Clyde Moser: Age, Career, Theatre Background, The Traitors: New Blood Status & Episode 4 Update

Clyde Moser entered The Traitors: New Blood as a 32-year-old teacher from Charleston, South Carolina, but teaching is only one part of his professional story. He is also a theatre director, actor, singer and educator whose career has moved between performance, music and the classroom.

Clyde said before the season that he wanted to be a Traitor. Instead, he entered the castle as a Faithful and has remained active through Episode 4. His game so far has involved reading social behavior, questioning Jay Vinnedge's approach, accepting a Shield during the Episode 3 crypt challenge and surviving the Episode 4 Death Parade.

Episode-by-Episode Timeline

Latest Episode Update: Clyde Survives the Death Parade

Clyde's biggest Episode 4 development was the Death Parade challenge. The contestants had to move gold through a sequence of gates while a parade of cloaked figures chased them, creating a running test of who could advance and who would be left behind.

Clyde ended the challenge among the players who were exposed to possible murder. He survived that danger, and the Traitors later chose Logan Smith instead.

Clyde therefore heads into Episode 5 as an active Faithful whose most notable current relationships are tied to the players he has been observing rather than to a formal alliance.

Clyde Moser Quick Facts

Who Is Clyde Moser?

Clyde Moser is a Charleston-based theatre educator, director and performer. The College of Charleston has profiled Clyde as an educator and theatre professional whose work combines performance with teaching.

His current professional identity is closely connected to Charleston County School District, where he works in theatre education. That career gives him experience managing groups, resolving interpersonal problems and understanding how different personalities respond in a shared environment.

Clyde at Wando High School

Clyde works at Wando High School in Charleston County, where he serves as theatre director. Charleston County School District has highlighted the school's theatre program and Clyde's role in building productions and student opportunities.

The College of Charleston Alumni Association also recognized Clyde as Wando's Rookie Teacher of the Year for 2023–24. His work has included directing students in musical theatre and building a program that has received broader recognition.

For Clyde, teaching theatre is not simply an academic job. It combines classroom leadership with rehearsal management, performance coaching and the ability to keep a large group working toward one shared outcome.

Education at the College of Charleston

Clyde graduated from the College of Charleston in 2017 with a B.S. in Middle Grades Education and a B.A. in Theatre, Performance Concentration.

He later returned to the college for graduate study and completed a Master of Arts in Teaching in Performing Arts Education, graduating in 2023. His graduate work also earned recognition for service and engagement.

The combination of education and theatre explains the unusual shape of Clyde's career: he is trained both to teach and to perform, with each side supporting the other.

Clyde's Theatre Career

Before and alongside teaching, Clyde built a serious theatre career. College of Charleston records describe him as an actor, dancer, vocalist and educator.

His theatre credits include productions such as Rent, The Addams Family, Spring Awakening, A Chorus Line, The Prom, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, The Wild Party, The Full Monty and Once on This Island.

He has also worked behind the scenes as an assistant director. His performance work received recognition from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Region IV, which cited him for a distinguished performance in Violet.

Clyde's New York Chapter

After finishing his first College of Charleston degree, Clyde moved to New York City and worked in the music industry. The experience gave him a chance to pursue entertainment professionally outside the academic theatre setting.

The COVID-19 shutdown later changed his direction. As he watched young people lose access to creative outlets during the pandemic, Clyde decided to return to Charleston and move more fully into teaching. He has described the change as a decision to combine theatre with helping students.

That return is one of the more personal parts of his biography and helps explain why his work at Wando High School became central to his professional identity.

Why Clyde Wanted to Be a Traitor

Clyde said before entering the castle that he wanted the Traitor role. He liked the control attached to knowing who was actually on the hidden team and wanted to use his theatre skills to remain believable while playing both sides of the social game.

He also believed humor could help him stay under the radar. His idea was to make people comfortable around him and use that positive social identity as cover.

His actual role became Faithful instead, so the same social and performance skills have been applied to reading the other contestants rather than concealing a Traitor identity.

Clyde's Actual Faithful Strategy

Clyde's game through Episode 4 has been less about making constant accusations and more about evaluating how people communicate.

The clearest example is his reaction to Jay Vinnedge. When Jay repeatedly hinted that he had names but would not explain his information, Clyde questioned whether that behavior made sense for someone genuinely trying to help the Faithfuls.

