The Scottish Highlands have rarely seen this much drama, at least not since the last season of The Traitors wrapped. On January 8, 2026, the fourth season of Peacock’s hit reality competition premiered, and it has already proven to be a powder keg of alliances, betrayals, and reality TV royalty. Hosted once again by the ever-charismatic Alan Cumming, the Emmy-winning series has returned with a cast that reads like a who’s who of modern pop culture—stars from the worlds of reality television, sports, and entertainment all vying for a prize pot of up to $250,000 in a game where trust is as fleeting as a Highland mist.
According to TV Insider, the anticipation for Season 4 was high, especially with the return of Rob Cesternino, a two-time Survivor contestant and the mastermind behind the popular Rob Has a Podcast. Cesternino, who last graced reality TV screens 22 years ago, joined fellow Survivor alums Natalie Anderson and Yam Yam Arocho in the castle. Cesternino, reflecting on his costars, told TV Insider: “Just talking about them as Survivor players, Natalie wins one of the great Survivor seasons in San Juan del Sur. Her story, where she gets payback for what they did to Jeremy [Collins], is just one of the all-time greatest single Survivor stories there ever was. And Yam Yam, of course, what a big personality. I’m sure everybody’s going to be excited to see him on The Traitors.”
Anderson herself is no stranger to the spotlight, having won Survivor: San Juan del Sur (Season 29) and finishing as runner-up in Winners at War (Season 40) after a grueling 33-day exile on Edge of Extinction. Yam Yam Arocho, meanwhile, captured hearts and the title on Survivor 44, cementing his reputation as both a strategic force and a magnetic presence. Their inclusion in The Traitors Season 4 was a draw for fans eager to see how their skills would translate to a new game of deceit and deduction.
The cast list for this season is a testament to the show’s growing prestige. According to USA Today and The U.S. Sun, the 23 contestants include not only the aforementioned Survivor veterans but also reality TV icons like Lisa Rinna (Real Housewives of Beverly Hills), Porsha Williams (Real Housewives of Atlanta), Dorinda Medley (Real Housewives of New York City), Maura Higgins (Love Island UK), and Rob Rausch (Love Island USA). Olympians Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir, as well as actors and comedians such as Michael Rapaport and Ron Funches, round out the star-studded ensemble. Each week, the group gathers in a Scottish castle, plotting and scheming through missions designed to build the prize fund—while a handful of secretly chosen "Traitors" work to eliminate the rest.
The stakes are high, and so is the tension. As reported by The U.S. Sun, the drama behind the scenes has been just as intense as the on-screen action. A major rift erupted between Candiace Dillard Bassett of The Real Housewives of Potomac and Yam Yam Arocho, with Candiace feeling deeply betrayed by the Survivor winner. "She absolutely lost trust in Yam Yam, and tensions boil over into a mid-season blowout," an insider revealed, adding that the fallout left the rest of the cast choosing sides. The impact of this feud reportedly shifted the entire dynamic of the season, and, according to sources, Yam Yam found himself "iced out" by his fellow contestants after filming wrapped.
But the betrayals didn’t stop there. The Love Island franchise saw its own alliance crumble when Maura Higgins, a fan favorite from the UK series, found herself at odds with Rob Rausch from the US version. Expecting an easy alliance with her franchise-mate, Maura was left "furious and hurt" when Rob refused to team up early in the game. "She felt abandoned by him on set," a source told The U.S. Sun, explaining that Maura believed there was an unspoken rule that showmates stick together. Rob, however, had other plans, focusing on his own strategy. This move, Maura felt, "torpedoed her game" and left her scrambling for new allies.
Such shifting alliances and personal feuds have become the hallmark of The Traitors. As the cast navigates missions and roundtable banishments, the lines between friendship and rivalry blur. Alan Cumming, now in his fourth season as host, sets the tone with his trademark wit and theatrical flair, welcoming viewers to the castle each Thursday night on Peacock. The show’s format remains unchanged: Cumming secretly selects three to four players as Traitors, while the rest are Faithful. The Traitors must eliminate the Faithful without being discovered, all while working together to build the prize pot. The result? A psychological game that tests not only strategy but also trust—often with explosive consequences.
For those eager to follow along, People and Gold Derby have outlined the release schedule: the first three episodes dropped on premiere night, January 8, with episodes 4 and 5 following on January 15. Subsequent episodes will be released weekly on Thursdays, culminating in a finale and reunion special on February 26. The show is available exclusively on Peacock, with subscriptions starting at $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year—a small price to pay for a front-row seat to reality TV’s most cunning game.
Rob Cesternino, reflecting on the state of reality television, crowned the roundtable clash between Boston Rob Mariano and Bob the Drag Queen from The Traitors Season 3 as “the best moment of 2025.” He told TV Insider: “It was just such an exciting moment to have the two traitors go after each other so early in the season. We had not seen that before in the US Traitors, and to have it all come together so quickly, where it’s like, ‘Wait, is he really going to do that right now?’ It was just a great moment.”
Meanwhile, the game’s format continues to attract a diverse array of talent. Contestants like Kristen Kish (Top Chef winner), Mark Ballas (Dancing With the Stars champion), Tiffany Mitchell (Big Brother), and Donna Kelce (mother to NFL stars Travis and Jason Kelce) bring their own unique flair and competitive edge to the castle. The blend of strategic masterminds, reality TV legends, and newcomers makes for unpredictable television—where, as The U.S. Sun notes, "the real backstabbing doesn’t just happen at the round table."
As the season unfolds, viewers can expect more twists, betrayals, and shifting allegiances. In Alan Cumming’s castle, loyalty is fleeting and trust is the ultimate currency. One thing’s for sure: in this game, friendships are the first casualties.
