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Rob Cesternino is reality TV royalty — a Survivor legend and mastermind behind Rob Has a Podcast (RHAP). And after a long absence from competition series, he made a much-anticipated return with Season 4 of The Traitors on Peacock. Although his time in the castle was cut short, he left a lasting impression.
In an exit interview with Blavity’s Shadow and Act, Cesternino talked about the Conga line chaos, why he suspected Yam Yam Arocho, and whether he’d pull a Dorinda and come back for another round.
When you found out that Candiace Dillard Bassett was the one who started the Conga line, was your immediate thought, “Oh wow, she might be a Traitor, and what did I just tell her?” Or were you still kind of piecing things together at that point?
I wish that I could tell you that that was the order that it happened. I was talking to Candiace, and then I realized that she was the one that started the Conga line, and then after that conversation, I thought, “Oh, maybe Candiace is a Traitor.” So, ideally, in the heat of the moment you wish you could figure things out in a better order, but I think I had the thought Candiace might be a Traitor after I had tried to warn her and Mark Ballas about the Conga line.
Going back a little bit further — just the idea that you were able to clock the Conga line even immediately, you pulled Tiffany [Mitchell] aside. Nothing has been clocked on The Traitors that quickly — or maybe even that efficiently — in the amount of time that you were given. Just take me back to the point in time where you were like, “Wow, I think a murder’s happening right now.” What was going through your mind?
Yeah, so it was a very sad night after Porsha [Williams] went home, and I loved Porsha so much, and I was so disappointed to see her go. And people were in a sad mood for the most part. It was a very late night, and I was surprised that we hadn’t gone to bed yet at The Traitors castle.
So as the night continued, I was starting to think, “Oh, wait, hold on a second. What if this is one of those nights where they do a murder in plain sight?” Because this was right around the time in the season when they would do something like that. So then I thought, “Okay, I’m not going to be doing anything out of the ordinary,” and I wanted to warn Tiffany. That’s right when we hear the Conga line has started. And listen — anytime you’re at a party and a Conga line breaks out, hide. That’s my advice to everybody.
At the point in time when you were eliminated — or murdered, I should say — who did you think the Traitors were? And did you really think that there would be a season, at least starting off, where there would be no gamers as Traitors?
I didn’t think they would do a season with no gamers in the tour. I thought maybe just one instead of two or three like we’ve seen in other seasons. And there were only five people from the CBS reality shows there.
I thought it was Yam Yam, and I was not trying to get him out. I thought, “Okay, Yam Yam is a Traitor, and I think that that’s a good thing for me because maybe he’ll keep me safe.” So I actually took some comfort in thinking that Yam Yam was a Traitor. So it was a big surprise to me that they ended up going in that direction. I think it’s a good thing for the health of the show and the franchise overall — I just wish they did it on a different season than the one I was on.
What did you think about Donna [Kelce] being the Secret Traitor? For the first few episodes, there were all these theories — everyone was like, “Oh, it’s Rob.” I think people thought it was either you or Natalie [Anderson]. Definitely, people assumed a gamer had to be the Secret Traitor. What did you think about that reveal?
Yeah, so the reveal of Donna as the secret Traitor was certainly a surprise. I kind of thought in the castle that Donna might have just been getting a bad rap, I have to be honest.
People were saying Donna was a Traitor, but I thought maybe it was more like, “Okay, of course Donna Kelce would be a Traitor — wouldn’t that be the perfect cover story?” It seemed like she wasn’t fitting in, but I thought it was more of a self-fulfilling prophecy. People thought she was a Traitor, so she wasn’t fitting in, and she was just getting a raw deal. Nobody had really given her a chance. So I was much more open to the idea that she wasn’t a traitor.
And as someone who’s not only important to the canon of Survivor, but someone who helped rally television competitions as a whole — The Traitors is kind of the new show on the block, and it’s gotten a ton of acclaim, especially over the past two seasons. With you actually being in the castle and involved in the game this season, what do you think surprised you the most — something that someone just watching the show wouldn’t be able to tell?
You have so little to go off of, and it’s so little time, and it’s so fast. You just have to put yourself out there and say something.
Everybody, for the most part, is pretty nice and fun when you’re there — and then you have to go to this roundtable and now all of a sudden write somebody’s name down. I felt like there were fewer clues than you’d expect — less you could actually see when you’re playing the game, as opposed to watching it on television.
When you think about the time and mindset you were in while leaving the castle, was there someone you thought was underrated? Either someone playing a great faithful game or someone who might’ve been a Traitor flying under the radar?
I think all three of the Traitors that were picked by Alan are doing an incredible job. I’ve been even more impressed watching the show and seeing how well they’ve worked together — which you don’t always get in every season.
Among the Faithfuls, maybe somebody you haven’t seen as much of: Monét [X Change]. I just thought she was such an intelligent person with an amazing social game. I felt extremely close to Monet — but I bet there were probably 12 people who felt like they were really close with her. She’s doing a fabulous job.
And Mark Ballas is somebody you didn’t see a lot from in the first episode, but he’s a really sharp guy and really knows the game.
Lastly, a lot of people are already upset that after all this time, you came back to TV, and we lost you so quickly. People are calling for you to get the Dorinda Medley treatment next season. With The Traitors, if you had a chance to come back, would that be something you’d immediately want to do, or do you feel like your time came and went?
I think it was such a cool idea that they brought back Dorinda for Season 3. And look at Dorinda — she’s come back, playing a totally different game, and she’s doing so well. I’m so happy for her.
If I could somehow follow in that legacy, it would be an honor. I loved getting to go play The Traitors. I had the best time. So anytime they want me back, I would love to go.
The Traitors airs new episodes Thursdays on Peacock.
