Rob Rausch Girlfriend Question Surfaces After Finale Birkin Promise to Maura Higgins
rob rausch girlfriend is being asked in the wake of Rob Rausch’s win on season four of The Traitors in the Feb. 26 finale, when he said he would use some of his $220, 800 prize money to buy runner-up Maura Higgins an Hermès Birkin bag.
Finale and the Birkin pledge
Rob Rausch won season four of The Traitors in the Feb. 26 finale and told reunion host Andy Cohen he planned to “Probably save it for the future, ” adding, “and I have to buy Maura a Birkin Bag. ” The promise was framed as a repayment after Rausch betrayed Maura, the Love Island alum who finished second in the competition.
Rob Rausch Girlfriend mentioned during reunion
On the reunion, Rob shared the Birkin idea with former Traitor Candiace Dillard Bassett, who echoed, “I was gonna say, there's a promise to buy Maura a Birkin bag. ” Costar Lisa Rinna noted the purse would cost at least $10, 000, and the exchange played out amid a tense session reflecting on the finale vote.
How the final vote played out: Tara Lipinski and Eric Nam
Rausch’s route to the win involved convincing Maura to team with him all season, then persuading her to vote out Faithful Tara Lipinski and later to turn on fellow Traitor Eric Nam, leaving Rob and Maura as the final two and Rob as the sole winner in the Feb. 26 finale. Rausch described his approach simply: “I think I just got lucky. ”
Cast reactions and fallout
Candiace called him “A humble Traitor!” and said the victory was “a combination of smarts and luck, ” adding, “I think this group of Faithfuls need to go to Faithful school and perhaps that impacted some of the success. ” Eric Nam said it took him “a few days” to recover from Rob’s final act and warned, “I will never trust anybody ever again. ”
Maura Higgins’s response and emotions
Maura Higgins expressed heartbreak during the Feb. 26 finale when she learned she’d been played, telling Rob, “I was so convinced, you've embarrassed me, ” and, “You're never going to have a girlfriend after this—you're such a good liar. ” She also said there were “no hard feelings, ” adding, “I'm just in shock. I actually thought I was winning. I really did. ” In a confessional she teared up: “I'm a fool. This is why I don't trust anybody ever, because they stab you in the goddamn back, ” and called Rob, “a f--king snake. But well done. ”
Production notes: Traitors status and casting process
Producers say scheming is central to The Traitors’ gameplay, but contestants do not choose whether they are Traitors or Faithful. Beginning with season two, stars like Phaedra Parks and Kate Chastain were able to plead their case to host Alan Cumming. Executive producer Mike Cotton said the host’s view matters and that the selection is deliberate: “That has a really big bearing on it, as does Alan’s opinion, ” he said, adding, “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. ”
How many Traitors? The cast’s uncertainty
Contestants are not always told how many Traitors are in the game. Survivor’s Cirie Fields said after her season one victory in 2023, “We knew that there could potentially be three to five Traitors in the game, ” noting that range had been explained from the start.
Rausch’s promise to buy Maura an Hermès Birkin and the discussions at the reunion close a chapter from the Feb. 26 finale; cast members have publicly processed the betrayal and rewards, and next on the schedule is post-reunion fallout and any follow-up appearances tied to the season’s conclusion.
