Arisa Thomas: Age, Dog Groomer Career & The Traitors: New Blood
Updated: August 25, 2026
Arisa Thomas is one of the 22 contestants competing on The Traitors: New Blood, the first U.S. edition of the reality competition to feature an entirely civilian cast. The 36-year-old dog groomer from Los Angeles, California, is entering the castle with a friendly and bubbly personality, but she says she is ready to show viewers a much more deceptive side of herself.
Arisa's profession and personality make her an unusual addition to the cast. Working as a dog groomer requires patience, confidence, and the ability to handle unpredictable situations, while her own description of herself is much more social and upbeat. She believes people tend to see her as the friendly, harmless person in the room, and she wants to use that perception to her advantage.
Her plan for The Traitors is simple: make friends, gain their trust, and betray them when she needs to. That makes Arisa one of the contestants who is openly excited about the possibility of playing the villain rather than simply trying to survive quietly.
Arisa Thomas Quick Facts
| Full Name | Arisa Thomas |
| Age | 36 |
| Hometown | Los Angeles, California |
| Profession | Dog Groomer |
| Show | The Traitors: New Blood |
| Season | New Blood |
| Self-Declared Superlative | Most Likely to Overpack |
| Pre-show Preferred Role | Traitor |
Who Is Arisa Thomas?
Arisa Thomas is a 36-year-old dog groomer from Los Angeles and one of the 22 civilians selected for The Traitors: New Blood.
She enters the show without the established reality-TV reputation carried by many contestants from earlier U.S. seasons. Instead, viewers are being introduced to Arisa through her work, her personality, and the way she says she wants to play the game.
Arisa describes herself as friendly and bubbly, and she believes that reputation could actually become one of her biggest weapons inside the castle. If other contestants see her as harmless, they may not immediately expect her to be capable of lying and manipulating the game.
Arisa Thomas Age
Arisa Thomas is 36 years old.
She sits around the middle of the age range in the 22-person The Traitors: New Blood cast, which includes contestants in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s.
Where Is Arisa Thomas From?
Arisa Thomas is from Los Angeles, California.
Living in Los Angeles also places Arisa in one of the most diverse entertainment and cultural environments in the United States, although her career on the show is rooted in her work as a dog groomer rather than a traditional entertainment profession.
What Does Arisa Thomas Do for a Living?
Arisa Thomas works as a dog groomer.
Dog grooming requires more than simply cutting or washing an animal's coat. A groomer needs patience, confidence, attention to detail, and the ability to work with animals that may behave unpredictably.
That makes Arisa's profession an interesting contrast with the psychological game she is about to enter. Instead of dealing with nervous dogs, difficult coats, and demanding appointments, she will have to deal with 21 people who know that at least some of them are deliberately trying to deceive the group.
Could Arisa's Dog Grooming Career Help Her in The Traitors?
Arisa's profession may give her a few qualities that could translate surprisingly well into the castle.
Dog grooming requires a person to pay attention to behavior. Animals cannot simply explain what is bothering them, so groomers often have to notice reactions and adjust their approach.
The situation is obviously very different with human contestants, but observation and patience are still useful qualities in The Traitors.
Arisa's biggest advantage, however, may not be her profession itself. It may be the fact that she is comfortable interacting with very different personalities and wants to build relationships quickly.
Arisa Thomas on The Traitors: New Blood
Arisa is one of the 22 civilians competing on The Traitors: New Blood, the first U.S. civilian-only season of the franchise.
The cast includes people from a wide range of professions, from physicians and lawyers to teachers, business executives, athletes, writers and skilled tradespeople. Arisa's dog-grooming background gives the group another distinctive personality and professional perspective.
The contestants will compete in the Scottish Highlands while trying to identify the hidden Traitors among them. Missions can increase the prize fund, while the Traitors secretly eliminate Faithful contestants and attempt to survive the Round Table votes.
The season premieres on September 17, 2026, on NBC, with episodes also available through Peacock.
Would Arisa Thomas Rather Be a Traitor or Faithful?
Arisa Thomas would rather be a Traitor.
Her reasoning is closely tied to the way people already see her. Arisa says her friends view her as the friendly, cute, bubbly person in the group. She wants to use that image in the game and surprise people by showing that she can also be deceptive.
She compares the idea to being underestimated. Instead of looking like the obvious threat, Arisa wants people to believe that she is too nice to be dangerous.
Current status: Arisa Thomas is a confirmed contestant on The Traitors: New Blood. She has said that she would prefer to play as a Traitor, but that preference does not confirm her actual role. Her official Traitor or Faithful status will be updated once it is revealed on the show.
Arisa Thomas's Strategy
Arisa's pre-season strategy is refreshingly direct: make friends and betray them when necessary.
She wants to use her natural friendliness to build trust before the game becomes more complicated. If she can make other contestants believe that she is harmless, she may be able to get close to people who would otherwise be suspicious of her.
Her strategy depends heavily on being underestimated.
The bigger challenge will be knowing when to switch from friendship to deception. Betraying someone too early could expose her, while waiting too long could mean missing an opportunity to remove a dangerous Faithful.
Why Arisa Thomas Could Be a Strong Traitor
Arisa's personality may be particularly useful if she receives the Traitor role.
