{"id":61135,"date":"2025-09-13T06:48:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-13T06:48:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/61135\/"},"modified":"2025-09-13T06:48:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T06:48:14","slug":"does-traitors-ireland-hit-different-to-its-us-and-uk-equivalents-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/61135\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Traitors Ireland hit different to its US and UK equivalents? \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first Irish season of The Traitors<\/a> has been packed with thrills, spills and the occasional chilling exchange between contestants. But for all the surprises, in one respect the series, hosted by Derry Girls actor Siobh\u00e1n McSweeney<\/a>, has been wholly predictable. The show\u2019s record-breaking ratings are exactly what RT\u00c9<\/a> will have hoped for when it commissioned a local take on a franchise that, since its debut in the Netherlands in 2021 as, \u201cDe Verraders\u201d, has clocked up stellar viewing figures in the UK, US, India and elsewhere. <\/p>\n

That blockbuster streak has continued in Ireland where the launch episode on Sunday, August 31st was watched by more than 600,000 people \u2013 some 46 per cent of the available audience. <\/p>\n

Such a huge slice of the viewership is typically reserved for a big sporting occasion – an All-Ireland final or Six Nations match. <\/p>\n

But then, what is The Traitors but verbal blood-sport \u2013 a gladiatorial blitz of brutal mind-games, full-contact gaslighting and ruthless exchanging of insults? <\/p>\n

Those new to The Traitors might rush to conclude that the participants\u2019 flexibility with the truth reveals deeper truths about the Irish psyche. The Traitors Ireland undoubtedly ticks off a lots of stereotypes \u2013 whether it was wily Garda Eamon, grumpy older man Paudie or too-smooth-for-his-own-good estate agent Nick. <\/p>\n

But these archetypes are, in fact, not especially Irish \u2013 for instance, every small town in the world has a cop such as Eamon. Comparing the Traitors Ireland to the Traitors US or UK versions, the only significant differences are that the Irish contestants are a mite swearier and that the budget is visibly lower. <\/p>\n

That RT\u00c9 is operating on a relative shoe-string is obvious during the challenge sections, which have skimped on the big set pieces that figure prominently in other editions. In the show\u2019s second week, for instance, participants raced to complete jigsaws and construct a house of cards. That\u2019s a long way from the expensive props that are a hallmark of the American and UK Traitors, where the faithful and traitors have had to construct bridges across lakes or build huge catapults. <\/p>\n

[\u00a0Traitors Ireland review: The biggest bloodbath on RT\u00c9 since Ryan Tubridy\u2019s Toy Show F-bombOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

The Traitors takes inspiration from popular social deduction board-games such as Werewolf and Secret Hitler, where players variously take on the secret roles of werewolves or Nazi dictators. It first aired on the Dutch equivalent of Virgin Media in 2001. Twelve months later came the inaugural English-language Traitors, on the BBC. <\/p>\n

The Traitors has since spread like brushfire \u2013 with local versions either airing or entering production everywhere from Ukraine to Mongolia. In all, there are 37 localised variations: some countries even have two separate Traitors (Flemish and French in Belgium, English and French in Canada). <\/p>\n

\"ContestantContestant Paudie has thrown himself into the role of a Traitor like a Junior B hurler squaring up to his marker <\/p>\n

Of all of these, the one that arguably stands apart is The Traitors US. Rather than throwing together random members of the public, the contestants are often drawn from reality shows such as Below Deck and The Bachelor. <\/p>\n

They know what it\u2019s like to be the centre of attention and you can tell that they are playing an exaggerated version of themselves rather than letting their true personalities show.<\/p>\n

The American Traitors is also vague about where the contestants stay each night and does not make clear that they all leave the castle in the Scottish highlands (the same one as is used by the BBC) and retire to off-site accommodation. Broadcasting guidelines in the UK require the producers to be explicit that the participants are housed off site. No such rules apply in American broadcasting \u2013 freeing the producers to hand-wave away the digs details of the players. <\/p>\n

