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LAST UPDATE | 14 Sep
*WARNING: This article contains spoilers for last week’s episodes of The Traitors on RTÉ.*
AND THEN THERE was one. The latest episodes of The Traitors on RTÉ saw the faithfuls finally deliver their first blow against the traitors, and swiftly follow up with a second sucker punch.
Traitor Eamon was banished at the roundtable on Sunday night after a row between him and fellow traitor Paudie, while Katelyn, completing the trio of traitors, was voted out right behind him the next night.
Last week’s episodes left off on a cliffhanger as Paudie extended an offer to another player to join him as a traitor – 33-year-old Andrew, who, unbeknownst to the other contestants, is Paudie’s son.
In an interview with journalists after getting knocked out of the competition, Katelyn and Eamon have revealed their thoughts about Paudie’s strategy, the reaction they’ve received from the public, and whether they’re still team traitor or if they’d like to see the faithfuls win the game.
Garda Eamon said that the reaction he’s had from fellow guards about his participation in the show has all been very positive.
“I’ve had unbelievable support from all my colleagues… they’re loving the memes,” he said.
“Not a lot of people in my position might have put themselves out for it, but look… in general, I’ve gotten very good feedback.”
On whether he asked permission from his higher ups to appear on the show, he said: “What I can say in relation to that is that the people that needed to know knew.”
“But I wasn’t representing An Garda Síochána, I was representing myself. It just happened that I am a garda on the show. But yeah, look, the people that needed to know that I was going on, knew.”
He said he’ll have no problem taking a joke from members of the public who recognise him while he’s at work.
“I have a good sense of humour and I’m very professional. No problem whatsoever. I welcome interactions with people about the show.”
The two banished traitors said they have received largely positive comments from people online, but that they also have been subjected to some nasty remarks.
Both players said that they have no problem with viewers having opinions about their gameplay strategies and talking about whether or not they did a good job as traitors, but that they feel more personal comments about them as individuals are crossing a line.
Katelyn said that there have been some people who have repeatedly and heavily harassed her on social media while the show has been airing.
“I don’t think I did anything that justifies some of the [negative] commentary I’ve gotten,” said Katelyn. “Some of the comments I’ve gotten are a bit gendered and loaded. I think it’s a little bit sad that in 2025, when a woman shows some strength in a competitive environment, that it attracts such disproportionate hostility,” she said.
“But they’re choosing a path of hatred and misery, whereas I have so much love, friendship and happiness in my love – and there has been a lot more love than hate [from people reacting to the show],” she said.
Eamon said that he set out to play a villain on the show and to be someone that viewers would get to ‘hate’ on screen, but that some of the negative comments he’s received have blurred that character with him as a real person.
“I purposely went out there to create a character for the country to root against. I think the majority of people watching the show can take it for what it is,” he said.
“I’ve absolutely no issues with comments like, ‘I wanted you gone’ – that what I was going for, I wanted people to root against me. It’s just the really personal, horrible comments – I don’t understand why someone would pick up a phone and do that.”
Eamon also walked back some comments he made about Paudie on The Traitors aftershow Uncloaked on Sunday night, in which he said that Paudie was a terrible player and that he seemed to think the game was ‘Ireland’s Fittest Families’ instead of The Traitors.
“It was a bit tongue in cheek. What I meant was that I would be critical of Paudie’s gameplay because I didn’t understand, especially watching it back, where he was going with the whole telling Andrew about Katelyn and sowing that seed. I thought he was standing out too much as well,” he said.
But he continued: “It’s nothing against him personally, nothing against the man.”
Despite the rift between Eamon and Paudie, Eamon said it would have “never ever crossed [his] mind” to reveal Paudie’s traitor identity as he himself was being banished.
“I respect everybody’s time, I respect the game, I respect all the contestants that gave up their time, I respect the people that worked on the show,” he said.
“I wouldn’t do that. Checkmate, fair play, you got me.”
With Katelyn and Eamon departed from the game, sole remaining traitor Paudie had a choice to make: select one of the faithfuls to convert into a traitor.
If there were still at least two traitors in the game, than a faithful who is offered the chance to become a traitor has the option of saying no and remaining a faithful. However, because there is only one traitor left, the rules of the game mean that the faithful Paudie recruits does not get the option of staying faithful: they must either take the traitors’ oath or leave the game forever.
And for Paudie, there was one clear player he was of course going to try to bring into the fold: his son, Andrew.
The Journal asked Eamon and Katelyn what they think about Paudie’s decision to pick Andrew.
“In general, any other player in that position, I think it’s the smartest move you could make, because Andrew’s under such pressure,” Eamon said.
“That’s what I would have done – I would have gone, right, I got Andrew, I’m going to put the pressure on him again, and I’m going to be responsible for his banishment, and I’m going to look faithful,” he said.
However, throwing Andrew under the bus is likely not what Paudie has in mind, Eamon said.
“I can see his logic though – I think what Paudie wants to do is have that moment in the conclave with his son, both traitors – like, who wouldn’t want that? Amazing.
“Paudie felt he had people he couldn’t trust in the room with him, but maybe now he might feel that he could go forward with someone that he could trust.”
Katelyn said Paudie’s motivation for choosing Andrew will have been that he “wants some familiarity in there, especially after all the tension we had between the three of us”.
“It’s so hard in there and very emotional, so to have a moment where he could talk to Andrew directly and talk about them being father and son, I completely get it,” she said.
However, she said she fears that Andrew will be banished soon given that he already has heat on him from several of the most influential players in the game.
“He’s so kind and has such a big heart, and I know he won’t want to be banished as a traitor. So I think at this point, who knows – maybe he can completely throw the heat off himself. The game swings really quickly, so you just don’t know what could happen next.”
Who would the past traitors try to recruit if they were in that position?
For Eamon, if he was looking for someone to deflect suspicion onto: Andrew. But if he was looking for someone he felt he could trust and who would have his back: Amy, who he says he “got on very well with” in the castle.
Katelyn would have chosen Kelley, who is “playing a really, really good game”, or Joanna, who “doesn’t have any heat on her”.
We’ve been asking the players who’ve spoken to media since getting knocked out of the competition whether they would like to see the game won by traitors or faithfuls.
Katelyn may have played as a traitor, but from the outside looking in, she’s team faithful: “The people that I was close to when I was leaving are faithful and they’re all brilliant. I love every single one of them.
“I think team faithful for me, just because those are the people I was close to.”
Eamon has a different view: “Like what Katelyn said, the people I’m close to are faithfuls, and there’s great people in the castle that I would love to see go home with the money. But I started as a traitor – I’d like to see can Paudie get it done!”
“Team traitor, whoever it is,” he said. “I think if you can be a traitor and get it over the line, it’s very iconic. It’ll be a great way to end the show if a traitor can do it, because it’s not easy.”
Banished faithful John, whose time on the short was short lived, also gave his take on which side he’d like to see win.
John explained he had previously said that the “traitors have played such a good game, I’d like to see them win”, but that he has since changed his mind.
“I got close to Nick, Ben and Christine. The three of those are faithfuls and I’d like to see one of the three of those win.”
The Traitors will be back on RTÉ tonight, tomorrow and Tuesday with three more episodes.
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