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Who went home on 'Traitors' tonight? Rob Rausch’s strategy pays off amid another elimination

Rob Rausch makes it through once again ahead of the finale, which is set to premiere on Thursday, February 26

With just one week left before the finale, the competition on 'The Traitors' Season 4 is heating up. Thanks to his strategic moves, original traitor Rob Rausch not only successfully recruited Eric Nam as a fellow traitor but also managed to oust Stephen Colletti and Dorinda Medley in the last episode. Even though Rausch became the center of suspicion, he once again escaped danger and eliminated two more faithfuls. Kristen Kish and Natalie Anderson were the two faithfuls to get eliminated in the latest episode. In a flashback, Rausch and Nam decided to kill Kish, even though it might have raised suspicion surrounding the singer. The traitor duo planned to use the growing doubt around Anderson to have her banished next.

Luckily, their strategy worked in their favor. At the final round table, the traitors came out on top despite the growing suspicion around Rausch. Tensions peaked as Rausch and Anderson openly accused each other of being traitors. Rausch faced extra suspicion due to a stray vote from Candiace Dillard Bassett. Meanwhile, Tara Lipinski backed away from targeting Rausch, upsetting Anderson, who felt betrayed. Although Rausch briefly switched her vote to Lipinski, the group still voted her out. After Anderson revealed she was a faithful, Lipinski became emotional and guilt-ridden. While Rausch and Maura Higgins grew more suspicious of Lipinski, Mark Ballas believed her reaction was genuine and instead turned his focus back to Nam, who had stayed quiet again. In a confessional, Johnny Bananas correctly identified Rausch and Nam as the remaining traitors, but going into the finale, he still needed enough votes to act on it.

Talking about the growing suspicion of Rausch, it all started at the semifinals breakfast. Rausch admitted he was beginning to feel the emotional toll of being a traitor. The constant lying and scheming weighed on him, especially because he had grown genuinely close to Higgins, who trusted him completely. When the rest of the players arrived, Higgins openly voiced her suspicion of Anderson, so she wasn't surprised when Anderson survived the night while Kish was revealed to be murdered, as per Gold Derby. A flashback showed that Rausch and Nam deliberately chose to eliminate Kish.

Meanwhile, Lipinski became the first to shift attention away from Anderson and toward Rausch. She pulled Anderson aside for a private conversation, where they questioned why Dillard Bassett had casually mentioned Rausch's name and whether they had been trusting the wrong person all along. Anderson admitted she didn't understand why she had been kept in the game for so long and began to suspect it was because Rausch had been secretly protecting her from the turret. When Higgins joined the discussion and expressed similar confusion about her own survival, it further convinced Anderson that Rausch was a traitor, though Maura, despite everything, remained the least suspicious of him. While Rausch may have secured his safety for now, things are not exactly going in his favor, and following Anderson's banishment, suspicion will grow around him. How Rausch handles this growing suspicion will only be revealed in the finale and reunion of 'The Traitors' Season 4, which will premiere on Thursday, February 26.