The Traitors Australia Exit Interview | Banished Player | Ep 9 | Beyond The Traitors

In this episode of Beyond Reality: Beyond The Traitors, TV producer Hayley Ferguson sits down with Love Island alumni, media personailry and content creator Rachael Evren - the latest faithful to be banished from The Traitors Australia.

Having carried a target on her back from the very first challenge, Rachel opens up about the immense psychological toll of the Manor, the double standards of round table accusations, and what really went down between her and AJ behind the scenes.

In this interview, we dive into:

The Constant Target: Why Rachel believes having early suspicion put on her name was actually a strategic shield—until it wasn't.

The Roundtable Pressure Cooker: The emotional reality of being called "fake" and "conniving" while trying to play a clean, faithful game.

AJ's Survivor Gameplay vs. Moral Compass: Rachel breaks down watching the episodes back, discovering AJ’s true motivations, and where their friendship stands today.

The Double Standard of Emotion: Confronting the hypocritical reactions at the round table when defense turns into attack.

Casting & Media Mechanics: What it feels like to step from behind the camera to the front of the screen during a fast-paced press run.

Plus Rachel Tackles the Quick-Fire Round: Including the celebrity content creators she wants to see at the Manor and the player everyone was secretly terrified of.

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

SPEAKER_00 0:16

This is beyond reality. Hi, Rachel. Hi. Thank you so much for joining me. You have been so interesting to watch. You've had heat on you the entire game. Can you tell me why were people so suspicious of you?

SPEAKER_01 0:32

Haley, I think your guess is better than mine. I think Telly made one comment. She's like, she's just too confident. You know, and how do I how do I defend that? How do I say sorry? It's just who I am. I don't think I ever really found out what it was. I think one of the things is that early in the first challenge where Queen first got um uh from before she was eliminated, I was in the same group that she uh was in when she was eliminated the next day. And I think that was one of the reasons maybe because I had the shield. So everyone was like, it must be Rachel. Um, but aside from that, I have no idea. You know, it was a it was a very tough time because being called a traitor is a very difficult thing when you're just a faithful, when you're showing up as your genuine self every day. And someone says, Well, actually, I think you could be fake, and I think you could be a liar, and I think you could be disingenuous. And to have that happen to me multiple days in a row, it like it took the wind out of my sails very early on.

SPEAKER_00 1:24

It's such a confrontational game in nature. And seeing you go through this experience, you could definitely see that it was taking its toll and it had a real effect on you. Can you tell me about why you were so emotional?

SPEAKER_01 1:42

I'm not I am a confrontational person to some extent. I don't fight back in that sense, though. So that iconic round table where I go, Chrissy, I think he could be a traitor, and then she gets very angry at me. And I think Chrissy is such an icon. I love her so much. I do feel like that table was very unfair, though. And that should never have happened. Because essentially the game is called the Traitors. Um, and we all signed up for the same thing. And um, I was very emotional because so that happened. That that big round table I was yelled at. I actually walked out of that room and I had a bit of like a panic attack. I was like, oh my God, this is that was a very daunting experience because I did get piled on a little bit. And then the next day I walk into breakfast. And if you pay close attention, I walk into breakfast already in tears because I was so terrified walking in that day. Um, and then that whole scenario with the challenge where it's like, oh, Rachel's fake. So it was like, it was one thing after another after another. And it definitely in a 24-hour period, it just hit me all at once. And I was like, I feel very isolated right now. I feel like there was something wrong with me. Not that there was, but I felt in the moment, I was like, why do people just not connect with me in here? And I took that very heavy because I'm very much a golden retriever. I love people, I love life, I just want to be friends with everyone. And so I really took that very personally. And overall, I am just an emotional person. I feel things deeply. And, you know, I during the show, I was like, oh, Australia's going to hate me for crying so much. And then I realized this that's a problem with Australia and not with me.

SPEAKER_00 3:12

Yeah, I mean, it's so interesting because it is a game at the end of the day, but I can imagine it's hard not to take it personally when people are accusing you of lying when you're not.

SPEAKER_01 3:26

Yeah, it is. Like at the end of the day, you going into this game when there's very little information to go off sometimes, you kind of just have to go, well, I think you could be a traitor. I think, yeah, I think it is. And I one thing I I was very um wary of is not calling anyone conniving, not telling anyone I think if they're disingenuous, not telling anyone they are, you know, that I think they're a traitor because of their vibe. Like I was very cautious with how I accuse people of being a traitor because I was like, I don't want you to feel like this is an attack on who you are as a person, because I had felt that very early on. Even with the Claudia thing with her elimination, I was like, I think Claudia could be a traitor. I 100% think it's Claudia, but I never went to the round table and like Luke caught her conniving or told her that she backstabbed me or anything like that. I was like, no, I just think you could be a traitor, but I'm not, it's nothing personal in that sense.

SPEAKER_00 4:18

When you signed up to play the traitors, did you expect it to be this difficult? I don't know what I expected.

