The Traitors US Season 4 could have been incredible. The three-episode premiere, now streaming on Peacock, is a delight at times. But there’s one huge, glaring problem that the series has suddenly run into: Michael Rapaport.
This loud-mouth New Yorker used to make me laugh. He would appear on Watch What Happens Live and throw some shade, much like a Real Housewives cast member. This was back when I was wilfully ignorant to the world around me, and the many evils it can bring. I also wasn’t privy to how he had seemingly compared Kenya Moore to a primate on his Instagram Stories after a particularly volatile edition of WWHL.
Sadly, Michael repeatedly enters the world of politics with horrendous takes, promising merch that mocks the ongoing genocide in Gaza, calling a young female activist a “Gremlin,” and doing everything he can to try and paint the newly-appointed Mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, as a villain.
Even putting all of this aside – which is tough in an age where a mother-of-three is shot and killed by an ICE agent, but something I force myself to do because if we are going to only watch TV that doesn’t include terrible people, we’re not going to be watching very much TV at all – Michael does not make for good television in this form of media. The Traitors has always been an ensemble show, but with Michael? He sucks the oxygen out of every scene as he does everything in his power to insert himself into every single conversation.
For me, this is the first time in four seasons that the casting team has got it very wrong. If Michael sticks around much longer than the three episodes in which he has clung on, white-knuckled and flush-faced, it’s going to be a very tough watch indeed.
I’m not alone in how I feel
Having the privilege of watching these episodes before they stream, I predicted an outpouring of annoyance about Michael’s involvement in the show. Sure, he got backlash when the cast was announced, but he seems to revel in being a villain. And not the fun, Lisa Rinna kind. He wants to cause as much chaos as possible, no matter who he hurts along the way.
Michael’s laser-focus on Yam Yam, Survivor winner, also leaves me feeling very icky. Speaking in such a degrading and mocking tone as he does to Yam Yam – a person of color and member of the LGBTQ+ community – is something that causes concern. Thankfully, Yam Yam has the chops and experience to hand Michael his ass.
Over on X, formerly Twitter, the tension is thick. “Michael is a terrible person, a terrible player, and terrible television,” writes @DomWissel. “It’s hard to watch when the attention’s on him, which is a way too frequent occurrence these first three episodes because he makes every single moment about himself.”
Another user, @thom_ahs, called out production directly. “I still can’t believe how irresponsible and truly disturbing it is of #TheTraitorsUS production team to give someone like Michael a platform,” they wrote.
And a third fan simply said, “Michael is working overtime to make this an unwatchable season.”
Let’s hope Michael is gone in Episode 4, and we can all go back to watching the show with a smile.
The Traitors Season 4 is streaming on Peacock.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE TRAITORS SEASON 4 SO FAR?
