What to Know About 'The Traitors' Season 4 Breakout Star Eric Nam
The Peacock show may be his first introduction to reality fans—but he has a huge career in Korean entertainment.
While The Traitors US is beloved for casting stars from across reality TV’s many genres, there are always a couple of cast members who elicit a “Who?” from even the most pop-culture-savvy viewer. In season 4, Peacock’s Mafia-style competition introduced viewers to Eric Nam, a 37-year-old Korean-American entertainer who’s best known among fans of K-pop’s 2nd Generation. Since the show’s January 8 premiere, Nam has been an entertaining if clueless faithful. But everything changed in episode 8, when the sole remaining Traitor, Love Island USA alum Rob Rausch, recruited Nam to join him in the turret.
Eric Nam, the Traitor, made his debut on February 12, with episode 9 following his first day navigating his and Rausch's tentative alliance. Though Faithfuls like Kristen Kish and Maura Higgins suspected him, Nam stayed in the game all the way to the Final Roundtable, when Rausch betrayed Nam and Higgins to take home the entire $220,800 prize.
Despite the shocking loss, Nam did succeed in making a name for himself in Traitors history. If you didn't get a chance to read up on the singer's substantial lore before the February 26 finale, read on for everything you need to know about Eric Nam, including where to watch him next after Traitors.
Eric Nam's cast portrait for The Traitors season 4.
Eric Nam is a K-pop soloist who began his career on Korea's answer to 'The X-Factor.'
Eric Nam, 37, was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to a family of Korean immigrants. Though he dreamed of being a musician as a kid, he chose to major in international studies at Boston College while uploading singing covers to YouTube in his free time. After graduating in 2011, Nam landed a consulting job at Deloitte, but he deferred his start date to "pursue microfinance initiatives in India," per Boston College Magazine.
Soon after starting at Deloitte, Nam's YouTube covers got the attention of a scout for the Korean singing competition Star Audition: Birth of a Great Star. He joined the show's second season and eventually finished in the top five. He debuted as a solo artist on January 13 with his first EP, Cloud 9.
Over the next 13 years, Nam continued to release music, including solo tracks and O.S.T.s, or songs on K-drama soundtracks. He has collaborated with both Korean stars, like Red Velvet's Wendy, Epik High's Tablo, and DAY6's Young K, as well as Western artists such as Gallant and Timbaland. In 2022, Nam became an independent artist; his most recent album, the English-language release House on a Hill, debuted at No. 66 on Billboard‘s Top Album Sales chart.
Eric Nam performs onstage at KCON 2016 in Newark, New Jersey.
Eric Nam had a long career in Korean reality TV before arriving on 'The Traitors.'
Though Nam's main gig is singing, the multi-hyphenate was a staple of Korean reality TV for several years. In the same year as his debut, he became an inaugural host of Arirang TV's After School Club, an interactive talk show conducted mostly in English. During his three-year tenure as MC, he interviewed many future superstars, including then-rookies BTS, GOT7, Red Velvet, and TWICE.
In 2016, Nam joined the main cast of season 4 of the controversial series We Got Married, in which actors and K-pop singers paired off in simulated onscreen marriages. Nam was coupled with Solar, the main vocalist of the girl group Mamamoo, with the show following their fictional home life together. Though We Got Married was subsequently cancelled due to low ratings, Nam and Solar were a popular couple with both viewers and the show's producers.
After We Got Married, Nam went on to appear on reality shows including Saturday Night Live Korea, Law of the Jungle in Mongolia, Yang and Nam Show, and Grandma's Restaurant in Samcheong-dong. He has also featured in several U.S. shows beyond The Traitors, including episodes of Somebody Feed Phil, Doing the Most with Phoebe Robinson, Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi, and The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy.
Traitors Eric Nam and Rob Rausch discuss strategy during a challenge in episode 9.
Eric Nam has interviewed some of K-pop's biggest stars on his podcast.