SPEAKER_01 4:26

I was a bit of a late recruitment into the game. And so I had time to watch season one and two of Australia. And I was like, I was watching it. I'm like, these idiots. I would, I'm so good at this game, I'm gonna win the whole thing. Um, and then getting in there, it was a lot more difficult. It's much more of a social game than it is just finding the trader. You really have to know the people you're around. You know how you have to know how to network, you have to know how to escape out of sticky situations. And that is honestly the biggest part of the traders that people underestimate is that it's one thing, as we found with AJ, to find the traders. It's another thing to keep yourself in consistently.

SPEAKER_00 5:04

Yeah, definitely. Who were you finding you were gravitating towards in the game?

SPEAKER_01 5:10

AJ and I were like two little best friends in the game. We truly had such a beautiful friendship on the show. Um, and I thought it was very, it was very genuine. Like I was going to him and saying, I think it could be this person. And if I was feeling like down or not feeling myself, or like had that feeling of maybe I don't belong here, I would go to him and be very open about that. And I thought he was being very genuine with me with when he was coming to me with the same things until I later watched the show and I was like, oh, he thought I was a trader. Um, but him and I did have a really good friendship also with Alex. I absolutely love Alex. Um, towards the end, I definitely think Tully and Reese were like my two go-to people. Um, they're very empathetic people. And so they really, yeah, I don't know. I just felt like they did have my back at the end there and they were like, we can see this is affecting you, Rachel. Um, but truthfully, the whole cast, we are one big family. We have a massive group chat and we are we we we talk every day. We're truly one big family.

SPEAKER_00 6:06

Yeah, it feels like the cast is very close. I want to talk about AJ because obviously we did see that moment where you broke down after the round table and he came to comfort you. And you know, you mentioned watching that back. Yeah, how did it feel to see kind of his motivations behind that?

SPEAKER_01 6:25

I I really struggled with it because it's just not who I am. I above a game, I have a moral compass. And my moral compass does not allow me to use people, no matter what it is, for reality TV, for entertainment, is just not who I am. And AJ somewhat did it with me. He somewhat tried to do it with Alex. And I really just don't gel well with that as a whole. I understand it is a game, and I and these Survivor players, they work on a completely different level compared to the rest of us. Like I had not watched Survivor before the show, definitely should have watched it afterwards. They work at a million miles per hour. But um, at the end of the day, and we saw this with Cam as well, below the entertainment value, below the game itself, there needs to be this is who I am, and I will not let that affect anything in my life. And so to see AJ do that, I was like, I that's just not how my moral compass directs.

SPEAKER_00 7:20

Did you manage to speak to him after watching it back? Have you cleared the air?

SPEAKER_01 7:25

I spoke to him after we left the show and he never brought it up. He did, he did tell me on the show, he's like, Oh, I thought you were a trader the whole time, but it was never I was becoming close with you because I thought you were a trader. That was never admitted to. Um, but no, AJ and I do not talk. Um, I think he is absolutely brilliant. The way he was able to uh, you know, navigate this game and kind of try to make it work in his favor. I think it was incredible. But I think he really just lacked the social aspect in that, you know, we we did start to pick up on, okay, he seems to be having these similar conversations with everyone else. And, you know, Alex brought that up at the breakfast table. Has he tried to reach out? Uh no, he definitely hasn't tried to reach out. But I think also, you know, AJ has really just kind of like gone about his way. He did an iconic thing on TV and he went, that's that's what I'm here for, that's what I did. And he's really just stuck to himself and just gone about life. And yeah, I think he I think he's doing great at the moment though.

SPEAKER_00 8:19

If you could go back and do it all over again, knowing now what you do, I guess what is there anything you could have done differently to kind of shake that suspicion off you?

SPEAKER_01 8:32

The truth is to get through the game, you need to have some suspicion on your name. And that is why I showed up so confident to breakfast most mornings. And I said this to Kira by the end. I'm like, babe, I'm still here because you keep bringing up my name. You know, you want to keep suspicion on your name. You never want to be 100% in the clear because if you're 100% in the clear, you're no use to the traders, essentially. So you need to be able to survive the murders without a shield, and you need to survive the banishments without, you know, getting yourself voted out. So I always kept people second guessing like she seems really faithful, but maybe. Um, so I actually think I put myself in a really good position to be honest. I think the only thing I would change is that I wish I just kept myself in that mindset. I had a lot more energy to begin with and kept that throughout the game because I think in my last episode, I am a I am someone that loves to fight. I can back myself and I can talk my way out of things. And I just kind of felt like I did give up in that moment. And I just wish I didn't give up because I know I could have talked myself out of that situation.

SPEAKER_00 9:30

Yeah, I mean, it was such a close call at that round table. Lawson was very close to going home as well. But I think what was funny is that, you know, part of the suspicion around you was because you were getting emotional and everyone was like, the game is getting to you, but the more people would accuse you, the more emotional we would get.

