From ‘Housewives' overload to the ‘shadiest queens' alliance: The dish on ‘The Traitors' Season 4 lineup

Welcome to Reality Derby, Gold Derby's weekly deep dive into all things reality TV, hosted by senior editors Marcus James Dixon and Denton Davidson. Watch the video above.
The cast of The Traitors Season 4 was unveiled on Friday, with a whopping 23 reality TV stars and notable figures about to compete for up to $250K. Among the roster are some of our favorite former gamers from Survivor and Big Brother, a pair of sassy Olympic figure skaters, and a whopping five women from The Real Housewives.
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"I do feel like this is a little Real Housewives heavy," Davidson declares. "It's just not a show that I follow. And I understand the fan base is massive. So, the fact that they keep inviting more and more back, it clearly means that it's doing well for them. It's just not my wheelhouse. And they don't know how to play the game!"
Says Dixon, "I really think that one of the Housewives are going to be a Traitor this year, because we did not get one last year in Season 3. In Season 2, we had Phaedra Parks, one of the best Traitors ever." The Housewives in this cycle are Dorinda Medley (returning from Season 2), Candiace Dillard Bassett, Caroline Stanbury, Lisa Rinna, and Porsha Williams.
They both openly wonder if returning contestant Dorinda might be a Traitor this time around, since she was a Faithful last year. "If I was there, I would immediately target her again," laughs Davidson. "Poor Dorinda! Because they're going to think, 'Of course, she's coming back as a Traitor.'"for Churchill Downs
When Davidson initially saw the cast list, he felt "meh," until he noticed Olympic figure skaters Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir in the lineup. He explains, "These are two people I didn't expect to be on a reality TV show — not because they don't have the personality, but because it just wasn't on my radar. Tara Lipinski was an Olympic gold medalist, and Johnny Weir is a very eccentric male figure skater, and they are two of the shadiest queens that do the commentary for the Winter Olympics. They're like every bestie pairing you would see in West Hollywood ... and it's going to be hilarious if one of them is actually a Traitor."
Survivor star Rob Cesternino being cast on The Traitors is a big "F you" to the long-running CBS reality TV show, Dixon says. "He was in the running for Survivor 50, and I guess at the last moment he didn't get the call. And so The Traitors swoops in two weeks later, and they're like, 'OK, we want you in the castle.'" In other words, Survivor's "loss" is The Traitors' "gain."
Other competition gamers about to go for the gold in Scotland include Yamil "Yam Yam" Arocho from Survivor, Natalie Anderson (without her twin sister, Nadiya Anderson) from The Amazing Race and Survivor, and Ian Terry and Tiffany Mitchell from Big Brother.
"It's been a long time since we've seen [Ian]," Davidson realizes. "It'll be interesting to see what he's like now at age 34. He was so young when he was on Big Brother a thousand years ago."
Tiffany was "the creator of the Cookout" and "America's Favorite Houseguest" on Big Brother, so "people love her," remembers Dixon. "I loved that whole season of Big Brother 23. I think it's the best season they've ever done, so I can't wait to see her. She's got a little villainous side."
Dixon wonders if Carolyn Wiger "had any sway" in getting her Survivor 44 buddy, Yam Yam, onto The Traitors, since she was so popular in the castle last year. Just like Rob, Carolyn was in the running for Survivor 50, but she was ultimately cut, possibly because of her time on the rival series. "Jeff Probst is very jealous and protective, and does not like it when his Survivors are on The Traitors," Davidson warns.
They also discuss the hot topic of Donna Kelce, the mother of NFL bros Travis and Jason Kelce, and whether Travis' girlfriend, Taylor Swift, might be posting about The Traitors this year. "You know she's going to watch," Davidson smiles. "She probably already does. I mean, I'm sure Donna had an advisor and got some advice from from Taylor and her kids, or at least spoke to them about it, so it'll be interesting to see their take."
Season 4 of The Traitors is expected to air in early 2026, as the first three seasons all began in January. The show has already been picked up for a fifth season.
