What happened to Deontay Wilder from The Traitors US? Sudden exit explained

The Traitors Season 2 contestant Deontay Wilder chose to walk off the game show during episode 4 to protect his mental health. Here is everything you need to know about the situation.

Deontay Wilder is a professional boxer, Olympic medalist, and world heavyweight champion since 2007. The 37-year-old athlete joined The Traitors US as his reality TV debut – however, he was forced to leave early due to his health.

Deontay chose to be among the 22 players placed in Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands for a game of trust and betrayal. Where the players are divided into two groups: The ‘Faithful’ and ‘Traitors,’ both aiming to eliminate the other for money.

The athlete’s sudden exit had fans curious but fortunately, the star opened up and clarified his reasons for leaving so soon.

Why did Deontay Wilder exit from The Traitors US Season 2

The professional boxer opened up during Season 2 press junket before the show’s premiere. He expressed that he joined the series hoping for it to be a simple game of finding the Traitor, but something about the game concept and environment triggered his childhood trauma.

“Being that you have so many more Faithfuls than the Traitors, that it would be kind of easy to try to figure it out,” he explained. “But being on this show, it really struck some childhood trauma from me that I didn’t expect.”

Deontay had previously opened up about his childhood family struggles to the media. Deontay and his three younger siblings were raised by a single father and the family struggled a lot financially. He then went on to have his first child, Naieya, at 19, who was born with spina bifida. Deontay had also been open about his struggles battling depression.

He told US Weekly that the accusatory and distrustful environment that the gameshow naturally created was what triggered him. Deontay further emphasized in his interview that his image might be rough because he is a professional boxer. However, as a person, he is emotional, sensitive, soft-hearted, and always wants people around him to succeed.

He said, “I think because of the conditions that it was in — it really drew back the condition that I was in [as a child]. People accusing each other of doing things that may not be true and it really struck something in me.”

The reality star can be found online on his Instagram @bronzebomber.

The Traitors US Season 2 was made available to stream on Bravo’s streaming platform Peacock.