Ian Terry Thought He’d Be an Early Target on 'The Traitors' — Then It Happened (Exclusive)
Ian Terry didn’t walk into The Traitors expecting a long run. The Big Brother winner knew his reputation as a strategic thinker could make him an immediate liability in a game where perception matters a lot — especially in the beginning before alliances and trust have time to form.
In an interview with Men’s Journal after becoming the first player murdered, the Texas-based data consultant, 34, reflects on why he anticipated being targeted early, how the lack of fellow “gamers” in the turret shaped the season’s dynamics, and who he suspected before he left. He also opens up about why he said yes to the show in the first place, how it differed from his time on Big Brother, and whether one more round could have changed everything.
Scroll down to read my full interview with Ian.
Men’s Journal: How are you feeling after becoming the first person murdered on The Traitors? That’s always a tough spot to land.
Ian Terry: Random feeling, right? No, I had a really nice party last night. I’m surrounded by people I like and care about, so I had a really fun time, and I had a very pleasant experience overall. When I was okay. I think that was kind of just the big difference for me, compared to BB22, which was fairly miserable, and this, which was very pleasant. They were really, really nice out there. Not a great time, but a pleasant experience.
Men’s Journal: You’re not someone who seeks out reality TV fame. You’re very selective about what you do. Did you have any hesitation saying yes to The Traitors?
Ian Terry: I had a lot of trepidation. It was a discussion that I had with my wife, and she was like, “I would really prefer you not go.” What we realized in chewing it over, and after watching the third season — because I had never seen the show before — and studying the first two seasons just by reading about it and the UK versions, was that if you were a Faithful and perceived as intelligent, you tended to knock over your well. My wife said to me — and I believe I even said this to you — if you go on that show, you will be gone in the first three episodes, because any Traitor worth their salt is going to kill you. It’s just that simple. So I had a lot of trepidation.
I said, you know what though, I would like to just try it. A lot of people want to do this show. There’s probably a reason a lot of people want to do it. It seems fun. My job is not always the most exciting thing. I’d be sitting here in my office with an Excel spreadsheet. So I said, okay, I want to go and do it. I want to have fun. That was primarily my goal — just to have a good time. None of them are easy games. The thing I would say is, look at the prize money — especially if you’re a Faithful — it’s not a huge jackpot. You wouldn’t spit at it, but it’s not life-changing. For the most part, everyone is there to have fun. I think the motivation for a lot of people, including me, to want to keep playing is just because it was fun. You’re not there for the bag. Let’s be real. It’s so much different.
Men’s Journal: How much were people aware of your intelligence and Big Brother game?
Ian Terry: I don’t think anyone knew the backgammon. But the immediate way I was perceived — and Tiffany [Mitchell] as well — we get out of the Land Rovers, and I hear chatter. I hear Lisa [Rinna] say to Michael [Rapaport] that out of all the games, the Big Brother players are definitely the most ruthless and what they have to go through to win. I immediately heard that and thought, yeah. It’s odd, because I see myself almost as the opposite. What Big Brother player is going to say, “Oh yeah, I want to be the Faithful”? Right? So I think that’s just the way it was. Obviously, I was perceived as intelligent. I did try to downplay it, and as we saw, that did not work. That’s really how we ended up in this position. I think it was the perfect composition.
Men’s Journal: This season didn’t start with a “gamer” in the turret. Do you think that was a big factor?
Ian Terry: I think I would have had a puncher’s chance. As a Faithful, it’s always an uphill battle. The odds are never on your side. It’s like roulette — maybe one night you get lucky, but in the long run, you’re always going to lose. So yeah, I would have had a puncher’s chance, maybe seeing a couple breakfasts. But ultimately, this was something I knew going in. There was a decent chance of it happening. I wasn’t terribly surprised.
Men’s Journal: Who did you want to work with in the castle?
Ian Terry: Obviously Rob C[esternino]. We go way back. We’re really good friends. I had separated a little bit from the reality TV world, so we drifted apart naturally, but it was so nice to reunite with him in there. Seeing him pop out of the Land Rover, I was like, “This is incredible.” Tiffany as well. I hadn’t seen her Big Brother season, but I had heard she was very strong. From general gossip around the Big Brother streets, I knew she was a good player. One of the first parts of building a Traitor suspect list is asking who would want to be a Traitor. If you want to be a Faithful, you will be a Faithful. I thought Tiffany would want to be a Traitor because she likes to play these sorts of games.
Men’s Journal: Who did you suspect before you were murdered?
Ian Terry: I’ll give you a hit and a miss. My suspicions were really just guesses because it was so early. The miss was Tiffany. It was just based on “good Big Brother player and I’m not the Traitor, therefore she must be.” The hit was Rob Rausch. I thought, who would want to be a Traitor? If I was a 25-year-old guy, good-looking, nice gentleman, I would want that role. It just seemed like something a 25-year-old guy would want to do. That was on my radar.
Men’s Journal: If you’d survived one more round, do you think your game changes?
Ian Terry: I wanted to be more vocal at roundtables. You have to have a little bit of attention on you. If you get it wrong, people think you’re a fool. If you get it right, you probably avoid being murdered for cause. I’ve played these games before, and playing passively isn’t fun. This was more for fun. Aggression is more fun to play. No one goes on these shows wanting to be at the bottom of the alliance.
Men’s Journal: Did this experience deter you from doing competition shows in the future?
Ian Terry: No, not at all. If anything, the opposite. Big Brother 22 left a really bad taste in my mouth. This was very pleasant. I will never do the long Big Brother again. That’s not going to happen. I won’t put myself through it. I won’t put my wife through it. Other games? I’m open to things. They’re fun.
Men’s Journal: Once the episode aired, did you feel the fan support?
Ian Terry: I was surprised. It’s tough to sit on that for six or seven months. I was a little worried. I felt really cared about. I don’t usually go on Twitter. I did see a little bit of it, and I thought, okay, this is really nice. Instagram is more positive.