Lisa Rinna Banished After Traitors Black Banquet Twist

On January 29, 2026, The Traitors delivered what many are calling its most jaw-dropping episode yet, aptly titled "The Black Banquet." The stakes were sky-high as 14 celebrities, including all three original Traitors—Lisa Rinna, Rob Rausch, and Candiace Dillard Bassett—gathered for a night that would test alliances, strategy, and nerves in ways the show has never seen before. According to InStyle, host Alan Cumming had promised "the most incredible moment in Traitors history," and, boy, did the episode deliver.

The drama kicked off with lingering tension from the previous episode, where Faithful Ron Funches was banished in a razor-thin 6-5-4 vote over Colton Underwood and Lisa Rinna. Lisa, whose reality TV reputation precedes her, found herself under fire—not just from the Faithful but also from her fellow Traitor, Rob Rausch. Yet, by the narrowest of margins, she survived, only to walk into Alan Cumming’s opulent banquet wearing what would become the instrument of her next move: a seemingly innocuous amulet, but one with a deadly secret.

As the guests arrived in their finest attire, the Faithful were on edge, anticipating that a murder in plain sight might be on the menu. Their suspicions were well-founded. In previous seasons, open murders had come in the form of tainted drinks or food. This time, Lisa’s weapon was a jewel—a broach on her collar, laced with a "curse." With Colton Underwood having recently called her out at the Round Table, Lisa considered targeting him but decided that would be too obvious. Instead, she eyed Yam Yam, Kristen, and Natalie—three Faithfuls within arm’s reach. With a sly maneuver, she feigned that the amulet’s pin was loose, prompting one of the trio to help fix it. The audience was left in suspense as to who had actually touched the cursed object.

Mid-feast, Alan Cumming swept in with two hooded henchmen to share the Scottish tale of "The Legend of the Black Dinner," revealing that a murder had already occurred "right under your noses." But there was a twist: two life-saving antidotes were available, and the group had to decide—through open debate—who would get them. According to Entertainment Weekly, the Faithful scrambled to recount who had served or touched food, with Stephen admitting he’d cut meat for Natalie, while Tara pointed to Dorinda serving her. Johnny Weir, ever the competitor, revealed Stephen had also asked him to pick a tarot card, further muddying the waters.

In a flurry, Tara and Natalie both rushed for antidotes, but Yam Yam, in a moment of selflessness (or perhaps strategy), encouraged Johnny to give one to Kristen. Ultimately, Kristen and Natalie drank the antidotes, but the suspense broke when Alan Cumming announced that Yam Yam was the cursed victim. As he was led out, Yam Yam pointed the finger squarely at Lisa, saying she had kissed him on the cheek—a detail that would echo through the rest of the episode. As The Ringer put it, "Yam Yam committed the grave error of trying to help a Housewife. He is yet another former winner of Survivor who never quite found his footing in the Traitors castle."

The next morning, Lisa, Candiace, and Rob were the first to arrive at breakfast, giving them an opportunity to hash out Rob’s perceived betrayal of Lisa at the previous Round Table. Candiace pressed Rob, saying, "this relationship has to take priority over everything else," urging him to put their alliance above personal relationships with the Faithful. Lisa, meanwhile, asked her co-Traitors for support, saying she didn’t want to "feel piled upon." But Rob, feeling the heat from Yam Yam’s parting accusation, privately told Maura, Mark, and Stephen that between Lisa and Yam Yam, one of them had to be lying—and Yam Yam, as a Faithful, had little incentive to do so.

Meanwhile, Natalie found herself in hot water after an unfortunate slip of the tongue. In front of Tara and Lisa, she said, "we killed one," and "we murdered one," when referring to the game’s events. This verbal blunder raised eyebrows and revived memories of past contestants being banished for similar mistakes. As The Ringer noted, "Any semblance of odd behavior is incriminating—and as much as I’ve liked Natalie thus far, odd is probably the nicest thing you can say about how she behaved at the banquet."

The day’s mission saw the group racing up a mountain to collect as much gold as possible in 30 minutes, ultimately adding $17,800 to the prize fund. The top six gold collectors—Colton, Eric, Mark, Natalie, Rob, and Stephen—then competed for the Dagger, a coveted tool granting its holder two votes at a future Round Table. Rob, channeling his inner "human lie detector," managed to deduce that Natalie was lying about possessing the Dagger and snatched it for himself, a secret he shared only with the other competitors in a pact to protect his identity.

Back at the castle, tensions reached a boiling point at the Round Table. Lisa tried to deflect suspicion onto Natalie, referencing her earlier verbal slip. Tara offered tepid support, but most of the Faithful were unconvinced. Johnny Weir pointed out that both he and Natalie had been served meat by Stephen, but only Natalie "fought so hard for the antidote." The real turning point came when Rob, in a pointed speech, highlighted Lisa’s evasive answers and Yam Yam’s dying accusation. "Yam Yam is someone they know was a Faithful and within the context of the game chose to put the blame on Lisa for his death for a specific reason," Rob argued. The majority was swayed, and Lisa was banished in a 9-2-1-1 vote, with Rob among those voting against her, while Candiace cast a protest vote for Rob.

Lisa’s banishment marked the end of her run as a Traitor, and with her exit, the dynamics in the castle shifted dramatically. Rob emerged as the most powerful player, having successfully distanced himself from Lisa and convincing many that he was a Faithful. According to The Ringer, "Now that Lisa’s gone, Candiace seems determined to go toe-to-toe with him rather than work with him, but everything is coming up Egg Boy right now." Mark Ballas, Johnny Weir, Tara Lipinski, Kristen Kish, and Maura Higgins rounded out the new power rankings, with Rob at the top—his possession of the Dagger giving him a crucial edge.

But not all was smooth sailing. Rob and Candiace found themselves on a collision course, each wary of the other’s motives and strategies. Candiace, steadfast in her loyalty to Lisa, now saw Rob as her prime adversary, declaring that his "vicious choices will have dire consequences for him." Rob, for his part, recognized the challenge ahead, knowing that alliances in The Traitors are as fragile as ever.

With betrayals, shifting alliances, and a murder executed in plain sight, Episode 7 of The Traitors has set the stage for an explosive second half of the season. As the remaining contestants regroup and re-strategize, fans can only guess who will outwit, outplay, and outlast in this ever-twisting game of trust and treachery.