Last night, TikTok creator and social media superstar Ian Zaro was banished from “The Traitors”. His banishment came as the result of his fellow Faithful, Liam, who believed Ian was one of the Traitors. Describing his time on the reality competition as “literally insane”, Ian told POPSUGAR Australia all about his “Traitors” journey, and what his fellow contestants got wrong about him.
Ian’s Reaction to Being Banished
Chatting to POPSUGAR Australia over the phone, Ian said that he was both “emotional”, but also annoyed to hear his name read out during the Banishment Ceremony.
“You know, I was riding with Sam, with all his choices,” Ian said. “Watching it back I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I’m so dumb!’”
It was a frustrating Banishment Ceremony, Ian said. By that point, he felt like no one was listening to him, and that there was nothing he could do to prove that he was a Faithful, because their minds were already made up.
“Look, when you’re in the game, there’s only so much you can do,” he explained. “How can I plead my case when there was no actual proof or anything to go on? So that was confusing to me, it was just me being like ‘I don’t know how to prove myself. What makes me so shifty?’, you know?
“I think what really got me was, here I was supporting other people,” Ian said. Having stuck by Sarah, Corinne and even Traitor Sam, the banishment stung a little.
“Like when Sam, Sarah, and then Gloria — my QUEEN! My African queen! — when she turned her plaque and said my name? Ugh, I felt that!” he recalled.
“And then it even got worse with Annabel and Simone,” he said. “It’s like ‘really? You’re gonna go around this table and tell me I’m the most funniest, blah blah blah’, and I’m just like ‘Okay! So I’m funny, wow. That’s amazing’,” he deadpanned.
“And then they were like ‘we think you’re smarter than you look’, and I’m like ‘Guys. I’m literally one of the stupidest people on Earth.’ But did they believe me? No!” he exclaimed with a laugh.
“Like, it took me 25 years to realise that Tasmania wasn’t New Zealand. That’s how dumb I am!” he continued. “They literally were giving me all these compliments, ‘you’re beautiful and smart’, I was like ‘I know I’m beautiful, don’t call me smart! Don’t make it worse, I know I’m not!’”
Who Ian Thought the Traitors Were
One of the benefits of being a viewer of “The Traitors” is, of course, that we know who the Traitors are. For the contestants, though, they’ve found out along with us as the show has aired.
Was Ian on the right path? No.
“I really thought Liam, because of how shifty he was and how random his picks were of who to vote out, you know?” he said. “So damn random! And then Luke. Like it wasn’t even the fact that he was on ‘Survivor’, it was the shifty things between like, Sam and Ash, there was someone relaying things back and forth. Because at the time, we didn’t know who it was, and then Luke said it was him. So then I’m like, ‘Okay so why’d you lie?’”
Given that Ian was working with Sam, it’s safe to say he didn’t suspect that he was a Traitor. But what about Blake?
“Blake, that sneaky bugger!” Ian exclaimed. “I love that dude, honestly! But when I found out, I was like ‘wow! He played it good!’ It was a shock to me!”
The Hardest Part of “The Traitors”
With so many lies flying around, and so much deception in the air, playing the game of “The Traitors” is no joke. But what was the hardest part?
“Oh! I think just the amount of time we have talking to people,” Ian said. “Because there’s so much we need to know in a short period of time.”
Ian said that the limited amount of time the players have with one another before it was time to start banishing people meant that everything — every word, every gesture, every facial expression — would be dissected in detail.
“It’s like ‘oh, they sip their water very differently’, oop!”he said. “‘They blinked when the wind came past, is that something?’” he laughed.
“It’s just crazy, the amount of investigation you have to do with so little information — it’s a struggle, you know?” he said. “And I hate research! Like I said, I don’t like study! I don’t wanna study people!” he laughed.
“Everyone was just going off their stomach, but their stomach was dead wrong! That’s why I’m like, ‘you know what? I hope the Traitors win! I hope they win, because the Faithfuls? They’re a bunch of dumbasses!’”
“The Traitors” continues at 7.30pm on Sunday night, only on 10 and 10 Play on Demand. Miss an episode? Catch up on 10 Play.
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- Camille Is a Mum, a Mastermind, and the Ultimate Game Changer on “The Traitors” 2023
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- “I’m Coming For You”: Gloria Has Her Eyes Set on “The Traitors” 2023 Prize
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- Ready for Deceit and Betrayal? Here’s “The Traitors” 2023 Start Date
- Betrayal, Drama, and Intrigue: Your Complete Guide to “The Traitors” 2023
