There is no mistaking how Rob Cesternino feels about *The Traitors* Season 4 fellow Faithful Michael Rapaport, even after his own exit from the castle. Sitting down with DECIDER for a post-mortem interview, the two-time *Survivor* castaway opened up about watching the chaos Rapaport caused in Scotland during filming.
While Cesternino—a reality competition series expert who became the second murdered player of *The Traitors* Season 4 during last week’s premiere—knows that the comedian is someone the Faithfuls should be able to trust, he believes that Rapaport’s proclivity for theatrics is risking the fate of the entire team.
“I think that the Faithful really need to get Michael Rapaport out of the equation, because I think that Michael Rapaport—even though I tried to tell anybody who would listen—is not a Traitor. I think that there would be addition by subtraction to taking him out of the mix, because you can’t have a productive conversation with Michael in the room,” Cesternino told DECIDER.
According to the *Rob Has a Podcast* host, it’s worth it as a Faithful to take out another player on your team, especially if the Traitors are using that player as a shield or a diversion to keep their own devious plans and schemes under wraps.
“He’s somebody who’ll just sidetrack a conversation and start ranting about something that has nothing to do with what you’re talking about, and then everybody is just all worked up and out of sorts,” Cesternino said. “The Traitors are using Michael Rapaport to really great effect.”
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### DECIDER Interview Highlights with Rob Cesternino
**DECIDER:** Rob, the fan outcry to your murder has been loud. Were you expecting people to be so upset at your exit?
**Rob Cesternino:** I didn’t know how they were going to put everything together, and I thought they did a really great job, but I didn’t know what was going to be on TV, and I didn’t know how people were going to receive it. I was just really happy with what they showed. And I’ve been really blown away by the support that I’ve gotten over these last couple of days. I really feel great about the whole experience. I had the best time getting to do it.
**DECIDER:** There seem to be a lot of people who want you to get the Dorinda Medley treatment. Would you be down to come back for Season 5 or beyond?
**Rob Cesternino:** I love what they did with Dorinda this season. People were so happy that she came back, and she’s off to such a great start. I thought that was brilliant. As far as I’m concerned, what’s the worst that could happen to me? They murder me again? What’s the downside?
**DECIDER:** Would you want to play again as a Faithful? Or would you consider coming back as a Traitor?
**Rob Cesternino:** I’m not sure I would be a good Traitor. I wanted to be a Faithful. I think if I were a Traitor, I’d probably still be in the game right now, but I really wanted to bond with people and figure things out. It would be hard to play as a Traitor. I love the idea of being a Faithful and being one of the people putting the Traitors on the defensive. I’m just disappointed I didn’t get to do more.
**DECIDER:** You did pull off one of those moments—you immediately clocked the murder in plain sight. What was it about that situation?
**Rob Cesternino:** It was a super late night. Normally, after the roundtable, people have a drink and then go to bed. This night was very late, and I felt like, “What are we doing here? Shouldn’t we be heading to bed?” Then I thought it was the time in the season where they normally do a murder in plain sight within the first couple of episodes, and I thought, “Oh my God, what if it’s tonight?” I tried to warn the people I was close with—Tiffany Mitchell, Mark Ballas, and Candiace Dillard Bassett. I mentioned the murder to Candiace, not to confront her but to warn her.
**DECIDER:** Did you have a list of people you were starting to suspect at that point?
**Rob Cesternino:** I thought Dorinda Medley was a Traitor because it made sense to bring her back and maybe make her a Traitor this time. What really made me suspicious was how calm she was about getting the casket in her grave. That was not the Dorinda I remembered from Season 3. I also thought there was a gamer who was a Traitor, and I suspected Yam Yam Arroyo.
**DECIDER:** Do you think it’s a disadvantage not having a gamer in the turret?
**Rob Cesternino:** I don’t think it’s a disadvantage for the Traitors because they’re doing great. I’m proud of how smartly they’ve played so far—Candiace, Lisa Rinna, and Rob Rausch seem to be working well together. I think for the health of the franchise, it was necessary to do this. I just wish they hadn’t done it this season because a gamer might have kept me safe. I thought if there was a *Survivor* or *Big Brother* person as a Traitor, they would have kept me around longer.
**DECIDER:** Dylan Efron mentioned that the Traitors have it on lock and that Rob R is flying under the radar. Do you agree?
**Rob Cesternino:** Rob is doing a great job—he just gives you nothing. I knew he was smarter than you might think from his *Love Island* profile, and I’ve been impressed watching the first episodes.
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Cesternino reiterated that the Faithful really need to get Michael Rapaport out of the equation.
“I think Michael, even though I tried to tell anybody who would listen, is not a Traitor. There would be addition by subtraction if they took him out because you can’t have a productive conversation with Michael in the room. He knows how to get camera time, but I thought he was a very bad Faithful. If you don’t know if someone’s a Traitor or not, you can’t go wrong taking out a bad Faithful.”
When asked who said Rapaport “is either a really bad Faithful or an equally terrible Traitor,” Cesternino confirmed it was him.
“He’s not playing the next-level game. He just sidetracks conversations and starts ranting about unrelated things, and then everybody gets worked up and out of sorts. The Traitors are using Michael Rapaport to really great effect.”
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**On the “so fucking hard” reaction when Alan Cumming was selecting his Secret Traitor:**
Cesternino laughed, “I have no idea why I said that. I hadn’t been on reality TV for 22 years, and then I got asked one question and just started cursing. I was very nervous but also just bursting—I was so pumped to be there. It was pouring out of me.”
**Who should the Traitors recruit if given a chance?**
“There are some really good options among the Faithful. I’d say Natalie Anderson. I think she would be a great Traitor and could handle it well. I wouldn’t want to be a Faithful if Natalie was in the turret. I almost wish she had been the Secret Traitor this season; she would have killed it.”
Cesternino also said Donna Kelce seemed in over her head as the Secret Traitor but could have pulled it off with help from others like Candiace, Lisa, or Rob.
**On whether Jesus has a vested interest in *The Traitors*:**
Cesternino joked, “Obviously not. There’s way too much murder and cursing. I don’t know if this is the show Jesus is watching.”
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### How To Watch *The Traitors*
The first three episodes of *The Traitors* Season 4 are now streaming on Peacock. New episodes premiere Thursdays at 6 p.m. PT.
Peacock currently offers two subscription types:
– **Premium** with ads at $10.99/month
– **Premium Plus** ad-free at $16.99/month
You can save by subscribing to one of Peacock’s annual plans, which give you 12 months for the price of 10:
– $109.99 with ads
– $169.99 without ads
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Stay tuned for more updates and insights from *The Traitors* Season 4!
https://decider.com/2026/01/15/rob-cesternino-traitors-season-4-exit-interview/
