while appearing on “The Traitors”?
Through this whole process, I learned a lot about myself. I think what I’ve learned is that I’m not necessarily a great judge of character, but I’m a great judge of people’s behavior. Unfortunately or fortunately, I like almost everyone I meet, so I have to pay a little more attention to what people are doing. I think I need to be a little more sensitive about the people I meet because I’m a really trusting person.
Who do you think is playing the best game ever?
I’m really impressed with the Traitors this season. Often they have a traitor who is a real wild card. We see two other traitors asking the person what they plan to do with them. I don’t know if they thought maybe Lisa, Candace and Rob would be the wild cards, but I’m really proud of them in terms of how well they’ve worked together. They’re playing really, really smart and we’re waiting to see if Faithfull can counterpunch.
As you say! So not only have you made it through two seasons of Survivor, but you also have an encyclopedia of knowledge about the game. How did this game compare to “Survivor”?
This was so much fun. I’ve spent my entire career talking about “Survivor,” which is an animal in itself, but “Traitor” is just such a phenomenon. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this wild murder mystery that is so exciting to watch. And now that I can be a part of that world, I can understand a little bit more about how it actually works to podcast about it. So it was just a treat for me.
I think “Survivor” is more difficult just physically. But it’s the real heart F-, “traitor”. So, in the end, I didn’t get to experience where “The Traitor” gets really difficult, but actual betrayal happens in every season of the show.
I’d like to ask you about your upcoming book on Survivor, The Tribe and I Have Spoken. Why did you want to jump into this now?
So 25 years of “Survivor” felt like the right time. I’ve been a huge fan of the show, and then as a player, and then as a podcaster who has actually been on the show for about 60% of its history at this point, and I’ve had some really interesting experiences with the show. I don’t think anyone has ever told the story of “Survivor,” which has evolved in its own way, from where it started in Borneo in 2000 to where they are in the new era and what they’re doing in “Survivor” 50. And I thought it would be really fun for “Survivor” fans to go back together with me to the beginning of that journey, where I started, and a catalog of all the great historical moments. And in terms of “Survivor” mythology, all the iconic players like the Greek gods. This is a veritable treasure trove of all the “Survivor” information I have and I wanted to put it on paper and share it with people.
So, as someone who’s been watching it since the beginning, do you celebrate the show?
This is a love letter to Survivor, the show that truly changed my life in so many ways. Starting as an unemployed college student who discovered this show in 2000, every good thing that came into my life, including “The Traitors,” was a part of “Survivor” that got me hooked. I’ve always loved all these shows and formats so much and I’m always so excited to talk about how passionate I am about these things.
What do you think about ‘Survivor’ 50 approaching?
It’s hard not to be excited about “Survivor” 50 and all that’s to come. And they took some big swings, some wild swings, and we’ll see how they go. Most “Survivor” fans I’ve talked to are very excited about the return of legends and the chance to see these old-school players back on screen. It’s been a long time since “Survivor” has had returning players come back, so almost every fan I’ve talked to is very excited and, if anything, just nervous that it’s going to fail.
Want to podcast other shows or compete on shows?
“Big Brother” was where I started my journey. I applied for “Big Brother 3” but was not selected. And that’s how I got into the casting cycle for “Survivor.” I think Big Brother is interesting, but it’s long. It’s a very long commitment. When the phone rings, I listen.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