In other ways, though, each Traitors is a carbon copy. Irish presenter McSweeney\u2019s delivery style \u2013 deadpan, a bit jokey \u2013 is similar to that adopted by Claudia Winkleman<\/a> on the UK Traitors and Alan Cumming<\/a> on the US edition. Just as importantly, the incredible tension is replicated across the board. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Traitors Ireland is off to a fantastic start. It might not have the enormous budget of something like Amazon Prime\u2019s The Traitors India, but it really hasn\u2019t affected the quality of the gameplay and reality content,\u201d says Matthew Keeley, host of The Traidar: A Traitors Podcast. He praises the Irish version for its diverse contestants – including 68-year-old Paudie, a retired prison officer who has thrown himself into the role of a Traitor like a Junior B hurler squaring up to his marker. <\/p>\n

[\u00a0The Traitors Ireland review: Faithful remain guileless, while Traitors turn on each otherOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, its best features are in the casting,\u201d says Keeley. \u201cThis group of players is really varied, relatable, and funny, and it\u2019s good to see more older players. <\/p>\n

\u201cSiobh\u00e1n McSweeney is also doing a fantastic job as host. She\u2019s got the perfect combination of comedic line delivery, natural interaction with the contestants, and the ability to turn up the tension and lay out the suspenseful format beats of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SiobhánSiobh\u00e1n McSweeney has fitted right into the lore for the presenters around the world as playful, with a sarcastic tone but a genuine connection to the contestants <\/p>\n

That isn\u2019t to say every season of The Traitors is precisely the same. The differences can be huge – for instance, year three of The Traitors UK was often chaotic and lacked the high-stakes tension of Series Two. However, the distinctions generally have more to do with the chemistry between the participants than any international factors. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis series of The Traitors Ireland has been a pleasant surprise,\u201d say Ben Andrews and Alex Osborne, hosts of the Faithful to (The Traitors) Podcast in an email. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest difference in every series is the dynamic of the players. A diverse group gives a more authentic feel to the game, and the Irish version seems to have struck this.\u201d<\/p>\n

McSweeney, they say, is right up there with other great Traitors hosts. \u201cSiobh\u00e1n McSweeney has been an absolute delight as the presenter of Traitors Ireland and has fitted right into the lore for the presenters around the world as playful, with a sarcastic tone but a genuine connection to the contestants.\u201d<\/p>\n

Further Traitors excitement ensues next month, when the first UK Celebrity Traitors launches. There is an Irish contestant: Wexford actor Ruth Codd will pit her wits against A-listers such as Stephen Fry and Charlotte Church. <\/p>\n

[\u00a0Patrick Freyne on RT\u00c9\u2019s The Traitors Ireland: \u2018It\u2019s crazy witchfinding b******t. That\u2019s why it\u2019s fun\u2019Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

But before that there is the ongoing drama of The Traitors Ireland, where the contestants are going all out for the \u20ac50,000 first prize \u2013 and where they come across as aware that they are participating in a television show and that victory means playing the smartest game. <\/p>\n

\u201c[An] interesting evolution we\u2019re seeing is that new players are simply more aware of the format and are savvy to the best game tactics and strategies,\u201d says Traitors podcaster Matthew Keeley.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not a bad thing. It\u2019s interesting to see how the game can evolve and become even more complex with players who know what they\u2019re doing and don\u2019t fall into obvious traps … although producers will keep casting some of those naive people who make big dumb mistakes too.\u201d <\/p>\n

Dumb, numb and back-stabbing fun; this season on The Traitors Ireland has had everything. As to what further bombshells await \u2013 well, we are all going to have to collectively hold our breaths and cool our heels. <\/p>\n

The madness resumes Sunday night, when absolutely anything could happen. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The first Irish season of The Traitors has been packed with thrills, spills and the occasional chilling exchange…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50723,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[265],"tags":[18,117,19,17,43564,128],"class_list":{"0":"post-61135","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-eire","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-traitors-ireland","13":"tag-tv"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61135"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61135\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}