That does not mean Clyde identified Jay as a Traitor. Instead, he was evaluating whether Jay's stated strategy was consistent with the way a Faithful should behave.

Clyde and Jay Vinnedge

Jay Vinnedge became one of Clyde's most interesting early social reads.

Jay presented himself as a contestant who could read body language and who had important names but was not ready to reveal them. Clyde questioned that decision and became skeptical of Jay's approach before Jay later explained that part of the behavior was deliberately designed to make him a human shield.

The relationship therefore gives us a useful contrast: Jay deliberately creates uncertainty, while Clyde is trying to determine whether the uncertainty itself is meaningful.

Clyde and Tomica Adams

Clyde's Episode 3 Shield came directly through his interaction with Tomica Adams.

The pair entered the second crypt and were given a choice between more money or less money plus a Shield. Tomica encouraged Clyde to choose the Shield, and he did.

At the time, Clyde had no idea that Tomica was one of the two original Traitors. The decision therefore created one of the season's more interesting pieces of dramatic irony: a Faithful received important protection after taking strategic advice from a hidden Traitor.

Clyde and Kriste Lewis

Kriste Lewis questioned Clyde's decision to take the Shield instead of more cash. Her concern was largely about the financial logic of the choice.

Clyde did not leave the Episode 3 challenge with a major accusation against him, but the decision became part of the wider collection of behaviors that Faithfuls could examine when deciding who looked suspicious.

The Episode 3 Shield Decision

The Death Parade Challenge

Episode 4 placed Clyde in another potentially dangerous situation when the contestants had to move gold through the Death Parade course.

Players who were left behind became vulnerable to possible murder. Clyde was among those who did not complete the full run and therefore entered the final episode stretch with the possibility that the Traitors might select him.

They ultimately chose Logan Smith instead. Clyde therefore survived another episode without knowing how close he may have been to becoming the next murder victim.

Current Role & Status

Clyde Moser on Social Media

Related Traitors: New Blood Profiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Clyde Moser a Traitor or Faithful?

Clyde Moser is a Faithful.

Is Clyde still on The Traitors: New Blood?

Yes. Clyde survived Episode 4 and remains active heading into Episode 5.

Did Clyde want to be a Traitor?

Yes. Before the season, Clyde said he preferred the Traitor role and wanted to use his theatre background and humor to remain under the radar.

What did Clyde get from the Episode 3 crypt?

Clyde chose the Shield option when he and Tomica Adams entered the second crypt, accepting less money in exchange for protection.

Why was Clyde's Shield decision discussed?

Kriste Lewis questioned why Clyde would take less money for a Shield rather than maximize the cash added to the prize pot. The decision therefore became something other Faithfuls could examine.

What does Clyde Moser do for a living?

Clyde is a theatre educator and director at Wando High School in Charleston County. He also has a professional background as an actor, singer and theatre performer.

Where did Clyde Moser go to college?

He attended the College of Charleston, where he earned degrees in Middle Grades Education and Theatre and later completed a Master of Arts in Teaching in Performing Arts Education.

Sources

A.V. Club: Episode 3–4 coverage of Clyde's Jay observations, crypt decision and Death Parade developments: A.V. Club.

TV Insider: Episode 4 recap and Death Parade coverage: TV Insider.

College of Charleston: Clyde's teaching, theatre and professional background: College of Charleston.

College of Charleston Theatre & Dance: Clyde's performance credits and theatre work: CofC Theatre & Dance.

Charleston County School District: Wando High School theatre program and Clyde's role as theatre director: CCSD.

Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival: Recognition of Clyde's performance work: KCACTF Region IV.

Alumni Association: Clyde's recognition as Wando's Rookie Teacher of the Year: College of Charleston Alumni.

NBCUniversal: Official The Traitors: New Blood cast announcement: NBCUniversal.

Clyde's existing TraitorsNewBlood profile: Original profile and season background: TraitorsNewBlood.digital.

Full Cast & Live Statistics: Current cast, roles, status and elimination information: TraitorsNewBlood.digital.

Article updated: September 28, 2026

Profile status: Live season profile. Update after future episodes when Clyde's role, relationships, strategy, suspicions or survival status materially changes.

