From the moment Alan Cumming told the contestants on The Traitors to break into pairs on Thursday night, diehard fans knew at least two players that would waste no time before finding each other. Former Real Housewives star Phaedra Parks and The Challenge alum Chris “C.T.” Tamburello have been quietly building their chemistry for weeks, and from their quick glances and sly grins last night, all of us knew it was on.
…And then, as if they knew what we were all thinking, he dropped into a low voice and asked, “How you doin’?” Her response? An instantly iconic “All right, Daddy!”
To say things were feeling steamy is a massive understatement. That little move was hot.
Phaedra has not been shy about vibing with C.T. Last month, during a sit-down with Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live, she called their connection “a love thing” and described him as her “Castle Daddy.” When asked if she’s seeing anybody these days, she simply said, “Of course I am” before coyly running her hand through her hair. Hmmm. We can all dream!
Last night’s episode basically threw kerosene on that fire. When tasked with carrying a bag of gold through the woods, Phaedra and C.T. spent most of the mission holding hands. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, he comforted her during the show’s big twist, when her fellow Housewives alum Shereé Whitfield chose to save her from “murder.” Phaedra immediately began crying with gratitude—which might as well earn her an Emmy, given that she, a Traitor, was never actually at risk. But C.T. didn’t know that! So, when he reached over to put a hand on her shoulder, you know he really meant it. Swoon, swoon, swoon!
Then came the cherry on top, when Phaedra turned around and used her power to rescue C.T. from murder next. Phaedra’s fellow Traitor, Survivor legend Parvati Shallow, had expected to be rescued instead, but as many fans pointed out after the fact, doing so would’ve been foolish. Why should she align herself with a sinking ship like Parvati, when she’s got her Castle Daddy standing right there next to her?
At this point, Phaedra and C.T. are basically TV’s hottest new power couple, and they deserve to be. Their off-kilter chemistry has already inspired comparisons to Yzma and Kronk—“an evil genius and her loyal hunk”—as well as a few romcom concepts. (Picture it: “she’s a big city lawyer. he’s a high school hockey coach. what happens when her car breaks down in his small town on Christmas Eve?”)
So, what’s next for Peacock’s “it” couple? Will Phaedra inevitably win this whole thing and split the money with her broad-shouldered Castle Daddy? Could a spin-off series be in their future? At the very least, we can all hope they couple up for another mission or two before this fiendishly addictive series comes to a close. After all, chemistry like that is a terrible thing to waste.
