There was technically no reason for Colton Underwood to go on The Traitors season 4, a reality competition series notorious for clashing a wide range of fanbases rooting for their faves based on wildly different shows, experiences, and background stories.Alan Cumming's treacherous Scottish castle isn't a Survivor-style endurance series like Beyond the Edge (which Underwood won), a playful talent show like The Masked Singer (which he finished as a semifinalist), or a brand-new dating show for virgins like Are You My First? (which he cohosted with Bachelor Nation star Kaitlyn Bristowe)."Well, obviously, I've watched [The Traitors], I love competition, and I just wanted to compete," Underwood tells Out. "And I think it was like the perfect show balance for me returning to television, where the drama is for the most part the gameplay, and the strategy, and what you do. So it was, in my opinion, a safe way for me to return to television without really having to put myself back into the vulnerable position of having to share my life."Underwood's biggest priorities in recent years have been his family and his mental health, he says, adding that he "had a blast shooting" this season of The Traitors. That tracked, from a viewer's perspective, until episode 5 when Michael Rapaport arguably insinuated that Underwood's closeted years were evidence that he was good at keeping secrets, so he might as well be a Traitor. (No, Rapaport didn't make any sense. And, yes, it spectacularly backfired.)In the Traitors universe, Faithfuls and Traitors have various rounds of "banishment ceremonies" held at a giant roundtable. Much like Survivor's "tribal councils," the contestants can discuss, dissect, debate, and perhaps even dissociate from the intense arguments that come up in these ceremonies. But even within this pressure cooker, Underwood recognized that Rapaport crossed a line."Of course I was caught off guard a little bit," Underwood admits when asked about Rapaport's remarks. "You know, in the rules of the game, there's sort of an unspoken truth of like, 'Let's not make it personal.' And I think you sort of see that with how I went about my gameplay even with Tiffany [Mitchell] and people who I sort of questioned."The Coming Out Colton star adds, "When it became personal, you know, I tried to just stay level-headed, and stay in the game; to focus on gameplay and what was best for that. I didn't really sit in that emotion very long. I just wanted to get back to the gameand what we were doing." But Underwood does remember how Rapaport's remarks played out in the room. "Pretty much all the air in the room got sucked out," he explains. "Everybody, for the most part, took it how it was intended. Anybody who hears that and then says, 'Well, I didn't mean it that way.' It's like 'I mean, yeah, you did.'""That's a conversation that is bigger than like you and The Traitors," he considers. "It's something that still goes on in our society."Episode 5 ends with Rapaport staring at the camera and telling viewers that he didn't mean it that way, which could be true, at least in hindsight. Nonetheless, the insinuation was on the table that Underwood's closeted years made him a potential Traitor as if struggling to accept one's sexuality as a teen and early 20s is the same as being a grown man competing on a TV show that parodies murders and banishments among reality stars.The real surprise, I tell Underwood, now 33, was seeing how he handled Rapaport. He didn't shut down and sit in silence, a la various moments in Coming Out Colton. He didn't jump fences and run away, a la his season of The Bachelor. He sat there, listened, and responded. He was then supported by every other queer player even Kristen Kish, who planned on voting out Underwood prior to the banishment ceremony and most of the other contestants, like Natalie Anderson, Rob Rausch, and Maura Higgins."I took care of myself. I have a family, and a kid, now," Underwood says, reasoning how these factors play a role before he commits to any new endeavors. "A hit show like The Traitors, you get thrust back into the spotlight. I'm a polarizing figure, I know that. I'm self-aware to know people either really, really love me or really, really hate me, and that's just part of my journey through reality television."Underwood reflects, "Going into the show, of course I've grown over the years, and I've changed. Not that I had anything to prove on this television show, but I'm tired of being a punching bag. I'm not going to sit there and take it. I'm going to hold my own.""It was challenging, and hard," Underwood adds. "I was terrified of the [players with] big personalities because I didn't want to have those conversations and confrontation. But it happened, and I think you sort of just get to see me stand up for myself, and not just sit there."Underwood's stardom is specific to different audiences. On the one hand, lots of people, including some on The Traitors, had never watched The Bachelor and had no idea he was even in it. As his Traitors cast mate Natalie Anderson summed up for the uninformed in the castle (and the audience) at the beginning of episode 5, "He was on The Bachelor, and he hadn't come out, and he was dating 30 women." Real Housewives star Dorinda Medley seemed astounded. Later that day, Rapaport told Underwood, "Nobody in this room would be better at holding a secret than you."On the other hand, his reality TV debut in Becca Kufrin's season of The Bachelorette, his follow-up run on Bachelor in Paradise, and his eventual leading role on The Bachelor were some of the most-viewed seasons in modern-day Bachelor history. (Underwood, a Christian who was closeted at the time, was dubbed "The Virgin Bachelor" during his run as he openly discussed his sexual inexperience.) Everything he has ever said or done on TV has been canonized by the so-called warriors of Bachelor Nation. And many of these warriors have not forgiven him for the fallout over his ex Cassie Randolph, whom he met on The Bachelor. The pair dated from 2018 from 2020. And after the breakup, Randolph filed a temporary restraining order against Underwood over stalking allegations, which she later dropped.The entire premise of The Traitors, though, is based on this wild crossover casting of people from various different reality shows, thus exposing each contestant to a more diverse audience than ever before. Some viewers meet them for the first time in the castle, but others bring a longer history of fandom (and sometimes, hard feelings) to the table."I think that's what makes people like me, and the show, so polarizing, you know?" he says. "Some people really like you. They've gone along the journey with you. They've been at the lows. They've been paying attention to see how you handle those lows. And they're rooting for you to come out on the other side, and to get better, and to grow, and to learn, and to hold me accountable."Underwood continues, "And then there's people who will never understand. Not that I have anything to prove, or need them to understand, but there's just people who are either mean-spirited or don't want to see me succeed. And, you know, those aren't my people. I don't want to pay attention to those types of commentsIt doesn't fulfill my happiness. It doesn't help me or my family in any way. They don't know, and they don't understand."So why did he return to reality TV? "I was ready for it, and I have a support system now," Underwood reasons. "Like, my life has changed so much, where I have an incredible professional team around me, and I have an incredible husband and partner, and family. Life has changed so much." View on ThreadsOne lighthearted discourse regarding Underwood's run on The Traitors concerns his fashion, aesthetics, and lewks. Beyond the standard formal attire that leads wear on The Bachelor, the football player turned reality TV star is best known as a "jock" who's fine wearing shorts and a T-shirt. Did Underwood become a fashionista leading up to The Traitors, or is he still getting help from stylists?"I'm actually in a fitting right now as I'm doing this interview," Underwood says, with a chuckle. "It's something new. But also, I'm in a phase in my life where I want to have fun. I want to try new things. I wore suits on Bachelor. I am, of course, more 'jocky,' casual training clothes. But if I'm going to do an Alan Cumming show, a hit show, an Emmy-winning show, The Traitors, why not go for it?"Underwood, who credits stylist Kristie Harrison in many of his social media posts, says that he aimed for "campy, fun, funny, and self-aware," adding: "Would I ever wear a blue cardigan with bedazzled button clips? Absolutely not. But if you tell me I'm going to be shooting a show with Alan Cumming in Scotland, and this is the premise, I will go all out. I'm a 100 [percent] type of guy."The Traitors season 4 is streaming on Peacock.