John Byrne recaps Sunday's tenth episode of The Traitors Ireland, where tensions run incredibly high, leading to a jaw-dropping Round Table banishment. *Spoilers galore*
Right! How're you doing? Don’t know about you, but I needed a Traitors Ireland chill zone for a few days after the fun and games last week.
The coffin business with Christine and co was something else. And it’s just not going to be the same without Paudie.
But now it’s time for Nick to be the most treacherous traitor of them all.
Remember what he said at the end of last Tuesday’s episode: "Who dares wins."
Wait, isn’t that the motto of the SAS?
Two Can Play That Game
The episode starts on the previous night.
Surprise! Surprise! Ben gets requested to meet the traitor(s). "Oh God!" he says. Wait till he sees Nick!
When Nick pulls down the hood of his traitor’s cloak, Ben is clearly shocked, putting his hands over his own face and then jumping in the air.
"I literally had no clue," he tells the camera. "it just shows that he’s such a good game player."
Watch: This is the moment Ben finds out Nick is a Traitor - will he join him?
Ben accepts Nick’s offer of becoming a traitor. The frat bros have completed their move to the dark side of Slane Castle.
"Did he look after me or did he look after me?" Ben asks. The obvious response is: For now.
As the conclave begins, the lads try to hide their glee. But Siobhán means business. "Time for you to commit your first murder," she says. "I have a feeling that you’re both going to enjoy this."
Nick brings up Kelley and Vanessa. Ben mentions the remaining lads. It boils down to one from Oyin, Kelley or Amy.
She's Gone
First to breakfast are Vanessa and Ben. He mentions Joanna as a potential traitor and Vanessa agrees. He’s slotting into his role quite easily, eh?
Next in – Joanna! She’s greeted like a long-lost friend.
She feels that there are two new traitors (she’s right, of course) "so it’s a very fresh perspective." Nick gets mentioned and Ben strings along.
Wilkin and Nick are next. Who’s left? Faye, Amy, Kelley and Oyin.
The lads are spinning while we wait. Then a knock. It’s Faye.
The Oyin arrives, so it’s Amy or Kelley.
The final knock on the door ushers in Kelley. Amy’s gone!
Cut back to last night, and the lads feel Amy "questions more". They agree she’s stronger than Kelley.
Amy arrives back in her room to read her murder notice. "I had a feeling," she says, with a smile.
"I feel like I was waiting for it, so it sucks when it’s so close to the final ... I can’t complain."
Back at breakfast, accusations are on the menu once more. Kelley recalls to the camera: "Amy was so nice – she was definitely my favourite person here.
"I would’ve loved to have gone all the way with her in the final."
Now, she’s driven by a more negative desire. "I’m out for revenge," she says. "I want to find out who did it... and kick them out of this game... to avenge Amy’s murder."
Kelley and Faye discuss Vanessa, then Faye adds in Nick and Ben. It’s like they’re laying bodies out on the carpet for the traitors' amusement.
Siobhán enters to remove Amy’s picture and to tell the remaining contestants: "How about a mission to help us get over it?" she proposes. "It’s for the best," she adds. "Trust me."
Don't Plot Me Now
Before they depart, there are the now customary mutterings and accusations. "Everyone’s a suspect," says Wilton.
Joanna’s more practical: "Observe and survive."
Then she tells Vanessa: "Kelley and Faye are voting for you" before Nick tells Faye: "I can’t believe I heard your name floating around."
Pot well and truly stirred. Nick is the head chef and the menu is 'murder’.
Vanessa asks Faye for a private chat. Faye does the now familiar ‘hug the cushion’ defence technique. They swap their Joanna stories.
"I’m watching Jo," Faye says, promising to bring things up later. Ben adds spice to the paranoia pot for Faye, who then tells Ben: "I trust you."
Ben’s surprised how easy it’s been to transition into a traitor. Meanwhile, Oyin and Vanessa plot. The Round Table will be dynamite tonight.
Eternal Flame
The eight survivors gather at the ruins of an ancient abbey at the Hill of Slane, "home of high kings, fearsome warriors – and now you," says Siobhán.
Each of them must sit on a throne with three flames. One by one, their blindfolds are removed and they’ve to extinguish the flame of the player they trust the least.