Ben McDonnell: Age, Career, Barrel Racing, The Traitors: New Blood Status & Episode 4 Update

Ben McDonnell entered The Traitors: New Blood as a 34-year-old barrel racer, actor and podcast host from Texas. Before the season, he said he wanted the Traitor role and planned to use humor, social connections and his ability to move between different groups.

Instead, Ben became a Faithful. Through Episode 4, his most important contribution has been his decision with Michael Foote to choose secret information over extra prize money during the crypt challenge. The clue they received was real, but it ultimately sent the Faithfuls toward the wrong theory.

Episode-by-Episode Timeline

Latest Episode Update: Ben Remains a Faithful After Episode 4

Ben's current storyline is tied closely to the crypt clue he discovered with Michael. The information was one of the most valuable pieces of evidence the Faithfuls had received, but the group did not immediately understand what it referred to.

The clue pointed toward the Katie-Xavier Accomplice competition, while the Faithfuls instead connected it to the unusual interaction between Arisa and Victor. That misunderstanding helped create the theory that ultimately contributed to Arisa's banishment.

Ben therefore enters Episode 5 as an active Faithful with an important piece of the season's puzzle already in his hands, even though the connection has not yet been correctly made.

Ben McDonnell Quick Facts

Who Is Ben McDonnell?

Ben McDonnell is a Texas-based entertainer and competitor whose public career combines acting, barrel racing, podcasting and photography. His official website describes him as a SAG-AFTRA actor working between Los Angeles and Dallas while maintaining his life in Texas.

That combination gives Ben a distinctly different profile from many of the other contestants. He has experience performing for cameras, competing on horseback and speaking publicly, while also presenting himself as someone who is comfortable moving between very different groups.

Ben's Acting Career

Ben's acting career includes film and television work as well as independent projects. His professional biography lists credits including Concussion, Amazon's Class Act, Blind Love, What Would You Do? and The Ellen Show.

His official site also describes work behind the camera. Ben has produced and directed independent projects, including the documentary I. His acting background is useful context for The Traitors because the show asks contestants to manage both what they know and what they present to everyone else.

Ben's Barrel Racing Career

Barrel racing is a substantial part of Ben's real-life identity rather than a one-line reality-show label. His public biography says he has ridden horses since childhood and competed on barrel-racing circuits including the National Barrel Horse Association.

Competition records also show Ben riding the horse One Out Of The Kash at barrel-racing events in Texas. His experience in the sport adds a physical and competitive side to his otherwise entertainment-focused career.

Podcast: It's Ben a Week

Ben also hosts It's Ben a Week, a weekly podcast that combines his Texas background with his entertainment work. The show's public description presents it as a conversational program covering relationships, Hollywood, personal stories and unusual experiences.

The podcast is another part of Ben's public-facing career. Like his acting work, it requires him to communicate with an audience and switch comfortably between humor and personal storytelling.

Ben and Photography

Photography is another creative field listed in Ben's public biography. Alongside acting and podcasting, he has developed work behind the camera and uses photography as part of his wider creative identity.

That makes Ben less of a single-profession contestant and more of a multi-disciplinary entertainer whose public work already involves performance, visual storytelling and communication.

Why Ben Wanted to Be a Traitor

Ben said before the season that he wanted the Traitor role. He described the position as appealing because the objective would be clear: build relationships, remain trusted and secretly remove the Faithfuls.

He also joked about the contrast between his friendly public persona and the role's requirements, describing the Traitor job as an opportunity to make friends and then betray them when the game demanded it.

His official cast material identified him as the “Social Butterfly”, a description that matches the broad social approach he planned to bring into the castle.

Ben's Pre-Show Social Strategy

Ben wanted to be useful to different groups inside the castle. He described a plan to become close to the women in the cast while also making the men see him as someone worth keeping around.

Humor was another central part of his plan. Ben said making people laugh was his natural response to tension and that he expected comedy to help him lower the temperature when discussions became uncomfortable.

He also believed his physical experience with horses could make him valuable during challenges, giving other contestants another reason to want him around.

Ben's Actual Game Strategy Through Episode 4

Ben's actual game has remained relatively social, but his biggest strategic moment has been his willingness to trade immediate cash for information.

In the Episode 3 crypt, Ben and Michael rejected the larger money option and chose confidential information instead. That decision shows that Ben was willing to make a long-term information play rather than simply maximize the visible prize pot.

