11 Hours With Rob Rausch On A Farm In Georgia
Of course we played Mafia (aka Traitors IRL).
After winning a reality TV competition, the fire typically dies down in a few weeks — but that’s far from the case for Rob Rausch. Since taking home The Traitors’ top prize in February, the 27-year-old has remained booked and busy. “I haven’t been home as much as I’d like to be,” he tells me nearly one month following the Season 4 finale’s airdate. “It’s a good problem to have, and I’m grateful for the opportunities.”
His post-Traitors press tour has included everything from talk-show appearances to audio erotica, with more than a handful of partnerships sprinkled in — Crown Royal’s latest collab with camo brand Realtree being one of them. Earlier this season, I found myself in Georgia with the Love Island USA alum at Realtree Farms, celebrating the joint merch collection with a full day of outdoor fun. Our chat during cocktail hour was just one of the many activities we had planned.
To feel like you’re a part of the fun with Rausch, below you’ll find a recap of my day with the reality star and about a dozen new friends as we went fishing, made our own chocolate-covered bacon, and played Mafia around a bonfire. (Spoiler alert: He thought I’d win.)
10 a.m.: A hayride tour
After grabbing a quick breakfast at the Callaway Resort & Gardens in Pine Mountain, our group met up in the lobby to start our journey to Realtree Farms. It was a quick 20-minute trip before we hopped out of our shuttle and immediately hopped onto hay bales, taking a quick tractor ride over to the main house.
This is where we met up with the Realtree team, along with Rausch, got to preview the Crown Royal collection, and played a few rounds of cornhole. I was terrible, but I blame my jet lag and several flight delays. Then we took a group pic with a NASCAR vehicle (that’s me literally right next to Rob) before heading to our next stop.
11 a.m.: Fishing by the lake
The last time I went fishing was at Girl Scout camp when I was about 12, so I was very rusty. I even had some issues with my line getting tangled up in my pole, which I, yet again, blame on my jet lag.
Even though I was unsuccessful at catching anything, Rausch managed to score two fish. “I grew up fishing quite a bit with my brother,” he tells me during our chat later.
12:30 p.m.: Lunch break
Our fishing excursion lasted about an hour, and then it was time to pack up and head back to the main building on the farm for lunch. Along the way, our hay ride stopped at a giant tractor, where we had a bit of a mini photoshoot.
When we got back, they had a full buffet for us to enjoy, including vegetables, sandwiches, and sweet tea. I live in California now, but I’m originally from Florida. Whenever I’m in the South, I take any opportunity to drink as much sweet tea as possible.
Once we were done eating, we headed back to the resort for a quick break. Most people used this time to catch up on some work, but I was in full nap mode.
3:45 p.m.: Cocktail hour with a game tasting
Once I got some Z’s in, I was ready to head back to the farm for a little cocktail hour. The drink I got was called a Forage, made with Crown Royal, honey, ginger, and smoked lemon, but they were also serving Rausch’s go-to drink at the bar: a Crown Royal lemonade.
This is when I got to sit down with the snake wrangler for a little one-on-one. We discussed The Traitors and what he’s manifesting for himself next. (“My main aspiration is just to be happy, have a meaningful life, and be proud of what I do.”)
We also got on the topic of snakes, where he eased my fear a bit. “They have no business with people at all. They have no want or need to be near us,” he says. Though I don’t think I’d be down to catch snakes anytime soon, I am very interested in seeing him and Lisa Rinna on their own outdoor-adventure show.
Once my time with Rausch was over, I joined the rest of the group for a wild-game tasting from Michael Pendley, the editor of Realtree’s Timber 2 Table. The menu included bacon-wrapped dove, venison backstrap, fried turkey breast nuggets, and roasted quail. They also served a Nightfall cocktail with Crown Royal, sweet vermouth, kombucha, and thyme.
In between plates, we got to make our own chocolate-covered bacon. I added pistachios and hazelnuts to mine for a Dubai-chocolate-bar-inspired mix.
6:30 p.m.: A seated dinner with the entire group
This was the ultimate trip for foodies, because after our tasting in the woods, we were treated to a seated dinner. My favorite was the cornbread. (I was clearly on the right side of the table, because we agreed on getting seconds.) The meal included more Crown Royal cocktail pairings and a gorgeous purple table setting.
8 p.m.: A traitorous bonfire game
When everyone was done eating, we got back on the tractor for a nighttime hay ride to the lake house for a bonfire party. This was where we got to enjoy our chocolate-covered bacon atop some Crown Royal drinks. Boozy hot chocolate from the back of a pickup truck and s’mores were also on the menu.
Since it was cold out, each guest was given a Crown Royal x Realtree hoodie ($50) from the joint collection to wear. At this point, the group was much more comfortable with each other, and Rausch was sharing his Traitors experience. He compared the show's rules to another game called Mafia, which I’ve played before.
The reality star kept saying we should play a round, and I realized if no one took the initiative to start us off, it would be all talk, so I chimed in, “Let’s do it!” That’s when we all gathered around the fire, and Rausch led us in a game of Mafia as the narrator. At the beginning, he assigned us all roles, like Traitors versus Faithfuls.
During our one-on-one, I told Rausch I had done the Traitors experience in L.A. as a Traitor, and it was so stressful that I would never want to do that again. That didn’t stop him from assigning me as one of the Mafia members of the group. Despite being stressed, I’m actually great at being a Traitor, and I won the experience in L.A. I almost got away with being a member of the Mafia around the bonfire as well and was the last to survive — but in a rush to end the game, I was discovered, and the Villagers won the whole thing. At one point, Rausch said he thought I had it. Coming from the sole Traitor to win Season 4, I consider that the highest of compliments.
When our game ended, we said our goodbyes and got back on the shuttle to our resort.
TL;DR: Rob is as charming as he seems on TV.
I’ve spent plenty of time around celebs on red carpets or backstage at places like Coachella, and there is no one more down-to-earth than Rausch. I didn’t even realize it was him at first when I started playing cornhole, because he just looked like another dude on the trip.
Despite all his fame and Traitors' money (minus Maura Higgins’ Birkin bag), Rausch remains so chill and fun to hang out with. Now I understand why it was so easy for everyone in the castle to trust him and want to be his friend. His natural rizz is what helped him win it all, and I’m thoroughly impressed. It also didn’t hurt that Rausch was fully in his element on the farm and being outdoors.
I’m so glad I got this opportunity to meet the real Rob Rausch, eat some delicious food, enjoy tasty Crown Royal cocktails with new friends, and take home one of the coziest hoodies I’ve ever worn. I’ll never forget my trip to Georgia — especially since I can now say I got to play a Traitors game with an actual Traitor.
