Chaos is only one word to describe how this season of The Traitors Ireland has been so far – and it had us hooked from the very beginning.
From the gothic atmosphere of Slane Castle to the candlelit meetings and whispers between Traitors – this reality TV meets Agatha Christie crossover is everything we have been needing and more. But beyond the mysterious halls and rooms of Slane Castle, it is the players that make this first season unforgettable.
From heightened emotions, to backstabbing betrayals and chaotic challenges, every episode feels like it could end alliances, spark meltdowns and completely change the game. And judging by the endless memes and commentary across social media, it seems we aren’t the only ones scrambling to our couches at 9:30pm to watch it all unfold.
With all being said, let’s have a look at some of the wildest moments that have had us laughing, gasping, and rewinding back the TV.
The family connections
Episode one had us all shocked when it was revealed that Andrew and Paudie were in fact father and son. And it wasn’t only us stunned to see a father and son dynamic enter the castle, but a shock for Andrew and Paudie too! Andrew went on to admit that neither of them had any idea that other had entered the game show.
While Paudie kept the secret of being a Traitor from his son, Andrew had a hard time forgetting he was in a castle and not at home with “Daddy” Paudie. During a challenge on the second episode, Andrew was trying to get the attention of Paudie, when he accidentally said “Daddy” nearly revealing the family tie.
POV: You’re on national TV trying to keep a secret… And then you call your dad “Daddy” mid-challenge 😅
Mission: FAILED ❌ #TraitorsIRL pic.twitter.com/fXkYqRIwxr
— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) September 1, 2025
While we were expecting a possible slip up to occur, we didn’t expect it so soon and only on episode 2. Lucky for them, Andrew’s quick recovery and the tense challenge helped to keep their secret safe.
Gaeilge challenge chaos
On episode 2, the players set off into the woods for a challenge that was centred around the Irish language, and it was in fact Niall and Diane, that shone as heroes.
With Niall being a primary school teacher, all eyes were particularly on him to help bring this team to victory. While others tried to help the best they could, Diane, who is from the Aran Islands, seemed like the only other strong candidate for this challenge.
Diane said that being able to speak Irish is cool, and we couldn’t agree more, as what seemed like a two-man Gaeilge speaking team helped bring €5,000 euro to the prize pot.
€5k in the bag, and all because the players knew the Irish language💰 #TraitorsIRL #TraitorsIRL pic.twitter.com/iiZwmE3Epa
— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) September 1, 2025
If this isn’t an incentive to pick up the ole “leabhar Gaeilge” again, we’re not sure what is.
Traitor Vs Traitor
Episodes 3 and 4 had us all glued to our screens as we saw cracks starting to appear between Traitors… Already!
It all kicked off when Paudie mentioned to Andrew in the breakfast room that Katelyn had brought up his name as a possible Traitor. Andrew stunned by this statement, from what he thought was his trusting father, ran to Katelyn to see if she could give some more information on this. She strongly denied these claims and assured Andrew that she never did.
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At the round table that evening, she put fellow Traitor Paudie in the spotlight, and she questioned him and his lies. A back and forth of lies and denials between the two got the rest of the Faithfuls wondering who was in the wrong.
That night, at what Paudie referred to as the “conclave”, he apologised to Katelyn, forgetting he had heard the name at the Traitor meeting the night before. Both Katelyn and Eamon were unamused by the slip up, with Eamon alluring to the fact that he didn’t think Paudie was bold enough for the job at hand. Yikes!
More cracks between the three started to show, as episode 4 saw both Katelyn and Eamon gang up on Paudie. Eamon admitted that he couldn’t think of anything worse than being stuck with Paudie if Katelyn was banished, while Katelyn said that Paudie was trying to put the heat back on her. It seems the Traitors are playing two against one.
It seems we are all in agreement and taking poor Paudie’s side in this one.
The open-air debate
Episode 5 brought us more Traitor madness than ever before. With tensions still high from the previous night, Eamon had enough battling with Paudie and vowed to try and get him voted out. He crafted a plan that would seem as though himself and Katelyn were throwing him a bone but instead completely threw him under the bus.
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After discussing his plan to Katelyn, the three met in open sight, in one of the castle rooms. Eamon put the proposal to Paudie, that himself and Katelyn would back him at that night’s roundtable on his made-up theory of Patrick. Paudie began to question this proposal, which led to an incredibly open heated debate between the Traitors. Eamon, frustrated that Paudie would not listen to him, was trying to explain that this was their way to make peace and try save Paudie, but cute as Paudie is, he did not give in. This led to some serious and suspicious back and forth between the two.
Katelyn quickly left the conversation, before the Faithfuls could analyse the dynamics of the three. Thankful no one seemed to pick up public Traitors meeting, but it was a debate that sparked some game plan for others…
The downfall of Eamon
After his debate with Eamon, Paudie decided to play him at his own game. He quickly went to find Andrew and Nick and questioned them about why they brought his name up to Eamon. Both shocked, they went to Eamon to see what this was all about, and as expected, Eamon played it off like it never happened and reiterating that it was Paudie who was making up lies to stir the game.
However, Nick began to lay solid evidence and proof towards Eamon that it must have been him who told Paudie, as he believed it was not something Paudie could make up on his own. With Andrew backing Nick, this saw all of Eamon’s puppet strings slowly beginning to tangle together.
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At the roundtable that night, as usual from the past few nights, the war between the Traitors strikes up again. Eamon tried to prove his reasoning for Paudie but got so caught up in the moment he started to catch himself out. Nick paying close attention to Eamon, asked again was it him who told Paudie, and Eamon had no other choice but to admit his lies.
Amongst all this dispute, and Katelyn, again, bringing up Paudie for the fourth time in a row, Oyin chimed in to wonder if this roundtable is a fight among the Traitors – it was at this moment the whole nation was shouting at their TV over Oyin’s amazing Traitor senses.
Eamon was banished and the roundtable erupted, as they had finally caught their first Traitor.
Going two for two
After the thrilling exit of Eamon in episode 5, we watched as the Faithfuls gained more confidence in themselves, and looked at other big personalities in the group.
All eyes turned to Katelyn, with Nick, Mark and Ben discussing in the car that there were certain it was her, and Christine and Kelly making their stance and suspicions on her role clear.
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That night at the roundtable however, Nick, Mark and Ben collectively decided not to banish Katelyn from the castle, but keep her in the game and try catch her out instead. Instead, they choose to all vote for Andrew, a player they knew possibly wasn’t a Traitor.
Poor Andrew, blindsided by this ambush, tried to defend his case as strong as he could, and in turn put very strong evidence behind Katelyn, making some of the players turn and cast their vote for her.
Katelyn, receiving the most votes that night, tearfully said her goodbyes to group and revealed that she in fact was a Traitor, gaining a two in a row victory for the Faithfuls.
Words by Emily Molloy