The information turned out to be difficult to interpret. The clue was accurate, but the Faithfuls connected it to the wrong players.

Ben and Michael Foote

Michael Foote is central to Ben's Episode 3 story. The pair entered the crypt together and jointly chose the confidential clue.

They then returned to the castle and shared the information with the group. That made Ben and Michael the two Faithfuls most closely associated with the clue that later shaped the Arisa-Victor theory.

The partnership also fits Ben's preseason emphasis on social connections. Rather than working completely alone, he had another contestant with whom he could compare observations and make a shared decision.

Ben and the Arisa-Victor Theory

The clue Ben and Michael found said that two players had battled in plain sight for a Traitor opportunity. The actual players were Katie Fites and Xavier Scruggs, but the Faithfuls did not know that.

Instead, the clue became connected to Arisa and Victor after the group considered Arisa's unusual interaction with Victor. That theory continued into Episode 4 and contributed to the Round Table that sent Arisa home as a Faithful.

Ben's role in the storyline is therefore best described factually: he and Michael found the clue, shared it, and became part of the investigation built around its incorrect interpretation.

Ben's Most “Traitorous” Story Before the Show

In preseason material, Ben shared a story about deceiving his parents after college. He said he told them that he had landed a major Los Angeles advertising internship and even staged photographs outside an office so the story looked real. He said the deception helped him secure financial support while he moved toward an entertainment career.

It was presented as a playful example of his ability to commit to a story, not as evidence about his real-life character. The anecdote is useful in the profile because it came directly from Ben and gives readers a glimpse of the humor he brought into the casting process.

Current Role & Status

Ben McDonnell on Social Media

Related Traitors: New Blood Profiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Ben McDonnell a Traitor or Faithful?

Ben McDonnell is a Faithful.

Is Ben still on The Traitors: New Blood?

Yes. Ben survived Episode 4 and remains active heading into Episode 5.

What did Ben and Michael find in the crypt?

They chose confidential information instead of the larger cash option and received a clue about two contestants who had recently battled in plain sight for a Traitor opportunity.

Did Ben and Michael interpret the clue correctly?

No. The clue referred to the Katie Fites and Xavier Scruggs Accomplice competition, but the Faithfuls connected it to Arisa Thomas and Victor Vollbrechthausen.

What does Ben McDonnell do for work?

Ben is a barrel racer, actor, podcast host and photographer. His acting career is associated with SAG-AFTRA, and he maintains a professional presence between Texas and Los Angeles.

Did Ben want to be a Traitor?

Yes. Before the season, Ben said he preferred the Traitor role and planned to use humor and broad social connections as part of his game.

What podcast does Ben McDonnell host?

Ben hosts It's Ben a Week, a conversational podcast covering entertainment, personal stories, relationships and other topics.

What is Ben McDonnell known for besides The Traitors?

His public work includes acting, barrel racing, podcasting and photography. His acting credits include film and television projects, while his barrel-racing career includes professional competition.

Sources

A.V. Club: Episode coverage documenting the crypt decision, the clue and its role in the Arisa-Victor theory: A.V. Club.

Entertainment Weekly: Preseason cast material and Ben's own “most traitorous” story: Entertainment Weekly.

NBCUniversal: Official cast announcement for The Traitors: New Blood: NBCUniversal.

Ben McDonnell official website: Acting career, biography and creative work: BenMcDonnell.com.

It's Ben a Week: Ben's official podcast and media work: It's Ben a Week.

National Barrel Horse Association: Barrel-racing organization and competition information: NBHA.

Barrel Bash: Competition records showing Ben's barrel-racing participation: Barrel Bash.

Ben's existing TraitorsNewBlood profile: Original profile information and season background: TraitorsNewBlood.digital.

Full Cast & Live Statistics: Current cast, roles, status and elimination information: TraitorsNewBlood.digital.

Article updated: September 28, 2026

Profile status: Live season profile. Update after future episodes when Ben's role, relationships, strategy, suspicions or survival status materially changes.

Jay Vinnedge: Age, Physician Career, The Traitors: New Blood Status & Episode 4 Update

Jay Vinnedge entered The Traitors: New Blood as a 36-year-old physician from Oklahoma City with a medical career, military background and a strong competitive streak. He wanted the Traitor role before entering the castle, but Alan Cumming ultimately placed him among the Faithfuls.

