Maura Higgins at the center of 'The Traitors' Season 4 finale as Rob Rausch wins after shocking betrayals
Spoiler alert: maura higgins made it to the final five of The Traitors Season 4, watched a series of murders and banishments unfold, and found herself doubting a close ally as the season reached its climax. The finale ended with Rob Rausch taking the entire prize pot, closing a season of betrayals and surprising turns.
Mark Ballas murdered, final five narrowed to a high-stakes quartet
Maura Higgins advanced to the final five after Dancing With The Stars performer Mark Ballas was the final player to be "murdered" in front of the group, leaving a showdown between Olympic skating besties Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir as Faithfuls and singer Eric Nam and snake wrangler Rob Rausch as Traitors. The cast heading into the endgame also included former Real Housewives stars Lisa Rinna and Candiace Dillard Bassett earlier in the season, both of whom were banished before the finale.
Roundtable votes: Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski are banished
The last roundtable produced decisive votes. The tally of individual votes read: Eric voted for Johnny; Johnny voted for Eric; Rob voted for Johnny; Tara voted for Eric; and Maura voted for Johnny — a 3-2 outcome that sent Johnny Weir out. At the next fire of truth, Maura, Eric, Rob and Tara all chose the red pouch to continue playing, and then Eric, Rob and Maura voted to banish Tara while Tara cast her vote for Eric, producing a 3-1 result that removed Tara Lipinski.
Rob Rausch: the 27-year-old traitor who outlasted the field
Rob Rausch was the sole winner of The Traitors Season 4. The 27-year-old professional snake wrangler and reality TV personality from Alabama survived as the last remaining traitor and walked away with the season's prize, making him the first traitor to win the U. S. edition since Cirie Fields' victory in Season 1. Earlier in the run, Rausch had turned on fellow traitors Lisa Rinna and Candiace Dillard Bassett and later recruited Eric Nam as a newly inducted fellow traitor who had largely remained low-key during the season.
Rausch's background and off-screen routine came up across coverage: he rose to fame as a Casa Amor bombshell in Season 5 and returned as a primary star in Season 6, where he had romances with contestants including Leah Kateb and Andrea Carmona. He plays chess, quotes Mark Twain, and was described as steady and strategic. He even took a break from working on his farm in Alabama to prepare for the show, saying he kept physically energized with lots of hard boiled eggs and faced the unusual challenge of dressing to impress a castle full of fashion lovers.
Maura Higgins' trust dilemma and the deciding vote
As an Irish TV personality and a Love Island alum, Maura Higgins had been vocal about the need to find at least one person to trust on the show, but she learned how costly misplaced trust can be. She began second-guessing whether her closest ally, fellow Love Island alum Rob Rausch, could have been playing her all along. At the final roundtable she listened to both sides and said she trusted her gut in casting her decisive votes — a choice that still left uncertainty about whether it was the right move. With only three players remaining, Maura and Rob voted to banish Eric Nam, leaving Rob to claim the entire pot.
Prize money, Scottish castles and season details
Before the final roundtable, the five remaining contestants played one last challenge that could add to the cash prize; that challenge had the potential to increase the pot up to $220, 800, leaving the eventual winner with a total prize pot of over $200, 000. The season returned to the show's signature setting of scenic rolling hills of Scotland and historic castles, and the premiere season surge coincided with a 15% increase in vacation rentals in Scotland tied to fan interest. Among the stately locations mentioned were a 16th-century castle called Lomond, situated along a river, and Carnell Estates, a small castle with walled gardens that dates back to 1435.
Format notes, hosts and notable twists
The Traitors format traces back to a Dutch original from 2021 and was adapted in the U. K. in 2022; the U. S. edition premiered in 2023 and leaned on a cast of reality TV stars and celebrities. The show has spawned more than two dozen international versions. Host Alan Cumming presided over the proceedings in his theatrical style, and the season introduced a "secret traitor" twist: celebrity parent Donna Kelce, mother of Jason and Travis Kelce, served as the first secret traitor whose identity viewers did not learn until the end of Episode 3.
