John Byrne recaps the latest twist-tastic episode of The Traitors Ireland that saw a sad farewell, a major surprise and conflict amongst the traitors. ***Spoilers aplenty***
As day three on The Traitors Ireland dawned, there was going to be one less player for breakfast. Had the faithful learned anything from the loss of David and Diane?
They had another chance to oust a traitor at the Round Table. But there was quite a long and very eventful day to get through first.
***Spoilers to follow***
Breakfast Rolls
Another morning meant another mourning. The night before, the traitors committed their second murder.
First arrivals for breakfast were secret father and son, Paudie and Andrew. The latter was blissfully unaware that the former was a traitor.
"My brain is absolutely rattled, to be honest," Paudie admitted to the camera. But when Andrew asked him if he was a faithful or a traitor, Paudie understandably lied.
"It wasn't nice to lie," he admitted, "but I’m lying for his good and my good."
He also told Andrew that Katelyn had mentioned him as a potential traitor. Uh-oh!
Watch: Lies, lies and more lies on The Traitors Ireland
As others gradually drifted into the breakfast room, thoughts centred on who had been murdered overnight. And who might be a traitor . . .
It came down to one of three potential departures: Faye, Vanessa or Niall.
Faye and Vanessa walked in – which meant Niall was gone. The ruthless traitors murdered the man who did so much to win the previous day’s mission.
The anger and upset in the breakfast room was palpable. "That is what you want," said traitor Eamon, who had really embraced his role.
Siobhán walked in and said: "The traitors are making a holy show of yiz!" And she was right.
The faithful were out for revenge. As Michele put it, "I’m going to be like Liam Neeson – I’m coming for ya!"
Let’s Twist Again
There was a nice little twist that could have become a major issue when Andrew told Katelyn that Paudie said she had mentioned Andrew’s name as a potential traitor.
Katelyn was not amused. Andrew was thinking.
"I’m looking for people who are trying to plant seeds," he said. "I’m unsure about Paudie. Regardless of whether or not he’s my dad, he’s a contestant in the game. A player."
A calmer Katelyn addressed the camera.
"Obviously if Andrew is going to come to me about it, I’m going to address that – you’ve dug your own grave," she said. "So, I don’t know what’s going to happen but I’m sure it’s going to be very entertaining."
The next meeting of the traitors was going to be fascinating.
Elsewhere, the accusations were flying around, the layers of doubt, deception and deceit were increasing... But first, a mission.
Let’s Work Together
Katelyn started to spread the Paudie/Andrew incident in the car on the way to the mission. The tension was mounting – a mission should have concentrated their minds.
The monks had lost their gold and the contestants had to find it. Each bar was worth only €20 – but there were 200 of them.
Watch: Could there be trouble amongst the Traitors?
They had to go down a river, dig up the bars and get them back in a box.
The gang were pretty well organised but, as Faye put it, "We weren’t going fast enough – what could we do?"
And bodies were getting tired. Could they make it?
When Siobhán announced "You’ve got all 200" there was a big cheer from the group. Another €4,000 to add to the kitty. That brought the total to €8,800.
Surprise! Surprise!
But that was nothing compared to the biggest shock so far in the show, when Siobhán asked two masked monks to reveal themselves.
They were Gemma and John, the two contestants Andrew had sent packing back at the start of day one.
Siobhán then explained: "Only one of them can rejoin the game. It’s down to you."
She added: "Take a gold bar and place it at the feet of the person you wish to save... the other will be taken by the monks and never seen again."
John and Gemma made their respective cases, then the vote began.
"Oh my god," said Wilkin. "This is going to be a tough choice."
One by one they went up. Ultimately, John won in a landslide, rejoined the group and was exempt from banishment and murder that night.
"I felt so sorry for Gemma," said Ben. "She’s been sent packing twice. She’s had a rough ride."
Siobhán also pointed out that John had a shield that would protect anyone from murder that night. It was up to him to decide who got it.