Four episodes into the season, Jay remains active and has become one of the more outspoken Faithfuls. His game now revolves around a deliberate mixture of observation, unpredictability and public accusations, with Katie Fites becoming his most important current suspicion.

Episode-by-Episode Timeline

Latest Episode Update: Jay Directly Accuses Katie Fites

Jay's game changed substantially in Episode 4 when he moved from discussing possibilities to making a direct public accusation. After the Faithfuls spent much of the episode trying to interpret the clue about contestants competing in plain sight for a Traitor opportunity, Jay concluded that Katie Fites was the person he wanted to name.

His accusation is significant because Katie is actually the third Traitor, recruited by Joe Vanella and Tomica Adams in Episode 3. Jay does not know that, but his suspicion has independently reached the correct player.

The episode ended before another banishment vote could determine whether the wider Faithful group would follow Jay's theory. Jay therefore remains an active Faithful heading into the next episode.

Jay Vinnedge Quick Facts

Who Is Jay Vinnedge?

Jay Vinnedge is an Oklahoma City family-medicine physician with a military medical background and a growing public profile in direct primary care and physician education. His professional website, Jay Vinnedge MD, highlights his medical work, speaking and health-education interests.

He is also associated with The Little DPC, a direct-primary-care practice in Oklahoma City. His professional work sits at the intersection of traditional family medicine, entrepreneurial healthcare and physician education.

Jay Vinnedge's Medical Career

Jay's medical training began after an undergraduate education in biochemistry. His public professional biography says he graduated with highest honors in 2015 before earning his MD from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in 2019.

He then completed a Family Medicine residency at SSM Health St. Anthony, completing residency training in 2022. His public NPI record lists him as an active family-medicine physician in Oklahoma City.

His clinical work has since expanded into direct primary care through The Little DPC, where he works with his wife, Danielle, in a practice model designed around direct access between physician and patient.

Military Medical Background

Jay's professional story also includes military medicine. His biography says he joined the Oklahoma Air National Guard after high school and served as a USAF flight medic, including work caring for patients aboard aircraft.

He later continued that connection to military medicine as a Flight Surgeon. The experience exposed him to high-pressure medical situations and emergency decision-making, which he has said shaped how he approaches competition and difficult situations.

The Little DPC

The Little DPC is Jay's direct-primary-care practice in Oklahoma City. The practice emphasizes a more direct physician-patient relationship rather than relying solely on the traditional insurance-driven structure.

Jay's involvement with the practice adds an entrepreneurial side to his profile. He is not only a practicing physician but also works on communicating the direct-primary-care model to other doctors and patients.

The Well-Rounded Physician

Jay has also developed a professional education identity through The Well-Rounded Physician. The project is designed around helping physicians learn about direct primary care and the business side of running an independent practice.

This public-facing education work gives Jay another professional skill that has appeared inside the castle: presenting ideas to an audience and trying to persuade people to see a situation from his perspective.

Why Jay Wanted to Be a Traitor

Before the season began, Jay said he wanted to be a Traitor. His reasoning was connected to his competitive personality, his experience performing under pressure and his interest in reality-competition formats.

He has publicly discussed being a fan of competition shows and said he applied without expecting to get very far in the casting process. His application ultimately made it through a field reported to be around 60,000 applicants.

His official cast superlative was “Most Likely to Organize a Flashmob,” a playful detail that reflects the energetic personality he has shown in the castle.

Jay's Pre-Show Strategy

Jay entered the castle with a nuanced idea about how much a contestant should talk. He believed someone who dominates every conversation can make themselves a target, but someone who refuses to name any suspects can look equally suspicious.

His plan was therefore to listen early, gather information and then speak when he had something useful to contribute. The later episodes show how difficult that balance became once he decided to put his own body-language theory and player names into the discussion.

Jay's Actual Strategy in the Castle

Jay has increasingly used unpredictability as part of his public game. During Episode 4, he explained that he was intentionally making himself a target because he believed the Traitors might keep him around as a human shield.

That strategy meant he could afford to appear somewhat chaotic while still trying to advance his own theories. He has therefore mixed serious suspicion with deliberately attention-grabbing behavior instead of presenting himself as a quiet investigator.

