Michael Rapaport drew the sharper public backing after his episode 5 row with Colton Underwood at the Round Table in Traitors US. American viewers on Reddit and X leaned his way once the exchange spread online, and the reaction turned Underwood’s past into part of the argument again.
Round Table in episode 5
Michael Rapaport told Underwood, “Nobody in this room would be better at holding a secret than you.” Underwood answered, “There it is. You think it was fun for 29 years of my life?” Rapaport then pushed back: “Oh no, no, no. It’s nothing to do with that. I think you came into this game loving to be a Traitor.”
The exchange landed because Underwood was already a familiar reality-TV figure before Traitors US. He first found fame on The Bachelorette, then became the lead on The Bachelor in 2018, where he was known as “the virgin bachelor.”
Colton Underwood on The Bachelor
During The Bachelor, Underwood dated 30 women and narrowed the field to a final three. Cassie Randolph quit before the final, and Underwood jumped over a fence in Portugal. He later broke up with the other two women and convinced Randolph to return, and the two stayed together for a year after filming ended.
After that breakup, Underwood was accused of stalking Randolph, and he later came out as gay. That history sits behind the reaction now: American viewers treated Rapaport’s attack as fair game, while British viewers watching episode 5 for the first time are said to be more likely to rally to Underwood’s defense.
Reddit and X reactions
One Reddit user wrote, “Colton is exhausting and clearly twisted what Michael said to get sympathy points.” Another wrote, “Colton is %1000 percent playing the victim.” On X, one viewer said, “Colton is a TERRIBLE person so he shouldn’t be on my tv anyway.” Another wrote, “OKAY, get Colton out of here. What a cocky manipulator. I’m no fan of Michael at all but are you kidding me?”
That split leaves Underwood in a difficult spot whenever he appears in US reality TV: the argument did not just become a fight between two contestants, it reopened the public record attached to his Bachelor run. Rapaport got the cleaner read from American viewers, and Underwood’s old baggage did the rest.
