Rob Rausch Girlfriend: rob rausch girlfriend status after The Traitors finale
Questions about rob rausch girlfriend status surfaced at the Season 4 reunion after Rob Rausch won the Feb. 26 finale of The Traitors and promised a consolation gift to his runner-up, Maura Higgins. The Love Island USA star denies a romance, while Rausch says he is currently off the market.
Rob Rausch Girlfriend and reunion
At the reunion, Rob told host Andy Cohen, "Probably save it for the future, and I have to buy Maura a Birkin Bag, " saying he would use some of his $220, 800 prize money for the gift. He also revealed that he has a girlfriend these days and that he and Maura are just friends.
Finale betrayal and the prize
Rob won the Season 4 title in the Feb. 26 finale after a sequence of betrayals. Over the course of the season he convinced Maura to team with him, persuaded her to vote out fellow Faithful Tara Lipinski, then turned on his fellow Traitor Eric Nam — moves that left Rob and Maura as the final two and Rob as the sole winner of the $220, 800 prize pot.
Maura Higgins' reaction at finale
Maura spoke about her heartbreak on the Feb. 26 finale after learning she had been played. She told Rob, "I was so convinced, you've embarrassed me, " adding, "You're never going to have a girlfriend after this—you're such a good liar. " Despite the betrayal she said there were "no hard feelings, " continuing, "I'm just in shock. I actually thought I was winning. I really did. " In a confessional she teared up and said, "I'm a fool. This is why I don't trust anybody ever, because they stab you in the goddamn back. " She also said, "He's a bad man... Rob, you're a f--king snake. But well done. "
On-screen moments and denials
During the Season 4 finale the pair took a helicopter ride, held hands, and Rob looked Maura in the eyes and promised they would "cross the finish line together. " Online, some viewers read the pairing as romantic, but at the reunion Maura shot down that interpretation. She insisted their touchy-feely dynamic was never flirtatious, calling their relationship more sibling-like and saying she looked at him "like a brother. " "Literally nothing ever happened, " Maura said, adding context about online reaction: "People online are saying I’m ‘d*ckmatized. ’ Believe me, you would know if I was d*ckmatized. If they think that’s me flirting, then they do not know me, and they have never watched me on Love Island. "
Cast reaction and the Birkin promise
Rob shared his Birkin idea with former Traitor Candiace Dillard Bassett, who chimed in, "I was gonna say, there's a promise to buy Maura a Birkin bag. " Costar Lisa Rinna noted a designer purse would cost a minimum of $10, 000. Rob later admitted of his strategy, "I think I just got lucky. " Candiace responded at the reunion, "A humble Traitor! I would say it's a combination of smarts and luck. I think this group of Faithfuls need to go to Faithful school and perhaps that impacted some of the success. " Eric Nam was less impressed; he said it took him a "few days" to recover from Rob's final treacherous act and declared, "I will never trust anybody ever again. "
Behind-the-scenes casting and Traitors rules
On the show's casting process, starting with season two contestants such as Phaedra Parks and Kate Chastain were able to plead their case to host Alan Cumming. Executive producer Mike Cotton noted, "That has a really big bearing on it, as does Alan’s opinion. It’s almost like a job interview to be a Traitor, and we take all of that into account and decide just before the pick who that should be. We want to make sure we’ve got an interesting mix of characters that will bring their own unique skill set to it. " Contestant Cirie Fields said in 2023 after her season one victory, "We knew that there could potentially be three to five Traitors in the game. That was explained to us from the very beginning. "
Rob Rausch's post-finale revelations — a promise to spend part of his $220, 800 prize on an Hermès Birkin for Maura, his comment that he has a girlfriend, and Maura's insistence there was no romance — closed a season that mixed alliances, betrayals and emotional fallout on the Feb. 26 finale.