The result is a game in which Jay is highly visible. He has publicly accused multiple contestants, but he has also remained alive through four episodes.

Jay and Katie Fites

Katie is now Jay's most important live-game storyline.

Jay first kept Katie's name in the conversation after Xavier Scruggs' murder because Xavier had previously expressed suspicion of her. Logan Smith also supported that line of thinking.

By Episode 4, Jay had moved beyond mentioning Katie as a possibility. He explicitly said that he believed Katie was a Traitor.

That accusation happens to point toward one of the actual Traitors, although Jay does not know that Katie was recruited by Joe and Tomica after the Accomplice challenge.

Jay and Logan Smith

Logan Smith and Jay were among the Faithfuls discussing Katie after Xavier's elimination. Their shared suspicion became more important after Katie joined the Traitor team.

Logan was later murdered by the Traitors. Jay therefore remains one of the Faithfuls who had publicly been looking in the same direction before Logan's elimination.

Jay and Kriste Lewis

Jay's relationship with Kriste Lewis became much more confrontational during the Episode 4 Death Parade challenge.

Jay publicly accused Kriste of being a Traitor while the challenge was still underway. The accusation added another name to Jay's growing list of suspects, but Kriste was not banished during the episode.

For the updated profile, it is useful to separate this challenge accusation from Jay's later Katie theory because the two suspicions arose from different parts of the episode.

Jay's Body-Language Strategy

Jay told the group that he considered himself good at reading body language and that he had been watching for changes in people's behavior.

When the group pressed him in Episode 4, however, he acknowledged that he did not have a concrete body-language conclusion to share. That did not end his strategy, but it did change how the other contestants could interpret his earlier claim.

Rather than treating the moment as evidence that Jay was right or wrong about people's behavior in general, the episode simply established that he had not produced a reliable body-language clue at that point in the game.

The Death Parade Challenge

Episode 4's Death Parade challenge was one of Jay's most visible moments in the castle. While the contestants worked to move the gold cart through a series of gates, Jay repeatedly pushed for players to discuss their suspicions.

He became increasingly vocal and eventually accused Kriste during the mission. The challenge also left several contestants behind, creating a pool of players who could potentially be targeted later.

Jay survived the challenge and continued into the Round Table portion of the episode.

The Episode 4 Katie Accusation

Current Role & Status

Jay Vinnedge on Social Media

Related Traitors: New Blood Profiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Jay Vinnedge a Traitor or Faithful?

Jay Vinnedge is a Faithful.

Is Jay still on The Traitors: New Blood?

Yes. Jay survived Episode 4 and remains active heading into Episode 5.

Who does Jay Vinnedge think is a Traitor?

Jay ended Episode 4 by publicly saying that he believed Katie Fites was a Traitor.

Was Jay's Katie accusation correct?

Katie is in fact one of the active Traitors. Jay does not know her hidden role, so his accusation is based on his own interpretation of the game rather than inside information.

What happened between Jay and Kriste?

Jay accused Kriste Lewis of being a Traitor during the Episode 4 Death Parade challenge. Kriste remained in the game after the episode.

What does Jay Vinnedge do for work?

Jay is a family-medicine physician in Oklahoma City and also works in direct primary care through The Little DPC.

Did Jay want to be a Traitor?

Yes. Before the season, Jay said he wanted the Traitor role and planned to use his competitive mindset and experience under pressure.

What is Jay's body-language strategy?

Jay said he was paying close attention to body language and behavioral changes. He later admitted that he had not developed a concrete body-language clue at the point when the other contestants pressed him for one.

Sources

TV Insider: Episode 3–4 recap covering Jay's current game position, the Katie accusation and Episode 4 developments: TV Insider.

A.V. Club: Episode coverage discussing Jay's body-language claim and his self-described human-shield strategy: A.V. Club.

NBCUniversal: Official The Traitors: New Blood cast announcement and Jay's contestant information: NBCUniversal.

Jay Vinnedge MD: Professional biography, physician background and public information about his medical and military career: Jay Vinnedge MD.

The Little DPC: Practice information and Jay's role as a direct-primary-care physician: The Little DPC.

University of Oklahoma: Medical education and College of Medicine information: University of Oklahoma.

LinkedIn: Jay's public professional profile and career information: LinkedIn.

