When the cast for season three of The Traitors was announced, reality-TV fans were thrilled at the prospect of seeing gamers like Survivor’s Carolyn Wiger and Big Brother’s Danielle Reyes square off against Bravolebs Dorinda Medley and Tom Sandoval. But there were some less familiar names on the list — including Dylan Efron, a producer and social-media personality best known for being Zac Efron’s little brother.
As it turns out, low expectations can be a blessing for Traitors cast members. Survivor superfan Dylan quickly became a show standout, using his charm and savvy to develop strong relationships in the castle — and deflect shade against his brother’s acting skills. His accidental allyships with the Traitors worked to his advantage, as they kept him around long enough for him to, in turn, sniff them out. By the end, Dylan had outwitted, outplayed, and outlasted the most seasoned gamers, emerging victorious as a Faithful alongside Gabby Windey, Dolores Catania, and Lord Ivar Mountbatten. At the last minute, he was nearly taken out with a pointed attack from the final Traitor, Big Brother alum Britney Haynes, but Dylan’s ability to earn his fellow players’ trust helped carry him to the very end.
What was more challenging — winning The Traitors or winning the Rock Paper Scissors tournament?
Definitely The Traitors. The worst part is, once I declared that I was a champion in Rock Paper Scissors, I proceeded to lose the next two matches in the castle. It’s pretty humbling.
I was nervous for you at the fire of truth. How worried were you about Gabby or Dolores voting to keep the game going?
At that point, we all had our strategies of who we were going to trust in our back pocket, just in case someone threw red and wanted to make some drama. Thankfully, I knew Ivar really trusted me, and I trusted Gabby a lot — I trusted all of them. But we were prepared.
What would you have done if the fire had turned red?
I honestly don’t quite remember at this point. I do remember, believe it or not, having the most trust in Gabby. I was definitely playing into it that I still didn’t trust her. But at that moment, if it went down to two, I would have tried to end with Gabby.
The roundtable earlier in the episode was the first time we really saw heat on you like that, and you did seem pretty wounded by Britney coming for you. Was that just you being caught off guard?
Definitely, I was caught off guard. And there was a lot cut out. There was a lot of stuff like — of course, the swearing on your kids that kept getting cut out of the show — there was a lot that was said. When I watched it, it almost felt like an overreaction on my end, and I think that was, one, because it was a much longer argument than was shown, and two, I wasn’t expecting it. So yeah, we went at it, and I’ve got no hard feelings against her, because what she said is true. It’s what she’s supposed to do; she’s got to fight. She is a Traitor. And at that moment in time, I didn’t know for sure she was, so it was more just shock of, Why are you doing this right now?
If you had become the Seer, I’m assuming you would have gone for Britney.
No — believe it or not, I would have gone for Ivar, because I really wouldn’t have wanted to choose a Traitor. I would have chosen Ivar, most likely, just to ensure that I had someone on my team. I was most convinced he was Faithful. I think it was mentioned in the show that I wanted to be the Seer so bad; that wasn’t the case at all. Actually, I was more paying attention to who wanted it so bad, and I think Britney was trying to say that I gambled a lot because I wanted it so bad. I was pretty fearful of that power, just in case I did choose a Traitor. I think it would have ruined my game.
Was there anything else you were really surprised didn’t make it onto the show?
One thing I did think would be on, and I was honestly a little embarrassed, was me going after Gabby. I see why it didn’t make the show, because it didn’t add anything beneficial to either of our story lines. But I was fairly convinced that Gabby was a Traitor, and that was back when, again, all my closest allies are Traitors. So they’re not correcting me, they’re not helping me. There’s a moment where I was very wrong, and I don’t regret it at all because I think if I wasn’t wrong in that moment, who knows what would have happened in the game? Maybe Gabby would have been murdered, but because I was saying her name, they kept us both around.
One of the challenges about this show is that once you fixate on someone, or once someone fixates on you, it’s hard to shake that. In terms of you thinking Gabby was a Traitor, what changed your mind there?
The very, very clear moment was after the murder in plain sight. Until then, I was genuinely feeling like, I am the dumb guy that’s getting brought to the end right now. The murder in plain sight changed everything. There were two theories that had the most weight: One, Gabby would murder me in plain sight because I’ve been saying Gabby’s name. Two, Tom would get murdered, because killing Tom in plain sight would have been such a dramatic TV moment. Neither of those happened. So then we go back to the drawing board. Why am I still here? It’s not Gabby, clearly — she would have murdered me. Then why is Tom still here? And the answer to both of those questions was Carolyn and Danielle were protecting us. Then the chessboard match confirmed the theory that Carolyn was a Traitor and Danielle was a Traitor.