"You are literally playing with fire right now," says Siobhán. There's three grand up for grabs too.
First, everyone has to explain why they should be trusted. Oyin opens proceedings.
"I feel I’m a trustworthy person," she says. "I enjoy people that like to be themselves."
She tells the camera: "I kind of panicked."
Ben’s next. Points out his job as a first responder. Then Nick claims family and sport makes him trustworthy.
Wilkin says he’ll "be there in your lows and be there in your highs."
Faye pipes up next. Her closeness to her family makes her trustworthy and loyal.
Kelley says: "I feel like I wear my heart on my sleeve," while Joanna cares "for the people around me" and then Vanessa brings up her Christianity.
All told, undeniably unimpressive.
In fairness, as Joanna puts it when talking to the camera: "It’s hard to say nice things about yourself."
Backstabbers
Blindfolds on, now the flame-extinguishing backstabbing can begin in earnest.
Nick’s first and snuffs out Joanna’s flame. Vanessa also goes for Joanna, who then went for Oyin. Wilkin extinguishes Joanna's final flame.
By the time they’re all done, Joanna’s the only one with all three flames expired. "You are the one who has been deemed least trustworthy," Siobhán explains.
She’s then asked to name the people she thinks extinguished her flames – that's how the group will earn €3,000 for the prize pot.
Nice twist, Traitors Ireland!
Joanna chooses Vanessa, Faye and Nick. She would’ve gotten all three right if Wilkin hadn’t got there before Faye.
Watch: Joanna may be the most untrustworthy, but she holds all the power
So that’s two grand added to the pot. And a little stir of the paranoia pot, too.
As a bonus, Siobhán offers Joanna a shield and says: "Do with it what you want."
And there’s a twist. "I’m also going to offer you this dagger," she explains. "The dagger is possibly more powerful than the shield, as it gives the holder two votes at tonight’s Round Table."
But Joanna can’t keep both and has to give one away. There are more twists here than in a fusili pasta factory!
She approaches Kelley and says: "I would like to offer you the shield and keep the dagger."
Which is quite brave considering she’s a target on her back that can be seen from the Moon.
"Tonight’s Round Table is going to be very, very interesting," says Siobhán. That’s almost an understatement.
Faye’s still on Joanna’s case as they head back to the castle. Nick’s on Vanessa’s trail.
Looks like a two-horse banishment race is in store.
Meanwhile, Kelley’s getting increasingly paranoid.
Trust Issues
As the players gather at the Round Table, traitor Ben’s delighted with the day of distrust as the faithful pointed fingers at each other.
"It’s great! Just sit back and watch," he says. "They’re doing our work for us at the minute."
Vanessa promises a head wobble. Joanna admits: "I do not trust anybody."
Traitor Nick is in a similar state of mind to Ben. "There’s definitely something brewing," he says. "I’ll be taking a back seat and letting the ladies go at it."
First, some good news from Siobhán. "The prize total is now €28,900 – well done!"
She also points out that Joanna gave her shield to Kelley but has two votes thanks to getting the dagger. "Use them wisely," Siobhán tells her.
Talking about daggers, Faye’s got a stare that would stun an elephant.
This is going to be a verbal MMA event.
Vanessa gets the ball rolling - towards Joanna. "Why did you go to Faye and say that myself and Oyin approached you yesterday and asked you why you didn’t vote for Faye?"
Joanna tries to defend herself, but it’s clear that Vanessa and Faye aren’t going to be swayed. This carries on for a while.
Salem Prayer For Me Now
Oyin joins in and it becomes basically a Traitors Ireland version of a Salem witch trial before Ben chimes in about the Death Row from a couple of days back.
That was when Joanna, Patrick and Christine were imprisoned, and Christine was ultimately murdered.
"I think there’s something in that," he says. "I think there was a traitor in there and you’re the last one."
Looks like Joanna’s going to need more than one dagger to survive.
Joanna tries logic, pointing out that she would’ve spotlighted herself had that been true, as she’s the only one of the Death Row three still in the game.
Vanessa then stabs Joanna in the heart. "You lied," she says.
