Unlike most contestants on Peacock’s hit reality series The Traitors, Selling Sunset breakout Chrishell Stause had the most unique “murder” of all.
Stause, decked out in an extravagant red gown and waiting in an opulent church, met her “killers,” a.k.a. Traitors, face-to-face before being put into a coffin to leave the game. “Crazy” she muttered when her fellow cast mates Danielle Reyes and Carolyn Wiger unveiled themselves as Traitors, specifically Traitors who had voted to take her out.
“Girl, you were too faithful,” Wiger told Stause when asked why she was chosen to leave the show. “It was your time. You never would’ve been banished.”
And that part seems mostly true. With the exception of former Vanderpump Rules star Tom Sandoval — the pair famously did not get along, as Stause is friends with Sandoval’s ex, Ariana Madix — none of the cast ever seriously considered Stause to possibly be a Traitor.
Below, the Selling Sunset star discusses her Traitors exit, reflects on how she could have played the game differently and why she “probably won’t be doing another gaming show, probably ever.”
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You had a unique sendoff in the show, given that you got to see in real time who was sending you home. What were you thinking when you saw Danielle and Carolyn were the ones waiting for you at the altar?
I was shocked to see Carolyn. I absolutely had no idea that she was a Traitor, and Danielle, I was on to. It was just my biggest regret. I knew it. I was mad at myself in that moment because… could’ve, would’ve should’ve, I guess. But it was on the tip of my tongue at the round table, and I chickened out. There’s so many things that I was on to.
You had some interesting round tables toward the end of your time on the show. How do you think the Nikki [Garcia] round table affected where you were at after?
To be honest, I think it did affect my game in a way that it shook my confidence. I didn’t want to be sending a friend home. I genuinely thought she was a Traitor at the time. I picked up on her being a little homesick. Then when it came time to have the confidence to speak at the round table and bring up a new name, which is the scariest thing you can do, I chickened out. It’s hard in this game. If you don’t do one thing, you’re putting a target on yourself for murder. To be honest with you, I didn’t speak up because I was afraid to rock the boat. But if anything, that’s the one thing that could have kept me safe that night.
You had a pretty funny quip at one point where you were said: you’d know I was the Traitor because we’d know who would be the first to go. [Stause was talking about Sandoval.] When you’re in a game like this and you have these people you’ve seen on TV or you maybe know them personally, are you letting that affect gameplay? Or are you separating the people from the game?
Definitely because a lot of us were looking through that lens like, “OK, if someone’s known to be a villain in real life, are they really going to want to be a Traitor?” It can go both ways. Then you can think it’s so obvious that it’s perfect, so you could talk yourself into anything. You really start to question every single thing you’ve ever had a thought of when you’re in that castle, to be honest.
You come from reality shows that are not game related. When you have challenges like the bug challenge or more physical challenges, how do you prepare? For some of the gamers, this is what they do. But for you, this is certainly different.
I wanted to do the show to have fun. I’m a huge fan of the game itself. But yeah, that’s not my forte. When I got paired opposite [Boston] Rob in a bug challenge where, even if you make it all the way through, then you have to fight each other for a shield on time. I knew that wasn’t going to be my challenge. I do think that I’ll keep the gaming for the gamers. I probably won’t be doing another gaming show, probably ever.
I can’t imagine if anyone looks forward to having bugs thrown on them.
I had such a great time. It’s like Dancing with the Stars. It’s like a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but once you’re done you’re like, “That was fun. Checked it off the list.”
If they were to do an all-star season of this show, would you do it or do you think you got your fix?
I don’t know. I want to say there’s definitely nothing in me that would want to do it again. But what’s funny is I’m about to see all the friends I made at the reunion. We’re so excited to see each other, and so you know what? Never say never. It’s like summer camp with everyone.
You’re only with each other when you’re shooting. What was the off screen? What was it like to be able to get to bond with these people in this interesting setting?