Skool: The Well-Rounded Physician professional community: The Well-Rounded Physician.

Jay's existing TraitorsNewBlood profile: Original profile information and season background: TraitorsNewBlood.digital.

Full Cast & Live Statistics: Current cast, roles, game status and elimination information: TraitorsNewBlood.digital.

Article updated: September 28, 2026

Profile status: Live season profile. Update after future episodes when Jay's suspicions, relationships, strategy, role or survival status materially changes.

Niyyah Hayes: Age, Therapist Career, The Traitors: New Blood Status & Episode 4 Update

Niyyah Hayes entered The Traitors: New Blood as a 29-year-old therapist from Indianapolis with a professional background built around listening, observation and understanding how people behave under pressure. Before entering the castle, she had also worked in clinical and forensic settings and was pursuing doctoral training in clinical psychology.

She said before the season that she would rather be a Traitor, but that is not the role she received. Niyyah is a Faithful who remains active after Episode 4, and her biggest storyline so far has been the mistaken theory surrounding Arisa Thomas and Victor Vollbrechthausen.

Episode-by-Episode Timeline

Latest Episode Update: Niyyah Remains a Faithful After Episode 4

Niyyah enters the next stage of the season with her Faithful identity intact. Her most important contribution so far has been interpretive rather than physical: she helped connect an unusual conversation between Arisa and Victor to a clue that was genuinely about Traitor recruitment.

The clue's real target was the earlier Accomplice competition between Katie and Xavier. Because that connection was not obvious, the Faithfuls spent valuable time investigating the wrong contestants. Arisa eventually received 13 votes at the Round Table and was revealed as a Faithful.

Niyyah Hayes Quick Facts

Who Is Niyyah Hayes?

Niyyah Hayes is a therapist and clinical social-work professional whose work has included clinical assessment, psychotherapy and forensic settings. Her public professional profile identifies her as Niyyah Bilal Hayes, LCSW and documents experience connected with clinical and psychological services.

Her background is particularly relevant to her Traitors profile because much of her professional life has required careful listening and attention to behavior. That does not make every in-game interpretation correct, but it explains why she entered the castle expecting her ability to read people to be one of her biggest tools.

Niyyah's Clinical and Forensic Career

Niyyah's professional history includes work as a clinical social worker at the Orlando VA Medical Center, where her work involved clinical assessment and case-management responsibilities.

Her later training expanded into forensic assessment and clinical psychology. Her public professional profile lists experience involving family-court assessment and other clinical placements, showing a career that extends beyond general therapy work.

She has also described professional interests involving justice-involved and military populations, health-focused clinical settings and improving access to mental-health care in underserved communities.

Doctoral Training in Clinical Psychology

Niyyah's current academic path includes doctoral study in clinical psychology at the University of Indianapolis. Her professional profile lists the PsyD program as beginning in 2023.

The doctoral work builds on her earlier social-work training and gives her a broader clinical foundation. Her experience includes psychotherapy, assessment and research-oriented work, making her professional background unusually varied for a reality-TV cast member.

Education: Florida Southern College and UCF

Niyyah's undergraduate background includes Florida Southern College, where published academic material identifies her study of psychology and criminology.

She later completed a Master of Social Work at the University of Central Florida. UCF's graduate records identify her among the 2021 MSW graduates.

Her academic interests also included research involving race, aggression and jury decision-making. That work gives additional context to her interest in behavior and how people evaluate information when making judgments about others.

Niyyah's Research Background

Niyyah's academic work has extended beyond classroom study. Publicly indexed research records identify projects examining psychological and social factors in decision-making, including work related to race ideology, aggression and jury judgments.

That research experience makes the investigative side of The Traitors especially relevant to her. Her game strategy is not simply about talking to people; she has repeatedly focused on interpreting behavior and figuring out why a contestant acted a certain way.

Why Niyyah Wanted to Be a Traitor

Before entering the castle, Niyyah said she would prefer to be a Traitor. Her reasoning centered on the information advantage: a Traitor knows more about the hidden structure of the game while the Faithfuls have to work from partial evidence.

She also described a deliberate personality adjustment. Because she talks frequently in professional settings, she wanted to do more listening and observing in the castle. She described herself as a chameleon who could adapt to different people rather than locking herself into one rigid social group.