In August 2019, Nam founded the podcast company DIVE Studios with his younger brothers and co-founders Brian and Eddie Nam. Eric also hosts one of the network's inaugural podcasts, "Daebak Show w/ Eric Nam,: where he gives candid, in-depth interviews with K-pop stars. Since its founding, DIVE has expanded to both English- and Korean-language podcasts, including the chat podcast "Get Real," hosted by Ashley Choi, BM, Junny, and Peniel.
DIVE expanded into a digital media company with the release of Mindset, a mental health app that posts audio collections featuring both Korean and Western musicians discussing their personal journeys with issues like stress, anxiety, and depression. In 2023, Nam won a TIME 100 Impact Award for his work on the app and mental health advocacy.
"Nobody has perfect mental health," Nam told the outlet. "I have my ups and downs and I'm sure I have my flaws and faults, but I just have to give myself like the grace to say, 'Well, at least you're talking about it and trying to improve the situation for so many people.'"
Eric Nam heads to the Round Table in episode 4.
Eric Nam first met his 'Traitors' co-stars Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski long before season 4.
Though Nam arrived on The Traitors season 4 solo—without a built-in allyship like the Housewives or the Survivors—he did have a surprising history with some of his co-stars. Specifically, Nam had a little-known connection to former Olympians Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski, via the 2018 Winter Games.
Nam served as an honorary ambassador for the games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. As part of the role, he appeared on an NBC segment where he taught long-time commentators Lipinski and Weir about the world of K-pop. (Unfortunately, the four-minute clip does not come up on NBC's Olympics website, but Reddit has a recap.)
Eric Nam (center right) makes his case at the round table in episode 4.
Eric Nam reunited his 'Traitors' cast for his latest music video, "How the Fire Started."
Five days after the Traitors season 4 finale, Nam reunited his reality TV castmates in the music video for his latest single, "How the Fire Started." In the Western-themed clip, Nam plays a cowboy who arrives at season 4 winner Rob Rausch's ranch to get revenge and free his captive crew. Said crew includes Nam's (former) fellow faithfuls Maura Higgins, Ron Funches, Natalie Anderson, and Yam Yam Arocho.
Speaking to PEOPLE, Nam revealed that the celebs filmed the video the day after they recorded season 4's reunion special, several weeks ago in L.A. He explained, "I called Rob, and Rob was like, 'This is the least I can do for you. Absolutely.' Then I called Maura, and she was like, 'We have to do this.' And then we rounded it out with our cast. I think it's just a great way to wrap up this experience and put a bow on it."
Nam and the Faithfuls do get their revenge in the video, where they beat Raush, cut off his overalls(!), and tie him to a post set to catch on fire. However, everyone makes it out alive, thanks to Funches having a change of heart and saving his castle BFF.
As for his time on the show, Nam told PEOPLE that there's no hard feelings about how it ended. "I played as true as I could, as honorably as I could," he said. "I don't have any regrets. Do I wish Rob had made a different decision? Yeah, but whatever, that's on him. People were like, 'Oh, would you share $100,000 with someone you met three weeks ago?' I was like, 'Yeah, I would.' But we're just different in that way. I don't fault him for that. It's just the way it happened."
Still, he did jokingly add, "If Maura gets a Birkin, Eric should get a Rolex."
Next up, Eric Nam will star in a major Hollywood blockbuster.
In recent years, Nam has increasingly focused on his acting career. In October 2024, he made his acting debut in the indie thriller Transplant, playing a Korean-American surgical resident navigating an intense training program. The film played the festival circuit and received an honorable mention at the 2024 Philadelphia Film Festival.
After The Traitors, Nam has three big acting projects coming out. First, he'll voice an adult Aang in Paramount+'s Avatar: The Last Airbender sequel film, The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender. Then, he'll appear alongside Angourie Rice and Julia Fox in the time-travel thriller Loser.
He's also set to star alongside Ji-young Yoo in the untitled K-pop movie from Paramount and HYBE. The film, which will take place amid a fictional K-pop survival show, is set to be the first major American studio movie filmed entirely in South Korea.
