Ben McDonnell: Age, Barrel Racing Career & The Traitors: New Blood
Updated: August 22, 2026
Ben McDonnell Quick Facts
| Full Name | Ben McDonnell |
| Age | 34 |
| Hometown | Granbury, Texas |
| Profession | Barrel Racer |
| Other Work | Actor, Photographer & Podcast Host |
| Height | 6 feet 3 inches |
| Show | The Traitors: New Blood |
| Season | New Blood |
| Self-Declared Superlative | The Social Butterfly |
| Preferred Role | Traitor |
| @mcdonnellben |
Who Is Ben McDonnell?
Ben McDonnell is a 34-year-old barrel racer from Granbury, Texas, and one of the contestants on The Traitors: New Blood.
His public career is more varied than the cast's job title alone suggests. Alongside professional barrel racing, Ben has worked in acting and photography and has developed his own podcast, It's Ben a Week. That combination of western sports, entertainment and media gives him a distinctive background among the 22 civilians entering the castle.
Ben's public biography also describes a long-standing interest in performing and making people laugh. He has spoken about acting training, commercial and on-screen work, as well as his creative work behind the camera.
Ben McDonnell Age
Ben McDonnell is 34 years old.
He is one of the younger contestants in the first all-civilian U.S. season of The Traitors, which includes players ranging from their 20s through their 60s.
Where Is Ben McDonnell From?
Ben McDonnell is from Granbury, Texas.
His Texas background is a natural part of his identity, particularly because barrel racing is closely connected to western and rodeo culture. Local coverage of the new season has highlighted Ben as one of two Texas contestants joining the civilian cast.
What Does Ben McDonnell Do for a Living?
Ben McDonnell is best known on the The Traitors: New Blood cast as a professional barrel racer.
Barrel racing is a timed equestrian event in which the rider and horse race around a set of barrels in a cloverleaf pattern. Success depends on speed, timing, balance, communication with the horse and the ability to make quick adjustments.
Those competitive instincts could translate surprisingly well to a game like The Traitors, where contestants must react quickly to changing alliances and constantly adjust their plans.
Ben McDonnell's Barrel Racing Career
Ben's involvement in barrel racing is not simply a television storyline. His name appears in barrel-racing competition records, including a 2022 event at the Somervell County Expo Center in Glen Rose, Texas.
In that event, Ben McDonnell competed with the horse One Out Of The Kash and recorded a 15.454-second run.
His involvement in competitive barrel racing provides a glimpse into the discipline behind the upbeat personality that viewers are likely to see on The Traitors.
Ben McDonnell's Acting Career
Ben has also spent years working in entertainment away from reality television.
In an interview published before his Traitors casting was announced, Ben described beginning his acting journey at a young age. He later moved to Los Angeles in 2015 and trained with acting programs including the Groundlings and studios associated with Lesly Kahn and Ivana Chubbuck.
His credits have included commercial and on-screen work, along with independent creative projects. He has also worked as a filmmaker, director and producer.
That background means Ben is not entering television completely unfamiliar with cameras or performance. He has already spent years learning how to communicate through a lens and how to entertain an audience.
Ben McDonnell as a Photographer
Photography is another part of Ben's creative career.
His professional profile has connected him with photography as well as acting, and his public online presence includes photography work alongside his barrel-racing and entertainment activities.
The combination of photography and acting may also explain why Ben appears comfortable building a public-facing personal brand rather than keeping his professional life limited to a single career.
Ben McDonnell's Podcast
Ben also hosts It's Ben a Week, a video podcast that combines humor, personal stories and conversations with guests.
The podcast's official listing describes Ben as a photographer and professional barrel racer and identifies him as its host. Episodes cover relationships, career stories, everyday frustrations, entertainment and personal experiences.
The podcast gives Ben another outlet for the personality he plans to bring to The Traitors: conversational, humorous and comfortable talking to people.
Ben McDonnell on The Traitors: New Blood
Ben is one of 22 civilians competing on The Traitors: New Blood. This season is the first U.S. edition of the franchise to move completely away from celebrity contestants and build its cast from ordinary Americans with different careers and life experiences.
The contestants will compete in a Scottish Highlands castle while trying to identify the Traitors hidden among them. Missions build the prize fund, while the Traitors secretly eliminate players and the Faithfuls try to banish the Traitors at the Round Table.
The season premieres on September 17, 2026, on NBC, with episodes also becoming available through Peacock.
Is Ben McDonnell a Traitor or Faithful?
Ben McDonnell has said that he would prefer to be a Traitor.
His reasoning is simple: as a Traitor, he would know that his main job is to survive the Round Table while secretly working against the Faithfuls. He has described that as a more comfortable position than being a Faithful and having to guess who is lying.
