These aren’t your typical Olympic athletes competing on ice. Instead, figure skating icons Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir are dazzling millions with their flashy outfits and dramatic twists on the reality game show ‘The Traitors.’ While they’re also reprising their roles as commentators at this year’s Winter Olympics in Italy, it’s their wholesome, often clueless, journey through Peacock’s murder-mystery series that’s truly capturing fan attention.
Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir in Milan, where they are reprising their roles as skating commentators at this year’s Winter Olympics, a gig that has overlapped with their appearance on “The Traitors.” Image credit: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
‘The Traitors’ is a game built on lies, deception, and contestants eliminating each other for a cash prize. Yet, Lipinski, 43, and Weir, 41, have managed to become fan favorites not through cunning gameplay – which they admit is questionable at best – but through their inherent sweetness and genuine personalities in a typically cutthroat environment.
Gibson Johns, host of the reality TV and pop culture podcast ‘Gabbing With Gib,’ highlights why their approach resonates: “In a game where interpersonal conflict and being backstabby gets you a lot of attention, moments of empathy and emotion stand out even more. For that to shine through on ‘The Traitors’ speaks to just them as people and how they’re able to connect with viewers.”
Ms. Lipinski and Mr. Weir have stood out on “The Traitors” for bringing sweetness to a show that can often be vicious. Image credit: Euan Cherry/Peacock
Their undeniable onscreen chemistry is rooted in a deep, real-life friendship. Despite overlapping careers as professional skaters, their close bond truly formed later, when they were preparing to commentate at the 2014 Winter Olympics for NBC. Both recall arriving at NBC Studios with the same Celine handbag, leading to an instant connection. Lipinski describes it as effortless: “Immediately it just clicked, and it felt so natural.”
The two forged their friendship after being tapped as skating commentators for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Image credit: John Berry/Getty Images
For anyone who has followed their careers since their commentator debut, their friendship is no secret. They consistently team up for NBC’s Olympic coverage, including the current 2026 Winter Games in Italy, and they even share a joint social media account.
Christine Cowan, a senior vice president of talent and casting at NBCUniversal (parent company of Peacock and NBC), notes that their strong Olympic presence influenced their casting on ‘The Traitors.’ This simultaneous airing creates a perfect example of ‘brand synergy’ – something a fictional NBC executive like Jack Donaghy from ’30 Rock’ would undoubtedly champion. “They make great TV,” Cowan affirms.
Mr. Weir, then 25, competing at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia. Image credit: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
A 15-year-old Ms. Lipinski at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, where she won the gold medal in women’s individual figure skating. Image credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty
Upon being cast, Lipinski and Weir immediately strategized to form an alliance and feign ignorance of their friendship while filming in the Scottish castle. Their secret plan, revealed to viewers as the show unfolds, involved subtle signals and coded conversations. Weir shares, “We would brush fingers when walking through the hall. At some point, we were kind of gossiping about people but using figure skating jumps instead of names.”
The two friends shared a candid moment at a hotel in South Korea in 2018. Image credit: Hilary Swift/The New York Times
Ms. Lipinski and Mr. Weir were among the NBC commentators at the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea. Image credit: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
Their strategy has paid off, as they’ve made it through eight episodes without elimination, with the ninth episode set to air Thursday evening. What’s most surprising to many, including the skaters themselves, is their unexpected longevity in the game.
Despite their world-class achievements in figure skating – Lipinski won Olympic gold in 1998, and Weir competed in the 2006 and 2010 Winter Games – their talent for detecting deceit is, by their own admission, lacking. “Tara and I are both very honest people, and we tell you what we think and how we feel, and we also generally think the best of people,” Weir explains. “So the game itself is not necessarily built for people like us who aren’t good at lying or scheming.”
Lipinski confesses that after the experience, she realized her gut instinct might not be as sharp as she once believed: “I was like, I need to re-evaluate everything in my life.” Their candid admission of cluelessness, coupled with their genuine warmth, has made them a social media sensation, inspiring countless memes and winning them legions of new fans.
Ms. Lipinski and Mr. Weir in 2014. The two are now besties, he said, and have developed ways to communicate in code while filming “The Traitors.” Image credit: Emily Berl for The New York Times
“We’re besties, and that’s the relationship that we really have,” Weir affirms, reflecting on their bond. Lipinski echoes the sentiment, calling their connection “rare.” She concludes, “I just love doing life with him and working with him. Being able to work on the show together was everything.”