SPEAKER_01 9:49

So Oh, it's yeah, there was a lot of double standards. I will definitely say that. It was, yeah, it was very funny. It was like this episode where you know Chrissy and I have our big argument at the round table. The day before that, she was like, Stop crying, don't take it personal. And then I go, Well, Chrissy, I think you could be a traitor. And then she's like, take that personally. How dare you? And I'm like, guys, what is happening? I feel so nasty right now. Um, so there definitely was a double standard. I will say that. Um, but I I will honestly say I'm very happy that I showed up as my authentic self. You know, I am an emotional person. I feel things deeply. And I've always been very shamed for being an emotional person, as everyone is. It's like, why are you crying? Why are you feeling like this? Get over yourself. And you know, I think that's more of a problem with society than it is with the people that are emotional.

SPEAKER_00 10:36

Yeah, absolutely. I have one more question before we get to the quick fire questions. You do this as a job, you know, as someone from the media. Is there one question you wished I had have asked today that I haven't? Oh my gosh, I don't even know.

SPEAKER_01 10:53

I wish I could, I wish I could answer that. This is actually my first time sitting on the other side of the camera and like doing all these like press trunkets. I'm like, wow, this is how it feels. This is amazing. Um no, honestly, I think there's so much to talk about. There's so much behind the scenes. There's like I couldn't all the entire cast could truly write a book with how much information has that that that there is that not everyone got to see. Um, it was truly such a fun experience. And it was uh, yeah, there's there's so much behind-the-scenes drama and tea that hopefully will come out one day, but it's been an incredible experience.

SPEAKER_00 11:27

Yeah, it's been such an amazing season. I want to get to some quick fire questions. Are you ready? Yes. Who was your favorite person in the game?

SPEAKER_01 11:36

Oh, uh, towards the end, definitely uh Reese. They are absolutely incredible. I've started watching Drag Race recently and I'm obsessed. If you were a traitor, who would you have murdered first? I love Kira. I would have murdered her first. And I don't care if it led back to me. I'd be like, Kira, get out of here. You're out of here. Um, but I love her now. We have such a beautiful friendship now that in those first few days, I would have been like, get her out of here. Who was the most dangerous in the game and why? I think a lot of people underestimated Chrissy's power in the game. She everyone was terrified of her. No one was willing to bring her name up at round table, especially after that one argument I had with her. She had a way of she knows how to talk herself into things, she knows how to move people around, she's well loved, well-liked, and also extremely intelligent. So people definitely underestimated Chrissy.

SPEAKER_00 12:25

Yeah, Chrissy at the round table was scary in the best possible way.

SPEAKER_01 12:31

Everyone was terrified of Chrissy, especially after that moment. Everyone was like, if she's a trader, let's let her win. Let's let her.

SPEAKER_00 12:38

Who were you most starstruck by? Tolly Smith.

SPEAKER_01 12:41

Okay, so I didn't realize Tali Smith had that iconic Big Brother moment until she brought it up in the car. She's like, Oh, this is what happened to me on Big Brother. And I was like, I know exactly who you are, like reality TV icon. So when I put two and two together, I was like, oh my god, babe, you've like, you invented all this. You were the beginning and end of all this. Who surprised you the most in the manner and why? Alex. Alex is so sneaky, she is so brilliant, so charismatic, so loving. She, I think she would have done really well making it to the end if she just didn't have, you know, that that moment with AJ. She was doing really well. No one suspected her. She was well loved. So yeah, Alex, an absolute weapon.

SPEAKER_00 13:26

Which celebrity would you like to see play The Traitors?

SPEAKER_01 13:30

Oh, I would love. So being a content creator myself, I would love to see some more iconic content creators. I think Sofa Dofer would absolutely kill the role. I think uh, oh, we need to get like a comedy creator on there as well. So I'm thinking Lockie McIntyre. Like I would love to see more creators on there. And I know as a whole, some Australians might go, well, they're not celebrities. There are some of these content creators that have built masses of millions of followers. And I definitely just think they deserve a seat at the roundtable.

SPEAKER_00 13:59

Thank you so much, Rachel. It's been so nice to chat with you. I really love seeing you go on this journey. I mean, you could have been out so early with all the heat you had, but you managed to stay in right towards the end. So yeah, I think you should be really proud of yourself and the way you played.

SPEAKER_01 14:14

Well, thank you, Haley. I do really appreciate that. And I am very proud. Watching it back, I think it, yeah, it was the most incredible experience, and I'm really glad that I did it.

SPEAKER_00 14:22

And your wedding is coming up?

SPEAKER_01 14:24

Yeah, I get married on Thursday. Oh my gosh. Sick joke. What a sick joke from Channel 10. What do you mean I'm eliminated the same week as my wedding? This game never ends, I tell you.

SPEAKER_00 14:34

Well, all the best for your wedding. I hope you get some time to relax and uh, you know, not be watching your back the whole time. Hopefully, there's no traders at the wedding, but you never This is beyond reality.