You ended up being one of the most faithful of Faithfuls, but there was a moment when I felt like Carolyn and Danielle might have recruited you. What was your plan if you were offered the choice to become a Traitor?
When I chose Danielle over Carolyn, at that point, I knew they were both Traitors, but I had a feeling that Danielle would recruit me or Britney. And I remember in that moment I was hoping she would recruit Britney and not me. I would have absolutely done it, but I hadn’t gone through all the iterations yet. And I understand why Danielle didn’t choose me because, one, I would either fuck it up and be too nervous, or two, I had a good pulse on everybody, so I knew the people that already were aware that Danielle was a Traitor. So I could have used that to my advantage to get rid of Danielle immediately and take it all myself. I think Danielle made the right decision not choosing me, maybe the wrong decision recruiting Brittany.
There’s a lot of debate over whether it’s easier to win this game as a Traitor or as a Faithful. Obviously, you won as a Faithful, but do you think you could have had an easier time as a Traitor, or was this always the right path for you?
I do think, inherently, being a Traitor is better. I think they’ve done studies on this game in The Economist and stuff that prove the Traitors have an advantage in this game. But that’s assuming you don’t crack. That’s assuming you don’t give away your tells. And for me, it was a lot, being on my first reality show. I might have cracked and I might have had some tells, and that would have given me away.
It seemed like most people in the game ended up really liking and trusting you. How much of that was a conscious strategy going in — were you focusing more on your relationships or on finding Traitors?
A mix of both. Once I found a Traitor, it really cleared my name. I knew I was at risk for murders at night, but everybody knew after that Bob the Drag Queen vote that I was a Faithful, so then I really doubled down and tried to make as many authentic relationships as I could. If I had one skill going into this game that maybe other people don’t, it’s the ability to make friends, because of what I do for a living on social media. I’ve been able to travel and make friends around the world pretty quickly. And I’m used to traveling with people I don’t know and making best friends by the end of the trip. So it was a skill set for me — a very strange skill set, but I think that paid off well.
You came into the show referred to as Zac Efron’s brother. Do you feel like doing The Traitors helped you escape that association, or is that not even something you worry about?
It’s never been something I worry about. I genuinely believe and know Zac’s been my No. 1 support since I was a kid, and I’ve always been grateful to the life I have, and Zac’s a huge part of that. So when people call me Zac’s brother, I don’t get offended at all.
Well, I was personally very offended by the Bob the Drag Queen comment about Zac’s acting. I was wondering what you would suggest that he watch to understand Zac’s talent.
The fun answer is Baywatch. The real answer is Iron Claw. If he watches Iron Claw and doesn’t respect Zac’s acting, he’s got a problem.
At the end of the reunion, it looked like you really did leave on good terms with everyone. Did watching the show back change your perception of anyone, or is it really no hard feelings?
No hard feelings at all. As soon as they stand up there and say they’re a Traitor — Britney didn’t get the chance to do that — but it’s just respect. Because it is hard. It’s hard to be a Faithful, I can’t imagine how hard it was to be a Traitor. Danielle got so much crap for her bad acting, but man, it was a lot, and she made it really far in this game and made genuine relationships. I couldn’t be mad at her for trying to manipulate me. That’s the game.
Now that you’ve done this, are you thinking about other social-strategy reality games you’d want to try?
I would definitely do more. The 12-year-old in me is just freaking out. This is the dream I had watching Survivor at 12, to win a show like this. I very much am that person that watches these shows like, I wonder how I would do on this, I think I could win. And I just freaking did it. I’m definitely open to more. I’m open to everything, honestly. I’ve always prioritized having experiences and living my life to the fullest, and I want to keep gravitating towards — over money, over fame. Whatever it is, I want to live the most interesting life I can. And whether that’s doing Special Forces or starting a career in acting, I want to keep having new experiences and giving my all.
You called The Traitors a “crash course in becoming a better person.” Can you explain what you meant by that?
In this intense environment, there were moments where I was doing things that I wouldn’t normally do. I was judging Gabby for reasons I thought were valid at the time, but obviously they weren’t. I was judging people and being stubborn, believing my own beliefs over other people’s beliefs. So that moment where I had to come to terms with, Look, I’m not a genius. I’m not always right. I have to listen to other people, and we have to work together, it was humbling. You see yourself straying in directions that you know you’re better than, so it was cool that I had the chance to see the other side. If I had been eliminated still thinking Gabby was a Traitor, I would have been bummed at myself that I didn’t have a chance to see that through and a chance to figure it out and be a better person.
More ‘The Traitors’
- The Traitors Has a Glaring Flaw When It Comes to the Actual Game
- In Memoriam: The Traitors Season 3(’s Hats)
- The Traitors Season-Finale Recap: Fire Away