A Traitor needs to be trusted by people who have every reason to be suspicious. Someone who naturally appears warm, friendly, and approachable may have an easier time getting information from other contestants.
Arisa understands that perception can be powerful. If people decide early that she is simply the cheerful dog groomer who gets along with everyone, they may not immediately consider her when searching for the hidden Traitors.
That is exactly the kind of social camouflage a Traitor would want.
Arisa Thomas's "Golden Retriever" Strategy
Arisa has described herself as having a personality that people might associate with a friendly "golden retriever." Her plan is to turn that perception into a disguise.
She wants to show that someone who appears harmless can still be strategic and deceptive.
That could become one of the defining themes of her season. If she is successful, viewers may see a contestant whose biggest weapon is not intimidation or authority but simply being underestimated.
Arisa Thomas's Biggest Potential Strength
Arisa's biggest potential strength is her social personality.
She enjoys meeting people and is comfortable forming relationships quickly. That can be valuable in a game where information often comes through private conversations and informal alliances rather than official challenges.
If people naturally feel comfortable around Arisa, she may hear things that more intimidating players never get to hear.
Arisa Thomas's Biggest Potential Weakness
The biggest risk is that her strategy may become too obvious.
If Arisa openly embraces the idea of being underestimated, other contestants could eventually realize that the friendly-personality strategy itself may be a cover.
The moment everyone starts thinking, "She is probably pretending to be innocent," the advantage disappears.
She will therefore need to make the deception feel natural rather than performed.
Arisa Thomas's Personality
Arisa's official cast superlative is "Most Likely to Overpack."
It is a lighthearted detail, but it fits the playful personality she has shown in her pre-season introduction.
Arisa is not presenting herself as an intimidating strategist. Instead, she wants to be the person others enjoy having around, which could become one of the most useful identities in a social strategy game.
Arisa Thomas at the Round Table
The Round Table will eventually test whether Arisa's friendly personality can survive serious suspicion.
This is where Faithfuls have to decide who they believe is a Traitor, while Traitors have to defend themselves without revealing their true role.
If Arisa is a Traitor, her best defense may be to remain consistent with the friendly personality she has established from the beginning. A sudden change in tone or behavior could attract unwanted attention.
If she is a Faithful, her challenge will be different. She will need to make sure that her instinct to trust people does not prevent her from questioning someone she has grown close to.
Arisa Thomas Quick Profile
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Arisa Thomas |
| Age | 36 |
| Hometown | Los Angeles, California |
| Profession | Dog Groomer |
| Show | The Traitors: New Blood |
| Pre-show Preferred Role | Traitor |
| Self-Declared Superlative | Most Likely to Overpack |
| @arisathegroomer | |
| TikTok | @arisathegroomer |
| X | @arisathegroomer |
Arisa Thomas: The Traitors New Blood Status
| Category | Current Status |
|---|---|
| Contestant | Arisa Thomas |
| Game Status | Competing |
| Pre-show Preferred Role | Traitor |
| Actual Role | To be updated when officially revealed |
| Elimination | Not yet determined |
| Final Placement | To be determined |
Arisa Thomas Official Social Media
Arisa Thomas uses the handle @arisathegroomer across her public social media accounts. The handle closely matches her professional identity as a dog groomer.
What to Watch for From Arisa Thomas
Arisa Thomas enters The Traitors: New Blood with a strategy built around one simple idea: let people underestimate her.
Her friendly personality could become a valuable disguise if she receives the Traitor role. The more comfortable people feel around her, the more information she may be able to collect without becoming an obvious target.
But the game will eventually force her to decide how far that friendly image can go. Betrayal is most effective when it comes as a surprise, and Arisa's success may depend on keeping that surprise alive for as long as possible.
Whether she becomes a Traitor or Faithful, Arisa's combination of humor, friendliness, and an unconventional career should make her an interesting contestant to follow throughout the season.
Related The Traitors: New Blood Coverage
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- Xavier Scruggs: Age, MLB Career & The Traitors: New Blood
- Abby Lee: Age, Astrophysics Career & The Traitors: New Blood
- Victor Vollbrechthausen: Age, Career & The Traitors: New Blood
- Jay Vinnedge: Age, Physician Career, Flight Surgeon & The Traitors: New Blood
- Niyyah Hayes: Age, Therapist Career & The Traitors: New Blood
- Joe Vanella: Age, Funeral Director Career & The Traitors: New Blood
- Ben McDonnell: Age, Barrel Racing Career & The Traitors: New Blood
- Kim Daly: Age, Lawyer Career & The Traitors: New Blood
- Abbey Benjamin: Age, Nurse Career & The Traitors: New Blood
- Shane Beatty: Age, Ironworker Career & The Traitors: New Blood
- The Traitors: New Blood Episodes
- The Traitors: New Blood Eliminations
- The Traitors & Faithfuls
- The Traitors: New Blood News & Updates
Editorial note: TraitorsNewBlood.digital is an independent entertainment and information website. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or officially connected to NBC, Peacock, Universal Television, the producers of The Traitors, or Arisa Thomas.
Information in this article is based on publicly available contestant information, published cast interviews, current entertainment coverage, and the public social-media accounts supplied for Arisa Thomas. Contestant roles and game status may change during the season, and this page will be updated when new information is officially confirmed.