She ultimately entered as a Faithful, which meant the observational strategy became a tool for identifying Traitors rather than hiding as one.

Niyyah's Actual Strategy in the Castle

Niyyah's early game has been built around reading interactions and trying to make sense of the information available to the Faithful group.

The Arisa-Victor storyline is the clearest example. She noticed an unusual body-language test, listened to the interpretation of a crypt clue and tried to connect the two. The connection was wrong, but the process itself shows the kind of information-gathering strategy she described before the season.

The show has therefore given viewers a real-time test of the strategy Niyyah said she would use: observe first, interpret second and adapt as new information appears.

Niyyah and Arisa Thomas

Arisa Thomas became one of the most important people in Niyyah's Episode 3–4 storyline.

Arisa's interaction with Victor looked unusual enough to attract Niyyah's attention. When combined with the crypt clue, it created a theory that Arisa and Victor might somehow have been involved in a secret Traitor recruitment.

The theory was incorrect. Arisa was a Faithful, and her elimination in Episode 4 became another example of how an innocent interaction can be interpreted as evidence in a game built around hidden information.

Niyyah and Victor Vollbrechthausen

Victor Vollbrechthausen was the other half of the theory.

Niyyah's attention focused on Victor because he was the person being tested by Arisa. The combination of their interaction and the recruitment clue made him look like a possible participant in something the Faithfuls did not understand.

Victor survived the Episode 4 Round Table with six votes, while Arisa received 13. The result confirmed that the theory did not reveal an actual Traitor recruitment.

Niyyah and the Death Parade Challenge

Episode 4 also gave Niyyah a more direct competitive storyline. During the Death Parade challenge, she was among the contestants left behind with Victor, Morgan Cook and Mark Zgoda as other players advanced the gold cart.

The challenge mattered because contestants caught by the Death Parade could become possible murder targets. Niyyah survived that stage and remained in the castle after the Traitors later chose Logan Smith instead.

Niyyah's Current Game Position

Current Role & Status

Niyyah Hayes on Social Media

Related Traitors: New Blood Profiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Niyyah Hayes a Traitor or Faithful?

Niyyah Hayes is a Faithful.

Is Niyyah still on The Traitors: New Blood?

Yes. Niyyah survived Episode 4 and remains an active Faithful heading into Episode 5.

What did Niyyah think about Arisa and Victor?

Niyyah connected their unusual interaction to a clue about two contestants competing in plain sight for a Traitor opportunity. The theory was incorrect because the clue actually referred to the Katie Fites and Xavier Scruggs Accomplice competition.

What does Niyyah Hayes do for work?

Niyyah is a therapist and clinical social-work professional with experience in clinical and forensic settings. Her academic path also includes doctoral training in clinical psychology.

Where did Niyyah go to school?

Her education includes Florida Southern College, a Master of Social Work from the University of Central Florida and current PsyD training at the University of Indianapolis.

Did Niyyah want to be a Traitor?

Yes. Before the season, she said she preferred the Traitor role and planned to rely on observation, listening and adaptability.

What happened to Niyyah in Episode 4?

She remained in the game and participated in the Death Parade challenge. She was not eliminated at the Episode 4 Round Table and remains a Faithful.

Sources

TV Insider: Episode recaps covering the crypt clue, Niyyah's involvement in the Arisa-Victor theory and Episode 4's game developments: TV Insider.

NBCUniversal: Official The Traitors: New Blood cast announcement and Niyyah's role as a therapist: NBCUniversal.

TV Insider cast guide: Preseason cast details, role preferences and superlatives: TV Insider.

University of Indianapolis: Graduate psychology program and academic information: University of Indianapolis.

University of Central Florida: Graduate education and MSW background: University of Central Florida.

Florida Southern College: Undergraduate academic background: Florida Southern College.

Niyyah's public LinkedIn profile: Current professional, clinical, academic and research background: LinkedIn.

Niyyah's existing TraitorsNewBlood profile: Original profile information and social details: TraitorsNewBlood.digital.

Full Cast & Live Statistics: Current roster, roles, status and eliminations: TraitorsNewBlood.digital.

Article updated: September 27, 2026

Profile status: Live season profile. Update after future episodes when Niyyah's role, suspicions, relationships, strategy or survival status materially changes.