The gamer also reacts to there being no “Big Brother” or “Survivor” players in the turret.

The Traitors star Ian Terry names the Big Brother alum he’d like to see play next

The gamer also reacts to there being no "Big Brother" or "Survivor" players in the turret.

By Dalton Ross

Dalton Ross is a writer and editor with over 25 years experience covering TV and the entertainment industry. *Survivor* is kind of his thing.

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January 10, 2026 8:00 a.m. ET

Ian Terry on 'The Traitors' season 4. Credit:

Euan Cherry/PEACOCK

Season 4 of *The Traitors* has proven to be an inhospitable one for gamers, with the first two murder victims being *Big Brother* and *Survivor* legends.

*BB* season 14 champion Ian Terry was the first one evicted from the castle after he was put on a short-list by “Secret Traitor” Donna Kelce and then cut loose by slightly-less-secret Traitors Lisa Rinna, Candiace Dillard Basset, and Rob Rausch. (Rude!)

It was a disappointing early exit for the *Big Brother* fan favorite, whose reputation clearly preceded him into the house. Why does Ian think Mama Kelce and the others had it out for him? Is there anything he could have done differently to avoid his terrible envelope-opening fate? And who did *he* think were the Traitors while playing the game?

We asked Ian all that and more, and you can either watch or read the interview below.

**: The first thing you said when you walked in that room and saw the envelope siting in the chair is “I knew it.” Why did you know it?**

**IAN TERRY**: I mean, I looked at the people standing in front of their gravestones the previous day, and I think Rob C. and I looked at each other and said, "Brother, it's probably gonna be one of us." Just looking at what the options were.

**Why do you think Donna Kelce specifically put you on her short list?**

She did say that she watches all of the reality programs, so I believe she just picked me as, you know, a *Big Brother* winner. I think it was probably a targeted decision. I think that's probably what it was. Perhaps [she] thought I was smarter or a threat or something.

**I think it's pretty clear why then the rest of the Traitors got rid of you, for being a gamer. We’ve seen this show before turn into gamers vs. Bravo, essentially. Are you surprised there were two Housewives in the turret and zero *Survivor* or *Big Brother *players?**

I was very surprised by that. I thought there would be at least one gamer in there. I think it is good for the long-term health of the show that it's a little bit mixed up. Obviously, it was at my and Rob C.'s expense, but it is what it is.

Lisa Rinna, Candiace Dillard Bassett, Ian Terry on 'The Traitors' season 4.

Euan Cherry/Peacock

**You said “I just don’t know what I could have done differently” after getting murdered. Do you still feel that way?**

There's probably about a million micro interactions that I wish I had maybe handled differently, right? But I don't feel like there was any concrete thing that I messed up. It very much seemed to be: *We perceive you as intelligent or a threat or whatever, *and that was pretty much all she wrote. Goodnight, Gracie.

**You brought up Rob Cesternino. A little known connection: Rob and I did the play-by play for your appearance on *Reality Gamemasters *years ago. Were you hoping to strike up an alliance with him specifically?**

Oh, I mean, you didn't even have to say it. It was an unspoken agreement. That was just immediate. There was no way I was ever gonna do Rob C. wrong. And I feel [that was] vice versa. There was just no chance.

Ian Terry on 'The Traitors' season 4.

Sam McElwee/Peacock

**Whom else did you want to work with?**

I wanted to work with Tiffany [Mitchell], for sure. I got a really good vibe with her. I got a good vibe from all the gamers. I liked Dorinda [Medley] a lot. I thought she was really, really nice. And Tara [Lipinski] as well, I thought was just super, super, super nice. Wanted to work with her for sure. That was really just who I kind of gravitated to. Didn't have a lot of time, just a couple cocktail parties really. But I had a great time with them, and those were some really nice people. Ron [Funches] was great also, I thought.

**You didn't really have a lot of time to come to any conclusions, but was there anyone you started to suspect, either correctly or incorrectly, as a Traitor?**

The one I was thinking the most was Rob R., actually. I just got a vibe from him. It wasn't really even so much anything he did, but I just thought, like: *If I was 26 years old, young guy, I'd wanna be a Traitor too*. So that was my first thought was: *Who would even want to be a Traitor?* So that was somebody that I had on my mind.

And the kind of wide miss, I will admit that I thought that Tiffany probably was just because: *Well, there's a *Big Brother* Traitor. It's not me, therefore, it must be her, right? *So that was a thought that I had. And I was kind of thinking: Work with her, it's good to have someone in the turret to kind of speak to your interests.

Rob Rausch, Porsha Williams, Dorinda Medley, Natalie Anderson, Tiffany Mitchell, Rob Cesternino, Lisa Rinna, Ian Terry on 'The Traitors' season 4.

Euan Cherry/Peacock

**I want to ask you about something Tiffany said after you were eliminated. She said it was really hard for you to come here and that you came because you wanted to face your fears. Is that true, and if so, what fears are those?**

Well, prior to *Big Brother 22*, I'm sure other houseguests go through this: You wake up every few months, you have a nightmare that you're still in the *Big Brother* house. You're having to play some stupid game or something. And, you know, *Big Brother 22* really left a really bad taste in my mouth, right?

So for me to go back and do this…. I remember seeing people had said “I'm surprised even after *Big Brother 22* that he would want to do one of these again.” So it was sort of just like, "You know what? I'm getting back up after a fall, and I'm doing it again, and I just wanna have fun." That's really it.

'The Traitors' season 4 premiere reveals first victims and 'Secret Traitor' twist

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**So ultimately, *did* you have fun? Are you glad you signed up to play? Have you been waking up having nightmares?**

I had a wonderful experience. They were great. They were wonderful out in Scotland. I had a great time. It was night and day to my previous experience. Night and day. It was great. They were wonderful to work with. I had a blast.

It was a fun game. It was very light. There wasn't this sort of heaviness. I feel like *Big Brother,* it's really all about the money. This, it was, you're here and your motivation to stay is because the game is so fun to play, you just want to keep playing. And I think that that makes all the difference in the world. Honestly, it does.

The cast of 'The Traitors' season 4.

Euan Cherry/Peacock

**What was it like for you, production-wise? *Big Brother* is 24-7. Here, you have some breaks at night and things like that.**

Certainly, a little odd. Different than what I'm used to. However, it was very welcome. I think that that was a pleasant experience. And I think that that's really part of what made it kind of special was that you are treated very well during these games, and in between there's time for processing your thoughts and relaxing a bit, eating good food. You're taken care of. They do just such a great job. It's amazing.

**Would you do another competition show?**

Oh, I would absolutely do another competition show. I really do enjoy going out and doing these. They're a lot of fun. Otherwise, I'm just gonna sit here in my office and look at an Excel spreadsheet all day. So I would absolutely do one, totally open to it.

I promised my wife I would never do the full-length, summer-long *Big Brother* season again. And frankly, I don't wanna put myself through it again. Would I do a shortened version like they did with *Celebrity Big Brother?* Absolutely. If it's interesting, I'd love to do it.

The cast of 'The Traitors' season 4.

Euan Cherry/PEACOCK

**Whom from *Big Brother* would you like to see do *The Traitors* next?**

It's gotta be Eric Stein. I need him back on my TV. I wanna see Eric play. I just want to see him play one of these games again. My wish list was I wanted Danielle Reyes and I wanted Eric Stein. Well, we saw Danielle Reyes a couple of times. We haven't seen Eric yet.

*This interview has been edited for length and clarity. *

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