It’s always a treat to watch the celebrity contestants on The Traitors attempt to weed out the (metaphorical) murderers, and while that’s certainly been true of Season 4 as it draws close to its conclusion on the 2026 TV schedule, many fans seem to be having just as much fun calling out the players for their actions on the show. Stephen Colletti was not immune to this during his time in the castle, and he revealed the surprising Laguna Beach-related complaint he received.
Stephen Colletti was introduced to the world back in 2004 on the MTV reality show Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, where he was one part of the love triangle with Kristin Cavallari and Lauren Conrad. A couple of years later he joined the cast of One Tree Hill, and that is the show he decided to use as his description for The Traitors. Fans have apparently taken issue with this, but Colletti told EW the producers made him choose, saying:
They're like, 'Pick between One Tree Hill and Laguna Beach.' I worked on One Tree Hill for a longer time, more episodes, and it was more recent. Figured it cast a wider net, so I went with that one. Did not expect to get the blowback. I mean, people were accusing me of hating Laguna because I didn't choose that one. That's not the case at all.
I understand his reasoning here, as there were only 27 episodes of Laguna Beach, which ended in 2005, while Stephen Colletti was in 57 episodes of One Tree Hill as Chase Adams, starring in the later seasons through 2012. (The CW/WB drama also definitely paid more than Laguna Beach.) However, when I think of One Tree Hill’s cast, I think Sophia Bush, Chad Michael Murray, Hilarie Burton, etc. I don’t associate Colletti as much with that series as with Laguna Beach.
Stephen Colletti said he would have preferred The Traitors just describe him as an “Actor,” rather than specify a single show, but he didn’t get that opportunity. He said he even tried to combine his two series by putting “One Tree Beach” (now there’s a revival idea!), but that was nixed by producers.
In the end Stephen Colletti doesn’t regret writing down One Tree Hill, if only for brevity’s sake, as he said:
I mean, Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, it's a little word sandwich under there. It's very long. I mean, you can't do LBTROC, that doesn't really have the kind of the zip to it as the Housewives ones. So yeah, One Tree Hill was clean and easy, and I stand by that.
I’m not really buying this explanation, because people rarely refer to the MTV show as anything more than Laguna Beach, but I get that he’s trying to strengthen his argument, so I’ll allow it.
Fans with a Peacock subscription have definitely been vocal with opinions about The Traitors Season 4, commenting on everything from how Kristen Kish butters her bread to Michael Rapaport’s weird eating habits to producers’ questionable casting decisions. I’m just excited to see who makes it to the end.
Catch new episodes of The Traitors at 9 p.m. ET Thursdays on Peacock.
