Scheana Shay has a decent idea on which of her fellow Vanderpump Rules cast members could go all the way as a traitor on the hit Peacock reality competition series, The Traitors.
Talking with 360aproko Hope Sloop at a Television Critics Association event on Wednesday, the 39-year-old reality TV star explained why she thinks Katie Maloney could pull off the epic and difficult feat of being a deceptive player among a cast of faithfuls.
“She just has that ability to not get vulnerable,” Scheana said of Katie, who she has had a rollercoaster of a friendship with since the show premiered on Bravo in 2013. “When you get that vulnerable side of her, you’re like ‘Oh, this is so sweet.’ But you know, you don’t get that a lot.”
“I feel like the ability to stay kind of stone-faced is a great quality in that,” Scheana continued, adding that she could also see James Kennedy as another good option to play the game of backstabbing and secrecy.
The explanation came in response to an 360aproko report in which Below Deck star Kate Chastain said she doesn’t think that Scheana would make for a good traitor, as she doesn’t have it in her to be the villainous character that the role requires.
“I think Scheana is just really sweet and really earnest, and I love those qualities about her, but I don’t think she’d make a great traitor,” Kate explained.
For her own two cents, Scheana said she fully agrees with the current cast member of The Traitors season 2, who also appeared on the first season and quickly became a fan-favorite for the chaos she brought to the Scottish castle.
“I completely agree, watching them — like, I couldn’t do that,” Scheana shared. “I am, not, you know, Parvati [Shallow] or someone who is on who was on Survivor or Big Brother – those manipulating, scheming, lying to people sort of shows. I do think it would be fun but because I just have such a heart,” she said, cutting herself off before definitively confirming that she couldn’t pull off a hoodwink in the name of the game.
Kate told 360aproko that aside from thinking that Vanderpump Rules is an untapped market for the show that could pull some great cast members for future seasons, she thinks Lala Kent specifically would make for great television.
“I would love to see Lala, I think Lala would do amazing,” she said. “I think she becomes the boss in any situation she’s in, so I’d love to see.”
On that note, Scheana had some hesitancy. According to the Vanderpump star, Lala’s confrontational and duplicitous ways have faded over the years and potentially turned her into too much of a softie to morph into a dastardly traitor, moving about the castle each night and killing off their fellow players.
“Lala, she’s softened up a lot in the last couple of years, motherhood and whatnot,” Scheana said. “I don’t know, I think Katie.”
Another Vanderpump Rules cast member Kate and Scheana disagree on? The show’s current villain, Tom Sandoval, who is still on a redemption arc after “Scandoval” rocked season 10 of the Bravo series, revealing that he cheated on his longtime girlfriend, Ariana Madix, with fellow cast member Rachel Leviss. While Scheana argued that it might be too on the nose to cast him as a traitor, Kate says it could be the perfect job for him.
“I’m not sure he’s really taking his redemption journey that seriously. I mean, he’s still wearing the lightning bolt necklace. I imagine he’d be open to being a traitor for the experience,” Kate said.
“Yes, Sandoval’s also a good actor but I do think that’s too obvious,” Scheana said.
New episodes of The Traitors air Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on Peacock.
Vanderpump Rules airs Tuesdays on Bravo and the next day on Peacock.
