Warning: Spoilers ahead! Do not proceed unless you’ve watched “The Traitors” Season 4 finale.
Despite his flirty banter with Maura Higgins being played out on “The Traitors,” Rob Rausch has secretly had a girlfriend for the last two months.
The reality TV star made the revelation during Thursday’s tell-all reunion when host Andy Cohen asked the fan-favorite player if he was hoping to strike up a romance with his stunning co-star.
Rausch’s current relationship with a mystery woman was also teased during a Feb. 26 interview with The Cut. He told the outlet that he was “currently working on a woodworking project for his girlfriend,” whose identity he chose to keep “private for now.”
Higgins, 35, and Rausch, 27, further shut down dating rumors while chatting with Us Weekly for a cover story published Friday.
“I’m not gonna ruin it for the viewers, but no, nothing ever happened between me and Rob,” Higgins said, before pointing out that she sees Rausch as a “brother.”
“People online are saying I’m ‘d–kmatized.’ Believe me, you would know if I was d–kmatized,” she continued. “If they think that’s me flirting, then they do not know me, and they have never watched me on ‘Love Island [UK].’”
Rausch agreed, further emphasizing, “We did not [hook up], and we will not. We are just friends.”
The two also addressed fan speculation that he had been touching Higgins’ legs during episode nine.
“I’m touching the chair, not her leg!” the “Love Island USA” alum said, with Higgins agreeing that he “never touched [her] leg, apart from when he carried [her] up the hill,” referring to episode four of the series.
Despite Higgins and Rausch not coupling up in real life, the two formed a tight bond while filming the show, which saw them making it to the very end.
However, in a truly crushing moment, the snake wrangler betrayed Higgins and took the entire $220,800 prize pot for himself when he revealed he had been playing as a traitor since the beginning.
“He told me he’s going to get me a gift, which is going to be a Birkin handbag. So when he gets that, then he’s fully forgiven,” Higgins told the outlet.
“For me, a girl that has not watched ‘Traitors,’ not one episode of ‘Traitors,’ I got to the finale, and yeah, I didn’t win, but I got to wear all my outfits. And if I get that Birkin handbag from Rob, then for me, I have won. That’s all I need.”
Rausch confirmed he has enlisted the help of fellow “Traitor” Lisa Rinna to track down the coveted bag, explaining that he is in “cahoots” with her.
“[Rinna] said she could probably get my foot in the door so I can buy one,” he explained, referring to the very rigorous process of acquiring such a luxurious bag. “It’s proving way more difficult than I thought it would be, though.”
All episodes of “The Traitors” Season 4, including the reunion, are available to stream on Peacock.
