‘The Traitors’: Andie Vanacore on Trans Representation, Says Fans Misgendering Was ‘Detrimental’
The Traitors is a reality TV show game that is full of missions and paranoia. Andie Vanacore (who uses they/them pronouns) had an impressive run by connecting with celebrities, coming across as honest, and staying out of trouble. Showbiz Cheat Sheet talked to the director of music services from Reno, Nevada, over Zoom on Feb. 3 about what fans didn’t see and how trans representation was handled on the show.
Andie Vanacore said ‘The Traitors’ cast started bonding before filming
Q: Were you familiar with any of the celebrities in the cast, and what went through your mind when you saw them?
Andie: So, none of the like game player people. I didn’t know any of them. Like Big Brother, Survivor, I didn’t know any of them. I only knew Arie [Luyendyk Jr.] because of his tumultuous season […], so I knew of him. And then Brandi [Glanville], of course, from Housewives, because Housewives is a guilty pleasure of mine.
So out of those two, when I saw them, I was like, ‘What? Like this is crazy.’ Because we had no idea we thought it was going to be other civilians. So I was like, OK, things are getting, there already surprising us. Like this is, we’re already in for it.
Q: How did you approach them, if you approached them at all, since you had your own first impression of them through television?
Andie: You know, it’s interesting. So we had a train ride in the very beginning of the show, and we all like, got picked up at different spots. And the celebrities were the last to be picked up. So I was already sitting in a train seat next to Michael [Davidson]. And then there were two open seats across from me, and it ended up being Cirie [Fields] and Rachel [Reilly]. And so that’s when we first started like getting to know everyone. So it was easy to, like, kind of start talking then.
And then, when it came to like Arie and Brandi, I took them both aside when we got in the castle, and it was like you had to connect with people individually, which was really difficult for me because I’m an introvert at heart. So I was like, OK, I have to, like, take the time to actually try to, like, you know, get to know people.
Q: It did seem like you’re close with Rachel and Cirie. How did you form that bond?
Andie: It was the train ride. right away, we just all had things in common. I went to school in Alabama for a while. Rachel lives in Alabama.
Cirie and I just, you know, hit it off from the beginning. Her kid is into music, and he raps and everything. So we talked about that for a little bit. And yeah, it was just really cool. Like it just felt natural with them right away. So it was almost like an instant alliance, kind of just because we were all on the same page a little bit.
Andie said ‘The Traitors’ fans misgendering them was detrimental
Q: The Traitors did something I haven’t seen on a reality show yet. When someone uses they/them pronouns, its announced a certain way, and the person usually talks about their identity. Where for you, it was really a catch it, or you miss it. How do you feel about that approach?
Andie: I think in the beginning, it almost bothered me, in the fact, because I thought maybe people were playing it safe. And I would have appreciated, like, just having it in the lower third, because when the show first came out, I was misgendered on social media all over. And that was more detrimental to me.
Like I took the time to go on this show and, you know, I feel like I sacrifice a part of me to do that in a sense, and be representation that I didn’t see on TV. And I’m not saying that I like I took that upon myself, and this was like some big, you know, mission of mine. It just happened to work out that way. And regardless, there is a sense of responsibility for representing, you know, a community. I have multiple communities being Black, trans, queer, like there’s a lot of things, you know.
So for me, I felt like it could have been a missed opportunity for them. But at the same time, I received so many messages of people loving that I was just existing. And that’s the goal overall, right? Like it’s just for us to just be seen as human and to exist and coexist. So I think that there’s positives and negatives to it.
But at the same time, I’m OK with it because all my cast mates always treated me correctly. They always gendered me correctly. The production went above and beyond, like even for the last mission. This little thing meant so much to me is before the last mission, they came in, and they’re like, ‘Hey, do you want, do you prefer a female wet suit or do you prefer a male wetsuit?’
And I was like, just like even just that little thing just gave me so much comfort to be like, ‘OK, they actually care. Like, they care what like how I want to like my dysphoria, like, all these things.’ So yeah, it was always a really supportive production.
So I think that’s kind of, yeah, I’m just happy that I’m existing and people are seeing that I’m existing, and they’re like, Oh wait. You know, if they catch on to it, that’s awesome, you know? And if not, then they can look me up on social media and see my pronouns.
This interview has been condensed for this article.
Other The Traitors exit interviews:
‘The Traitors’ Reunion: Andie Is ‘Terrified’ of Andy Cohen’s Hot Seat Questions
‘The Traitors’: Cirie Fields on Cast Inequalities and Reza Called out for Designer Shoes
‘The Traitors’: Cirie Fields Reveals Finale Speech, ‘for Arie, It Might Just Mean Another Porsche’
