Candiace Calls Out Rob Rausch’s ‘Dirty Gameplay’ On ‘The Traitors’

Candiace Dillard Bassett did her big one on season 4 of Peacock’s hit reality competition series “The Traitors.” After being selected as one of the show’s titular characters, the “Real Housewives of Potomac” alum’s reign in the game came to an end after clashing with her fellow Traitor, “Love Island USA” star Rob Rausch. For those who may be unfamiliar, Bassett and Raush’s feud reached its boiling point during episode 8 after Raush began floating Bassett’s name to other contestants, culminating in the latter’s banishment. During a new interview, Bassett spoke about her experience playing the game and didn’t mince words when discussing her co-star.

During episode 1, Bassett was selected to be a Traitor alongside Rausch and fellow “Real Housewives” reality star Lisa Rinna.

Speaking with Vulture, Bassett explained what she was feeling when she learned she’d been chosen as one of the season’s treacherous killers.

“Internally, I screamed. I was doing backflips,” the mother of one shared. “My body got hot, and I felt like the world was my oyster.”

For Bassett, the trip to Scotland wasn’t for no reason.

“If you’re gonna play the game, go balls to the wall. The game is called ‘The Traitors,’ so of course, you want to be the main character, because I’m a main character. It made sense, and I was so happy that Alan entrusted me with such a responsibility,” she said.

The first several episodes were smooth sailing for Bassett and the rest of the Traitors. Things, however, turned during episode 6 when Rausch cast a vote to banish Rinna, essentially disbanding the original Traitor team by sowing distrust.

Bassett explained that she never wanted to turn against her fellow Traitors and called out Rausch for doing exactly that. “For Rob specifically, there were other options. I think that’s just what he wanted to do,” she said.

Rausch addressed his actions during episode 7, explaining to Rinna and Bassett that he voted for the “Days of our Lives” alum only because he felt there was no way to avoid her going home. During that same episode, Rausch vowed to protect Rinna and the rest of the Traitor crew.

As the name of the show suggests, however, Rausch pulled the traitorous move by the end of the episode, catching Bassett and Rinna completely off guard.

“Rob had lied to his Traitors at breakfast. He told us he didn’t mean to vote for Lisa, he was sorry he voted for Lisa, he didn’t think she was gonna go home. And then he goes to the roundtable that same night and not only votes for her but leads the charge,” Bassett said.

“You just lied to our faces. The game is called The Traitors, and he wasn’t being a Traitor. He was being a snake. He did what he felt was best for his game, and I hope it works out for him.”

In episode 8, Raush spoke to producers during his confessional interviews about his feud with Bassett.

He explained that during the episode, he planned to get Bassett as riled up as possible, hoping she’d act out of character to take the heat off him.

His plan was a move Bassett called “dirty gameplay.”

“I was really calm, and I recognized that there was an effort to try and rile me up,” she added.

So, now that Bassett is out of the game, who is the former Miss United States rooting for?

“Everybody but Rob,” she joked. “I’m rooting for the Faithfuls, obviously. As you saw when I was going out, I was doing my best to drop breadcrumbs for them, and I’m hoping they pick up one. Just pick up one breadcrumb, please.”