By Nick A. Zaino III Globe correspondent,Updated July 21, 2026, 9:00 a.m.<\/p>\n
Ron Funches\u2019s fans know he\u2019s delightful. As a stand-up, he is confident but warm. The lilt in his voice sells his punch lines and invites listeners to get to know him. Those qualities helped him land roles on series like \u201cLoot<\/a>\u201d (on which his character was called \u201caggressively whimsical\u201d by Destiny, his character\u2019s love interest) and voice roleson franchises like \u201cTrolls<\/a>\u201d and \u201cInside Out<\/a>.\u201d So fans who were already enamored with him might have thought all of his fellow contestants on the reality show \u201cThe Traitors<\/a>\u201d would love him, too.<\/p>\n No such luck. The object of the show is for a group of players, called the \u201cFaithful,\u201d to root out the players among them secretly designated \u201cTraitors,\u201d who decide, also in secret, which of the Faithful to eliminate every week. As it turns out, being a nice guy doesn\u2019t help your chances of winning.<\/p>\n Funches, <\/strong>who appeared alongside Donna Kelce (mother of NFL players Travis and Jason), Maura Higgins of \u201cLove Island,\u201d and Candiace Dillard Bassett of \u201cThe Real Housewives of Potomac,\u201d was frequently targeted and harangued by his fellow Faithfuls in debate rounds, where the group had to decide who to accuse of being a Traitor. They were suspicious of the fact he wasn\u2019t much into small talk or giving out personal details.<\/p>\n For someone who loves the gentility of \u201cThe Great British Bake Off,\u201d it was a bit of a shock. \u201cI was going into their world, and I didn\u2019t do enough research of what that world is like,\u201d said Funches, speaking via Zoom. \u201cThat\u2019s how they get down, and it works for them. But I like trying new things.\u201d<\/p>\n