It’s unlike anything else, to be honest with you, because I kept joking in the castle that we’re trauma bonded, so we made friendships very quickly, The same way you can make enemies, but a lot of times with the show, that’s what makes it fun because you can let it go. Once you’re outside the castle — you all have signed up to play a game, so it’s all in good fun.
Now that you are no longer on the show, is there someone that you’re rooting to win it all?
Yes, I’ve been rooting on both sides. I obviously am rooting for my fellow Bambi, Gabby [Windey] [Stause, Windey and Garcia were known as the Bambis on the show], but also just watching Carolyn has been so fun. As soon as I left the castle, I was like, “Wow, she’s going to be a tough one to beat, because when I left, nobody was on to her.” [Writer’s note: Carolyn was banished the week after this interview]. I think it’s fun to have someone on both sides to root for, because then you’re invested in the game. I’m so close with so many of the people left — Dylan [Efron], Dolores [Catania] — so it’s hard to pick. I think it’d be easier for me to say who I was not rooting to in.
Do you see yourself being influenced by what others are saying during round tables? Are you seeing things in real time and switching from what you thought going in?
I think that happens quite a bit. Some round tables, people decide how they’re going to vote before it even starts, and then the opposite happens. Where this is in real time, the pendulum is swinging from one way to the other. You really don’t know what to expect. Each time it was different. I definitely had my mind changed once or twice while I was in there. I remember specifically, I was pretty close with Brittany [Haynes] and at the end they were making very strong arguments for her. In the round table, she did such a good job of defending herself. I knew that she was a Faithful. That’s why, the last one, I really didn’t want to vote for either one. If I’d spoken up at the round table, they would’ve shown that I did bring up Danielle’s name, but because I didn’t then bring her up at the round table, that footage is pointless because I didn’t follow through. I did bring it up, but that’s a part of the show. It’s funny to watch back and be mad at yourself because it’s so obvious when you’re watching it at home and then when you’re in the castle, you’re like, “Oh, I’m so mad at myself.”
Do you have any regrets or even moments you’re proud of that you can look back on?
I was really proud in the physical challenges. I did really good, and I was nervous about that. I was happy about how I did in the physical challenges. I was happy with my social game. Like I said, I made a lot of really close friendships that have continued outside of the castle.
Tom in that first episode, suggested you and you quickly said, “I know why you’re suggesting me,” but other than that, no one really thought you were a Traitor or came at you too hard. Do you find pride in that?
I think it’s good and bad in this game. I had to, from the very beginning, fight to prove myself, but then if you prove yourself too well, then that’s also a problem. I think looking back, of course, I would’ve tried to put a little more suspicion on myself. You know what? These are the kind of conversations where when you say, “would you ever do it again?” Probably everyone probably, would just because you end up leaving feeling like, “Oh my God, if I did it again, you’d be so much better the second time around.”
What do you hope that people who maybe only knew you from Selling Sunset or in pop culture learned about you during The Traitors? Do you feel that people got to see a new side of you? Do you hope they did?
It’s fun to be talking about drama that’s not actual things that people are really going to be upset about because it’s a game. That being said, I wish I could have tapped into that a little less emotional game mode that the gamers are so good at doing. But it really is hard if you’ve never thought like that. I can see how never having done something like that, it really does hinder you a little bit in the game. At one point, one of the Traitors swore on their kids or grandkids, and to the non-gamers that really made us think, “There’s no way someone would do that. Surely they wouldn’t do that.” Then watching it back and seeing what people’s responses are, they cut most of it out. The point still is that to a gamer, that’s all fair and that’s the game. To non-gamers — I remember having this conversation with Dolores about Danielle, and Dolores was like, “There’s no way anyone would do that.” That’s why it shook my confidence in bringing it up. I was like, “OK, maybe she’s right.” But then you watch it and the gamers are like, “Of course someone would do that. That’s just part of the game.”
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Traitors streams the season finale next week, Thursday at 9 p.m. on Peacock.