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Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Simone Biles and Riley Gaines have been involved in a public online feud, with tensions escalating and Biles now appearing to have deleted her account on X, formerly known as Twitter. Newsweek has reached out to a representative for Biles via email, and to Gaines via an online contact form, outside of regular working hours for comment. Why It Matters Biles is the most decorated gymnast in history. The 28-year-old won her first title in 2013 and by 2015, had become the first woman to win three straight world all-around titles. To date, Biles has 11 Olympic medals, seven of which are gold. Gaines, 25 is a former swimmer at the University of Kentucky and host of Outkick's Gaines for Girls podcast. She is a prominent conservative activist and is known for being an advocate against trans women in sport. Left, Simone Biles poses with her Paris 2024 Olympic medals at Bercy Arena in Paris on August 5, 2024. Right, Riley Gaines attends the Folds Of Honor Tennessee Rock N' Jock Celebrity Softball Game at... Left, Simone Biles poses with her Paris 2024 Olympic medals at Bercy Arena in Paris on August 5, 2024. Right, Riley Gaines attends the Folds Of Honor Tennessee Rock N' Jock Celebrity Softball Game at First Horizon Park in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 3, 2024. More/What To Know The drama, which has become viral online, first began on June 6 when Gaines reposted a photo on X, formerly Twitter from the Minnesota State High School League's account. The post read, "Meet Champlin Park, the Class AAAA Softball State Champion for 2025... Comments off lol. To be expected when your star player is a boy." Multiple outlets have reported that the transgender athlete Marissa Rothenberger is a pitcher on the team. Biles then responded to Gaines' message on X, calling her "truly sick," and a "straight up sore loser." She added: "You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! But instead... You bully them... One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!" In her post, Biles wrote "all of this campaigning because you lost a race," which is in reference to Gaines' 2022 race with the University of Pennsylvania athlete Lia Thomas, a trans woman. They tied for fifth place in a 200-yard freestyle race, and Gaines later testified in Congress about fairness in women's sports. In a separate post, Biles said: "Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male @Riley_Gaines_." Gaines shared a series of posts in response to this. She wrote on X: "This is actually so disappointing. It's not my job or the job of any woman to figure out how to include men in our spaces. You can uplift men stealing championships in women's sports with YOUR platform. Men don't belong in women's sports and I say that with my full chest." Gaines later followed this up, responding to Biles' remark about her body, writing: "And the subtle hint at "body-shaming" ???? Plzzzz I'm 5'5"." In a further post, Gaines wrote: "All the horrific sexual abuse @Simone_Biles witnessed and spoke out against caused by one man, yet believes women should be forced to strip naked in front of men to validate the man's feelings. You know how many gold medals you'd have if your "inclusive" dream came true? Zero." Biles was one of hundreds of women who came forward who to say they had been sexually abused by the former US Olympic gymnastics team doctor Larry Nasar, who used his position to sexually assault young athletes in what is the largest sexual abuse scandal in sporting history. Nasar was first arrested and charged in 2016 with sexually assaulting at least 265 women, under the guise of medical treatment. He was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison in 2017, after he pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and evidence tampering. He received an additional 40 to 175 years in the Michigan Department of corrections, after he pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual assault. He was sentenced again in February of 2018 to an additional 40 to 125 years in Michigan State Prison, after he pleaded guilty to an additional three counts of sexual assault. Biles has previously said that the abuse was "traumatizing." Gaines was criticized for her post commenting about Biles' experience, with some social media users describing it as "vile" and "astonishing," though other social media users have continued to support her. Biles later apologized for her remarks about Gaines, and wrote: "It didn't help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for." "These are sensitive, complicated issues that I truly don't have the answers or solutions to, but I believe it starts with empathy and respect." Gaines accepted Biles' apology, for "the personal attacks including the ones where she body-shamed me." Biles now appears to have deleted her account on X following the fallout. The reaction online has been mixed, with both Gaines and Biles being praised and criticized from different social media users who sit on different sides of the political spectrum. What People Are Saying Simone Biles previously wrote on X: "I believe sports organizations have a responsibility to come up with rules supporting inclusion while maintaining fair competition. We all want a future for sport that is fair, inclusive, and respectful." Riley Gaines previously wrote on X: "I welcome you to the fight to support fair sports and a future for female athletes. Little girls deserve the same shot to achieve that you had." What's Next It's unclear exactly why Biles deleted her account on X. She still has her Instagram account, where she has 12.4 million followers, and recently posted celebrating being named the winner of the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Female Sports Star award.