The more reasonable Wilkin says Joanna’s defence "does make sense" and adds: "It’s a toss-up between Vanessa and Joanna, to me."
Nick’s next. "If I was a traitor I would’ve got you onboard," he says to Vanessa. "Is that what happened and it’s traitor v traitor?"
Nice move Nick.
Even Kelley’s not on Joanna’s side, saying that she gave her the shield as an "I’m sorry."
"You’ll be getting my vote – but thank you for the shield," she adds, with a rather insensitive laugh.
Siobhán calls for the vote. Ben first. 1-0 Joanna.
Oyin’s next. 2-0. "I just don’t understand why a faithful would lie," she says.
This is going to be a landslide.
Joanna’s next. She might as well use her dagger’s two votes on herself.
She gives Vanessa the double anyway. 2-2. Will there be a contest?
Kelley’s next. She’d already said she’s vote for Joanna. No change.
Nick almost looks genuinely sad when he adds to the pile-on.
Wilkin also votes for Joanna and Faye gets to hammer another nail in her coffin.
"Based on the conversations I had today," Faye says, "I’m really sorry – I had to go with you."
Faye’s going to be proper sorry in a minute when she finds out the truth.
Gimme Nope Joanna
Vanessa completes the rout, and Joanna loses out on the most one-sided and savage Round Table session so far. Everyone voted her to be banished. All on a misunderstanding.
Before she departs, a clearly upset Joanna says: "I’m very happy to be going home and can’t wait to see my family.
"I said I’m not going to cry and the only reason I’m doing that is because my character was being attacked.
Watch: 'You are mean girls' - Joanna's parting words sting
"I actually hope one of the guys will win it, because you are mean girls - and I’m a faithful."
Fair play to her. That was a witch hunt and no mistake.
Siobhán sums it up with one word: "Wow!"
She adds: "Another night. Another faithful. How disappointing. Faithful, I’m going to make this very clear to you all: You’re running out of time."
Who’s Sorry Now?
After all the phoney ‘sorry’ moments in the series so far, this is where that word might actually sound genuine.
Kelley’s in tears. "I don’t want to be here," she says to Nick, unaware that he can make that wish come true.
"I think there’s a lot of emotion happening," he deadpans to the camera. "For the girls, mainly."
They’ve screwed up big time with the whole country watching. Sorry.
The girls, meanwhile, are still convinced they were right. Kelley just wants to be alone. At least she has the decency to feel guilty.
"To Joanna, I want to say I’m so sorry," she tells the camera. "She was nothing but good to me and I just hate thinking that she left the game with a sour taste in her mouth.
"She should be so proud of herself. She played it brilliantly. She’s an amazing and such an inspiring woman."
The rest of the girls aren’t even up for a chat to camera. Reality's kicked in. Vanessa tells Oyin. "I just realised I’m a dickhead."
It’s a classic situation and something we all do at some time or other: misunderstand what’s said and make assumptions based on that misunderstanding.
It never ends well.
Another One Bites the Dust
As the faithful depart, it’s traitor time at Slane Castle. Time for another murder on the Nick and Ben Show.
Nick tells Ben he did "very well" on his first day as a traitor. "I didn’t the actual ‘being a traitor’ part," Ben replies. "It was tough the way the day’s events went.
"It didn’t bother me too much until the girls started crying and breaking down."
"It is tough," adds Nick. "But it is the game . . . just don’t get emotional. It’s in our hands to lose it at this stage.
"The most important thing we do now is picking the right person."
Kelley has a shield, so she’s not a target. For now.
They agree to keep Faye in as she’s 100% convinced the lads are faithful. The term 'useful idiot' springs to mind.
"We can do Oyin or Vanessa," Nick says. "Oyin has been incredibly smart throughout the game . . . I think she’s a serious threat . . . So it would be smart to murder her.
"Wil has been unreliable," Nick adds.
As they wrap up, Ben gives Nick the nod to choose the next victim.
"Every move is huge," says Nick, committing pen to paper.
And so it's on to Manic Monday.
The Traitors Ireland continues on Monday and Tuesday at 9:35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player. The Traitors Ireland: Uncloaked starts directly after The Traitors Ireland on RTÉ One on Monday and RTÉ2 on Tuesday.
