Australian Idol’s Cosima De Vito became the second celebrity banished from The Traitors Australia.
In a confusing turn of events, a loud majority of Faithfuls turned on the singer on Tuesday’s episode — with Love Island twins, Josh and Luke Packham, leading the charge. “I was totally blindsided by the twins. Totally blindsided,” she told Woman’s Day.
During an intense round table, the twins suggested the 49-year-old was acting out of character, as The Bachelor’s Keira Maguire said Cosima was acting ‘over the top’ at breakfast. Meanwhile, Henry Nicholson’s theory that Kirby Bentley was a Traitor (she is!) fell on deaf ears.
Cosima believes that her co-stars simply didn’t understand her communication style. “I came out as abrupt — but I was just being Italian,” the Perth musician said. “I’m a singer and I’m an empath. A lot of the time, I live in my own head, so I tend to talk and think later because I’m feeling the situation.”
She admits the experience left a bitter taste in her mouth and she still harbours a grudge against three Faithfuls. “Keira and the twins because they got me. I did not see that coming at all,” she said.
“I was clearly thinking with my heart a little bit at that point, and I just never thought that they would do that to me…. everyone just jumped on the bandwagon without any real evidence.”
Cosima is the second Faithful to be banished after Survivor’s Shane Gould was ousted, with all three Traitors still in the game.
Cosima’s ‘grudge’ against Keira
In particular, Cosima wasn’t a fan of Keira in the manor. “She was starting to get on my nerves. I’m really quiet by nature, but at that breakfast when Manaaki [Hoepo] was murdered, [I spoke up], but is that not common sense?”
Cosima reckons that it was a bit rich that Keira was the one accusing her of being dramatic. “She just creates drama, and the moment that I do it once, everyone stops and stares,” Cosima said.
“She was just like drama, drama, drama, drama. I think she was happy when Manaki left, to be honest with you. It was like, ‘Oh yeah, one less person.’ While Cosima said she didn’t clash with Keira immediately, their relationship had soured before her untimely exit. “I got along with everyone, but she was starting to get on my nerves,” she said, claiming that Keira wasn’t a team player.
“She wants to get to the end… But why are you there? We all did what was best for the team,” Cosima said.
The singer admits that Alvin was the best player on the show, but reckons the twins Josh and Luke, plus Keira were the worst. “She’s a bit too loud, and she likes to ruffle feathers a little bit,” she said, suggesting The Bachelor villain was merely cast to bring drama.
“She does it so effortlessly. I try and do it, and I get banished. But she does it, and she’s still in the show,” Cosima added.
“Some of us are just brilliant at being bitches.”
Cosima picked one of the Traitors before banishment
In the manor, Cosima thought perhaps Claudia Bonifazio was a Traitor, but she also had suspicions about Alex Nation, who was one of the three Traitors.
“I kind of suspected Alex because one of the questions that the Traitors brought up was that Cosima is really emotional. And before the game started, Alex and I were playing pool and we were talking about our kids, and we both got teary,” she said.
“Other than Dicko knowing that I’m emotional, she would be the only one in that group who would have seen that. So it was floating at the back of my mind. But at the same time, I couldn’t pinpoint her yet because she was acting quite casual. I think had I stayed, she would have been the next person I would have put on the list,” Cosima continued.
“At the back of my mind, Alex was [a Traitor], but not Kirby and definitely not Alvin. My God, Alvin’s playing a good game.”
Cosima’s enduring friendship with Dicko
At the round table, it seemed like Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson, Cosima’s Australian Idol colleague, was the only one to defend her. Reuniting with Dicko on the reality show is something that Cosima has cherished.
“It was great. It was just like reliving 23 years ago… Channel 10, national TV, us two again here doing the same thing again. If I had planned it, it wouldn’t have worked out that way,” she said.
“I would have always had his back… and I love the way his brain works. I never would have been able to vote against him. I would have stayed in alliance with him as I promised him.”
Cosima reveals the two Idol co-stars had lost touch over the years. “I see him every now and then, but I hadn’t seen him in a really, really, really long time. When he got out of the car and I saw him and we hugged, it had been close to 15 years or so that I hadn’t seen him,” she said.
“It was just one of those moments when you just get transported back to that time. It was just an incredible moment.”
The singer is grateful their paths crossed on Australian Idol back in 2003. “Idol was an iconic period in television, wasn’t it?” she told Woman’s Day.
“I meet people today, and they go, ‘I can’t believe it’s 23 years ago, it feels like it was yesterday.’ It’s strange and unfortunately TV is not like that anymore — it was great, great times.”