Back to the castle, where John was going to be Mr Popular.
And pretty soon it was time for another Round Table banishment....
Catch ’Em if You Can
The Round Table sessions were getting more edgy and vindictive as the days went by. Great craic, so it was.
First up, Michele had a pop at Nina for bringing up her name as a possible traitor. "I didn’t bring your name to the table," Nina pointed out. "Patrick did."
Patrick then joined Nina as the accused. But Michele would not let go of Nina.
Then Eamon – an actual traitor – came under suspicion. Kelley accused him of pointing at her at the previous Round Table.
She recalled that he said: "The people we should look out for are the people who aren’t saying anything... and I knew it was coming at me." And that he was saying the exact opposite that day.
Nick then went for Eamon. But he responded with a long, but plausible answer.
Then Katelyn put Paudie on the spot about him mentioning her to Andrew and things got very interesting.
Ultimately, Katelyn said to Paudie: "That is a categorical lie." The die was cast when she added: "You made that up. I would never mention Andrew’s name."
How would the Round Table respond? How would the traitors react?
"Enough talk," said Siobhán. "Time for action."
First up was Wilkin. He voted for Christine.
Then Nina went for Patrick, Faye went for Linda and Eamon went for Oyin, as did Linda.
This was going to be a tight one.
Vanessa got it right by naming Paudie, then Ben went for Nina.
Katelyn went for Paudie, and then Mark chose Eamon. Oyin agreed. Then Joanna went for Nina.
That left Oyin, Paudie, Eamon and Nina all on two votes each.
Patrick then put Nina closer to the exit door.
Helen went for Eamon, Paudie went for Nina, as did Amy, and then Nick. Then Christine. Then Michele. Andrew put the final nail in Nina’s coffin.
As an emotional Nina was banished, she said: "You’re all great craic. I came here to play a game, and I played it as – and have always been – a faithful."
As the paranoia among the faithful reached new levels, the other side was on the edge of turmoil.
Another clear round for the traitors in their midst – but Katelyn had a major bone to pick with Paudie later when the traitors assembled in the dungeon.
She admitted: "I think he’s really f***ed my game plan."
Then John gave Katelyn the shield to protect her overnight. The twists just kept on coming.
Treachery and the Traitors
When the three traitors convened, Paudie claimed he had "forgotten" where he heard Katelyn pointing an accusatory finger at Andrew.
"I was caught on the hop," he insisted.
Katelyn then said that she had to bring it up, as it would otherwise arouse suspicion. Eamon was a bit more condemning.
"That’s the first name I heard you come out with," he said, as things got tetchy between the trio of traitors. "It was a f***ing shitshow today!"
The mood lightened when Katelyn revealed that John had given her the shield. "Now," a grinning Eamon said, "the ball is back in our court."
Katelyn chipped in first as the topic turned to murder. "I think we need to get rid of a woman," she said.
"I think it should be a true faithful and a female."
Michele’s name was the first mentioned. Then Faye, who Eamon reckoned "offers nothing. The benefit is that none of us would be suspected."
Then he added: "Christine is very dangerous" before Paudie chipped in with "We shouldn’t overthink it."
It boiled down to Christine, Michele or Faye.
As the die was cast, Paudie reckoned: "I think that, with this person leaving, the impact will be massive on the group."
But who was it?
After, when the traitors were back in their rooms, Eamon thought Paudie "wasn’t ruthless enough" and Katelyn admitted unease.
She told the camera: "I don’t really think that I can trust either of them right now.
"But, I think the day that we need to throw Paudie out is closer than I would like to admit."
You knew the drill. All would be revealed next time out – but Sunday seema so very far away after three killer nights on The Traitors Ireland.
The Traitors Ireland continues every Sunday at 9.30pm, Monday and Tuesday at 9.35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, followed directly by The Traitors Ireland: Uncloaked.
