To quote Mrs. Doubtfire, it was a “run-by fruiting” that finally caught up to Tomica Adams, leading to her banishment on Thursday’s episode of The Traitors: New Blood.
Several weeks after her fellow Traitor, Joe Vanella, murdered Niyyah Hayes by tossing an apple to her, it was Tomica who took the fall. But even now, months later, she’s still a bit indignant about the misdirected blame, and is trying to figure out why she was banished for simply checking the refrigerator for fruit.
According to Tomica, after she and her fellow Traitors, Joe and Katie Fites, got word that they’d need to commit a murder in plain sight via fruit projectile, she saw Joe wielding the “poisoned” apple and thought, “I’m in the clear. Thank gosh!” But then Joe got nervous and started eating the apple he was supposed to murder a Faithful with.
“I was like, ‘Oh, what happens now?'” she tells Gold Derby in her exit interview. “So, all I did was go to the refrigerator to see if there was another apple.” Seeing that there was a backup poisoned apple, she asked the others in the kitchen if they wanted any fruit. Unfortunately for her, Faithful Victor Vollbrechthausen connected the wrong set of dots.
“I didn’t try to throw the apple,” she says. “I didn’t hand anyone anything. It did not go down that way. I don’t know why that man was on me like that. He just by osmosis figured this thing out.”
After three days of constantly targeting Tomica (and nearly getting himself banished in the process), Victor was finally able to rally enough votes to banish Tomica, and despite the fact it was actually Joe who did the #fruitgate murder, Tomica went home anyway.
“He had it right as far as me being a Traitor, but I wasn’t the killer,” she says.
Following her banishment, Tomica sat down with us to discuss her relationship with Victor, her “menopausal mama” strategy, and how she’d play differently if she went back.
Gold Derby: Are apples cursed objects for you now, or have you taken them on as a talisman?
Tomica Adams: I loved apples before. Unlike Joe, I ate a lot of apples. I juice, and I use apples in everything because it makes it sweet. Victor swore it was an orange. I don’t know if you heard that. So I have no problem with apples, and I didn’t do any murders.
How did you feel watching the episodes, because Joe is carrying an apple all around the castle, and then Victor pegs you first?
Victor latched onto me. I personally think, as a woman, I’m easier to take out than the guy, so he just latched onto me first. Had he latched onto Joe first, it would probably have been Joe once Victor was saved. Because before that, we were dismissing everything Victor said. No one was listening because he had so many weird theories. This just seemed to be another one, especially since Clyde [Moser] was allergic to eating fruit, not touching fruit. So it was easy to go, “Clyde has an allergy.”
So everyone thought the fruit couldn’t be a murder in plain sight weapon because Clyde was allergic to fruit? I don’t think we saw that on the show.
Clyde had a fruit allergy, and I don’t even think he had told production, but we knew. He had told us when we would go eat fruit. So it was like, “They’re not going to do that.” It was so easy to dismiss it, but then, obviously, it caught hold.
What was your relationship like with Victor before Fruitgate?
Before Fruitgate, it was pretty decent. If we were out walking and I needed a little help, he would help me out. He seemed gentlemanly. We had some decent conversations. It was good before Fruitgate. After Fruitgate? Trash.
After he initially brings up the fruit, you have several opportunities to murder him, but you don’t. Do you wish you’d played that differently?
Affirmative. I wish I would have killed him. Killed. Murdered in plain sight. Stabbed. Serrated blade. Gone. All the things. Just run him over with a car. Whatever. I would murder him. We should have murdered him two episodes ago.
How did you feel when the pardon came up? Did you think Shane [Beatty] was going to use it on Victor, or were you surprised?
I’m not surprised Shane changed his mind, only because while Victor was up there, he was a little convincing, and then you’re giving a new power on The Traitors? Who’s not going to use it? You’re on a TV show. You’re going to get a power and then say “no”? I would have used it. Nah, I’m lying. He’d have died.
At what point the next day did you feel things shift to you being banished instead of Victor?
The whole energy shifted. Every room I walked into, they were quiet. I was like, “What you got? What are we thinking?” They changed topic. They diverted. I was like, “Oh, I’m on the chopping block,” because I’d done it to people. I was doing it the day prior. So it was pretty obvious they were coming for me. I was like, “Okay, I’m gonna have to fight.” But I knew it was coming.
What was it like having Victor follow you around all day, blocking you from having conversations?
Unnecessary is what it was, and irritating. Very unnecessary and over the top. And he’s not going to do that to Joe, so why did he do it to me? As far as me getting out, everyone started believing Victor. I could tell by the change in the atmosphere. He wasn’t even going to talk to people to convince them to get me out anymore. He just wanted to irritate me, and it soured a little bit of the show, because I just wanted to chat with Clyde, and because I had a gut instinct that it was going down.
You made a lot of great relationships in the house. Clyde sobbed when you got banished. Was that your strategy coming into the castle?
The stronger people feel about you, the harder time they’ll have voting for you. I really tried to have good conversations. Those other 16 hours of filming that people didn’t see, you’re talking to people about their families, about everything that’s going on, and just being present, vulnerable, and honest. My intention was to do that with everyone to have them really trust me, and also play a little bit of the menopausal mama who forgets things and isn’t on top of the game. I thought I was doing a good job until that daggone piece of fruit.
Speaking of menopause, what did happen with the Kriste/Katie name switchup situation?
That was menopause. 100%. Everyone online is like, “She knew what she was doing.” I absolutely did not. By the time you get to this point in the game, you’re at Episode 7, and you’re tired. I’m going from Traitor mindset to Faithful mindset. Everyone’s names. Who did what? What did I say about this person? It just came out, and I can’t take anything back with Victor. Probably about two minutes later, I was like, “Oh snap, that was not the right name, because I had been laying seeds of Kriste [Lewis], the way Katie and I did with Michael [Foote]. That was the plan, and then it was like, “Oh no, that was wrong.” But at that point, maybe I just let it go because we’re getting near the end? I was just tired at that point.
A couple of weeks ago, Michael was very salty in his exit interviews. What is the vibe among the cast? Who are you closest with?
Ben [McDonnell], Clyde, Niyyah. Those are my hearts. Those are my people, ride or die. I love Michael too. I love what he does for work. His sense of humor and his cutthroatness are hilarious because it’s Michael. You can’t take anything from that man. He’s great in his own right. It’s good. I told Victor that my mom said she’d better not see him in any dark alleys. I said, “Mom, what you gonna do?” She said, “Throw an apple at him.” But it’s a game, and I always try to remember that. They forgave me for lying directly in their face.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
