Maura Higgins Finally Accepts Her Consolation Hermès Birkin Bag From Rob Rausch on Live TV
"I will accept nothing less than a Birkin handbag. I deserve that."
The Traitors contestant Maura Higgins didn't just tink about winning Season 4, but also what she'd leverage from the winner if she lost. When she did lose in a heartbreaking finale, there was only one suitable apology present from winner (and Traitor) Rob Rausch: "I will accept nothing less than a [Hermès] Birkin handbag," she told Elite Daily. Less than a week later, Higgins received her five-figure consolation prize—the most classic of Hermès Birkins—live on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.
Since the finale and reunion aired on February 26, Higgins has shared Rausch's promise with any and every news outlet, perhaps as a way to hold him accountable. When Entertainment Weekly asked about the status of her Birkin on March 2, she shared it's "seemingly" in the works. "Well, so basically, you can't just walk into Hermés and buy a Birkin. So Lisa Rinna, the queen herself, is helping Rob get the Birkin because Lisa has contacts," she told EW. Higgins sent him a photo of the "exact bag" she wanted, "so now it's in his hands."
Mere hours after the EW interview went live, Higgins stepped out in NYC with a Hermès Birkin in tow. At first, it seemed Rausch used a portion of his $220,800 winnings to buy Higgins the black bag. On the contrary: She was just getting used to having a Birkin on her arm. Rausch gifted Higgins her actual dream bag on live TV come March 5. With that, he likely earned his pardon, too: "When he gets that, then he’s fully forgiven," she told Us Weekly on Feb. 26.
Maura Higgins and her Hermès Birkin bag finally join NYC's street style scene.
On Monday afternoon, Higgins let the black Birkin dictate her outfit's singular color story. First, a blazer-inspired corset—featuring a mesh illusion plunge and a scalloped collar—started her Traitors funeral 'fit. She stacked the visible boning on top of a matching micro-mini skirt. Higgins's velvet sailor hat looked straight from the castle's Fire of Truth ceremony, thanks to an elongated tulle veil.
Even two-tone tights and pointy patent pumps matched the top-handle tote, which appeared to be the Jennifer Lopez-beloved Hermès Birkin 30. If it's indeed crafted from togo leather, the Birkin would likely sell secondhand for upwards of $35,000.
Extra points for her Birkin-clad outfit, which she likely sourced for this moment.
Given The Traitors devoted fanbase, Higgins couldn't simply post a picture of her Hermès Birkin on Instagram with the caption, "I got it." She and her fresh-from-the-orange-box bag required a step-and-repeat to flaunt its togo leather and yellow gold hardware. "I deserve that. He wouldn’t have won without me," she told Elite Daily.
After her joint interview with Rausch on WWHL, Higgins delivered an impromptu photoshoot outside NYC's Bravo Clubhouse, her creaseless Birkin on full display. According to Rausch's March 4 interview with People, Higgins told the Season 4 winner she wanted "burgundy with gold accents, size 30." So he—and Rinna—made it happen. "Lisa, tank you very much for this," Higgins said straight to the WWHL camera.
Higgins carried her brand-new Hermès Birkin, while Rausch followed behind with the orange box.
After Rinna shared "all her resources" with Rausch, he originally was going to secure it in Paris. "I was going to actually have to go to Paris, which I was going to do," Rausch told People. "But now we got someone in New York City, and it's going to be great." On March 4 at 4 p.m., Rausch strolled into luxury consignment boutique Madison Avenue Couture, ready to spend upwards of $10,000. (Higgins's exact burgundy Birkin sells secondhand anywhere from $16,000 to $22,000.) "I should have a Birkin in my possession, and I'm gonna give it to her tonight," Rausch added. For our viewing pleasure, he waited until WWHL to capture her reaction live.
Higgins wasted no time styling it like a true Birkin owner: with an oversize T-shirt and wide-leg jeans. She printed the words "I'm dumb?" on the stark white top, calling out her haters. "People online were saying 'I'm so dumb,'" she told Andy Cohen. "They were like 'he's an obvious traitor,' but then wouldn't all of the faithfuls [have] voted for him?"
A moment for Higgins's classically cool, Birkin-clad look.
Leaving the roundtable with $220,800 would've granted Higgins an entire class of Hermès Birkins. Instead of dreaming about what could've been, the runner-up is thinking positively: "I was in there for the fashion. I was in there to have fun, meet friends, see how far I could get," she told Entertainment Weekly. "And look, it's a win-win for me. I won Best Dressed. And I'm getting a Birkin, hopefully. So what more could I ask for?"
