Solve the August Bonus Puzzle
Every month, The New York Times publishes a bonus crossword puzzle for subscribers. The puzzles are designed to have the difficulty of an early-week puzzle and to use the theme throughout. The theme of this month’s puzzle — constructed by Christina Iverson, a puzzle editor, and Rob Rausch, a reality television star and snake wrangler — is reptiles. It should come as no surprise to fans of “The Traitors,” Peacock’s Mafia-style competition show, that Rob Rausch loves a good game. The 27-year-old reality-star-slash-snake-subduer won its most recent U.S. season, besting a cast of B- and C-listers and wooing audiences with his unexpected cunning. Lucky for New York Times solvers, that’s not the only game Rausch is fond of. For August’s bonus puzzle, players can enjoy a grid he helped design. It’s every bit as eye-catching as the man himself — well, close to at least. Rausch, who rose to fame in 2024 on “Love Island USA,” has said he turned down “Traitors” several times, fearing a foray back into the public eye after earning the ire of his former show’s primarily female fan base, who largely branded him a player. He ultimately gave in, though, signing on the dotted line for the love of the game … literally. His undeniable good looks made him a matchless mastermind, with his castmate Lisa Rinna even joking that his fellow contestants couldn’t look at him long enough to tell that he was lying. The truth, though, is that Rausch played the game — sussing out a few “Traitors” among a larger group of “Faithfuls” — better than most. Just two years after his fall from grace, he notched an elusive solo win as a “Traitor,” duping the entire cast, all while pulling off a rare feat of rapid image rehab. The slate of glossy profiles that emerged in the aftermath said much of the same thing. Rausch didn’t want to be here, didn’t want to do this, would rather be down home in the country wilds of Alabama, catching snakes not honeys, building planes, anything but having you ogle his bulging biceps under a strategically placed overall strap. Please! Look away! He’s shy! His splashy spread with Interview magazine was literally titled “Rob Rausch Wasn’t Meant For This Life.” Only I have the sneaking suspicion he was. After all, are we really to believe a man now most famous for deceiving an entire cast of his authenticity? When I asked Christina Iverson, the puzzle’s other author, though, she said he was indeed the down to earth #king that his fans, and several magazine writers, believe him to be. They met twice. Both times he answered the call from outside on his family farm, she said, adding that it “was fun seeing him nerd out about reptiles.” The puzzle itself is chock-full of swampy trivia, with nods to various varieties of turtles, frogs, lizards and, of course, snakes, which Rausch has been closely acquainted with since he was a small boy. His skin is printed with several impressive tattoos inspired by the creatures, perhaps a nod to his early days stalking out and sometimes saving them with Rausch Reptile Removal. On the occasion that you find yourself bogged down in the grid, stumped by which Southeast Asian reptile has “wings,” for instance (see 20-Across), might I suggest a short break to scroll through Rausch’s social media. Take a load off as the southern charmer uses his hypnotic lilt to describe perhaps the most deadly creature you’ve ever seen. It’s hard to look away. Just ask the ladies of “Love Island,” though they might say there are two snakes in the frame. Perhaps player was the most accurate term to begin with, though. In all of the games that have been placed before him — this crossword is no exception — he enters to win.
Try This Clue59-Across: [Neurotoxic or hemotoxic substance found in fangs]
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