Rob Rausch isn't exactly your typical reality TV star. While he'd be considered somewhat of a pro at this point — he was a contestant on multiple seasons of "Love Island" and, most recently, took home the grand prize on Peacock's "The Traitors" — speaking to him, you get the impression that he's somewhat of a homebody, preferring going looking for snakes around his Alabama farm to the craziness that comes with promoting a hit show.
"I‘m so overwhelmed, and I’ve done more press than I ever thought I’d do in my entire life in a week in New York," he tells us over Zoom. "Yeah, I’m just ready to get home."
His style of play on "The Traitors" earned him some criticism. (Spoiler alert: He betrayed his closest ally and his fellow traitor to become the sole winner at the end.) But when we asked him if he would go back and do anything differently, he had a simple answer: "No."
It's not surprising, considering that that's sort of the premise of the show (and it's what won him the $220k prize). And he still managed to leave with some meaningful friendships with some of his fellow castmates.
“I connected with a lot of people from the show, and I still feel connected with them now," Rausch says. "You know, I’ve kept in touch with a lot of people. Ron [Funches], great guy, hilarious guy, I love that dude. I’ve stayed in touch with Lisa [Rinna]. She’s hilarious. [It’s] always a delight to be in her company ... Maura, Eric, I've been hanging out with them recently."
When we spoke with Rausch, he was promoting his partnership with Kind. He had recently worked with the brand to create a protein-packed Rise & Kind Breakfast Box (there were four online drops of the free, limited-edition kits, all of which were claimed in mere seconds), which included Kind's new Protein Max Granola and Scottish salmon — something that fans of this past season of "The Traitors" know was quite the hot commodity.
"It was really hard to get protein [in the castle]," he says. "All the protein options were smoked salmon and eggs. So if you didn’t get smoked salmon, you just had to eat boiled eggs, which was fine, but we could have used some Kind granola for sure."
As for what's next to him, you probably won't catch him back on reality TV anytime soon. "I got a lot in my head, I got a lot of people coming at me and I just wanna get home and settle down and clear my head and figure out what I wanna do, because I don’t really know."
Though when I mention that, as a "Survivor" fan, I think he would be a great fit for the show, it seems like he hasn't totally ruled that option out. "I think if Jeff [Probst] ever called, maybe I would do it," he says.
Rausch adds, "That’s one of the only reality shows that I’ve ever watched of my own volition and it is good and it’s fun. I did want to play back in the day, but I feel like 'The Traitors' may hurt me now. People know that I’m a threat."
Below, we asked him to walk us through some of his current essentials, from the boots he wears while looking for snakes to the brands he gets his famous overalls from.
Shopping Diaries: Rob Rausch
His protein-packed breakfast:
"It’s a great way to get protein in your diet," Rausch says about Kind's granola. "It’s super important for any person, but me especially. I like to go to the gym a lot. And I love incorporating Kind Protein Max."
As for how he typically enjoys it, he says, "I‘m a pretty simple guy, and out of the bag is great. But I also just love some good ol' classic whole milk with some granola, it’s great."
His iconic one-and-done outfit:
If you watched Rausch on "The Traitors" or "Love Island," you know that overalls are part of his signature look.
"At this point in my life, I probably have 30 pairs of overalls from all different brands," he says. "My two favorites are probably Liberty and Carhartt. But they’re just good, functional clothes. What can I say? I’ve been wearing overalls my whole life."
The shoes he wears while looking for snakes:
Anyone who isn't following Rausch on Instagram is seriously missing out. Because that's where he shares videos of his adventures out and about looking for snakes. If you scroll through his page, you can find him holding everything from corn snakes to pythons and rattlesnakes (yes, really). Of course, all that time spent in creeks and fields requires some tough footwear, so we had to know what he wears.
"I’ve got a lot of pairs of Tecovas, I'm a fan of those. I recently got some snake boots. My friend got bit by a rattlesnake last summer ... he didn’t see it. Normally, I see a snake before it sees me, but he’s also a snake wrangler and he got bit. And I’m like, well, it could happen to anyone. So I got some snake boots — I really wish I could remember the brand ... usually [I wear boots]. But when I'm in the creek or in water, I usually wear tennis shoes."
While he didn't share a specific pair from Tecovas he likes, these work boots are designed to stand up to tough conditions, as they're waterproof and slip-resistant.
The gift he'd give his fellow traitors:
"[I would] get them some Creek Rat," Rausch says. (It's his own brand of fashion essentials.) "The hat is pretty sweet, and the hoodie is probably one of the better quality hoodies I own and I have a lot of hoodies."
While all of the items on the site are currently out of stock, the brand shared on Instagram that it will be doing a restock of the hoodie in mid-March.
His low-maintenance grooming staple:
While he says he doesn't have much of a hair routine ("I just kind of wake up, tussle it a bit), he occasionally will use a sea salt spray. And although he didn't share the specific one he uses, this is an Amazon bestseller.
Given how low-maintenance his hair care routine is, we weren't surprised to learn that he doesn't spend too much time on skin care either. When we asked how he gives his skin TLC when he's spending a lot of time outdoors, he said: "I just drink a lot of water, pray. Luckily, I’m usually in a really humid climate. So that’s great for your skin, sweating. It’s good for you, just wash it off after."
"I’ll put sunscreen on in spring, and then once I get to my base tan — I’m usually super tan in the summer, I’m really pale right now — and once I get to that, I don’t really need it anymore."
His travel essential:
One product he'll never forget to pack when traveling? "Toothpaste," he says. "I use Colgate and Crest." He continues, "I just go and look for the dentist-recommended label."
His top picks for game nights:
Unsurprisingly. "The Traitors" isn't the only game that Rausch is good at. "Poker [is] pretty much the only game I can get all my friends to play with me. I really like ERS. It's a card game, it's pretty fun. I like Risk a lot. No one will ever play with me, though. And Monopoly, also, no one will ever play with me ... I once played a game of Risk that lasted three days. And it ended in a tie. We signed the box, put the date of when it started and when it ended, and we shook hands and we said, 'it’s never gonna end.'"