However, Ben's pre-season preference is not confirmation of his actual role. His official Traitor or Faithful status should only be updated after the show reveals it.
Current status: Ben McDonnell is a confirmed contestant on The Traitors: New Blood. He has said he would prefer to play as a Traitor, but his actual game role will be updated once it is officially revealed.
Ben McDonnell's Strategy
Ben's strategy is built around one of his biggest personal strengths: humor.
He says humor is his natural way of handling tense situations. If a room becomes uncomfortable, he believes a joke can help break the tension and make people feel more at ease.
That is closely connected to his "Social Butterfly" description. Rather than staying attached to one small alliance, Ben wants to move around the castle, talk to different people and become someone who is comfortable in multiple groups.
The approach could allow him to collect information without appearing to be deliberately gathering intelligence. The danger is that a person who knows everyone can eventually become a person everyone watches.
Why Ben McDonnell Could Be a Strong Traitor
Ben's outgoing personality could be particularly useful if he is assigned the Traitor role.
A Traitor needs to appear trustworthy enough to survive suspicion while still having access to relationships across the group. Ben's plan to be friendly with different contestants could naturally put him in that position.
His experience as an actor could also help him remain comfortable in front of people while hiding information. That does not guarantee success, but it adds another layer to his social-game potential.
Ben McDonnell's Physical Advantage
Ben has another potential advantage that could matter during missions: his size and athletic ability.
He describes himself as 6 feet 3 inches tall and expects his physical presence to be useful in challenges. His barrel-racing background also means he is accustomed to competition, coordination and working closely with an animal at speed.
If the missions reward strength, agility or endurance, Ben believes he can make himself useful to the group.
That could have a strategic benefit beyond simply winning challenges. A player who consistently contributes to the prize fund can become more valuable to the group and less likely to be viewed as expendable.
Ben McDonnell's Personality
Ben's self-declared superlative for the cast is "The Social Butterfly."
It is a fitting description for the approach he has outlined before the season. He wants to be friendly, approachable and involved with multiple groups rather than becoming isolated inside one alliance.
His humor is another major part of his personality. Ben believes that making people laugh can change the atmosphere of a tense room, and that could be particularly valuable after a difficult mission or during a suspicious conversation.
Ben McDonnell's Biggest Potential Weakness
Being socially connected to everyone can become dangerous in a game built around hidden roles.
If Ben becomes one of the most popular people in the castle, he could gain protection from suspicion. But if several contestants realize that he has relationships across every group, they may start wondering whether he knows more than he is saying.
His outgoing personality could therefore become either his biggest asset or one of his biggest liabilities.
Ben McDonnell Official Social Media
Ben McDonnell's official cast information lists @mcdonnellben as his Instagram account. The account is also associated with his established acting and photography identity, making it a useful place for fans who want to follow him outside the show.
Ben also has a separate social presence connected with his podcast, It's Ben a Week. Because that account represents his podcast brand rather than simply his personal profile, we are listing his personal Instagram here first.
Follow Ben McDonnell on Instagram @mcdonnellben
For his podcast and wider creative work, Ben's public podcast presence is associated with It's Ben a Week.
Ben McDonnell Quick Profile
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Ben McDonnell |
| Age | 34 |
| Hometown | Granbury, Texas |
| Profession | Barrel Racer |
| Other Work | Actor, Photographer & Podcast Host |
| Height | 6 feet 3 inches |
| Show | The Traitors: New Blood |
| Preferred Role | Traitor |
| Self-Declared Superlative | The Social Butterfly |
| @mcdonnellben |
Ben McDonnell: The Traitors New Blood Status
| Category | Current Status |
|---|---|
| Contestant | Ben McDonnell |
| 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 |
What to Watch for From Ben McDonnell
Ben McDonnell enters The Traitors: New Blood with a combination of competitive experience, humor, physical ability and entertainment experience.
His biggest strength may be his ability to make people comfortable. If he can use humor to lower suspicion while moving naturally between different social groups, he could become one of the most connected contestants in the castle.
The challenge will be avoiding the point where being connected to everyone starts to look suspicious. In a game where every friendship can become a piece of evidence, Ben's social personality could eventually force him to choose between being everywhere and staying under the radar.
That balance should make Ben one of the more interesting contestants to watch when the first all-civilian U.S. season of The Traitors begins.
Related The Traitors: New Blood Coverage
- The Traitors: New Blood Cast & Contestants
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- 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
- 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 Ben McDonnell.
Information in this article is based on publicly available professional information, published contestant material, competition records, and Ben McDonnell's public creative and social-media presence. Contestant roles and game status may change during the season, and this page will be updated when new information is officially confirmed.
