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Traitors Ireland: ‘Poetic justice’ say the winners, but will show return to RTÉ?

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The twists and turns are over, at least as far as events at Slane Castle are concerned. The first series – but surely not the last – of The Traitors Ireland was “a win for women”, plus a victory for instinct, loyalty and some of the most on-the-money reasoning ever seen on television’s most compelling reality franchise.

“Nothing against the boys,” hastily adds Kelley Higgins, one of a trio of faithful, alongside Oyin Adeyemi and Vanessa Ogbonna, to triumph in the show’s ceremonial endgame.

“The boys”, aka the traitors’ alliance of Nick O’Loughlin and Ben Donohue, are sitting right beside them, their heads held high after performing the role that was asked of them in a show where treachery is the name of the game.

[ Traitors Ireland finale: A tense and thrilling conclusion to a spectacular first season ]

But there’s no escaping the fact that after 12 episodes of highs, lows, fights, tears, lies, betrayals, air-punches and hugs that were not what they seemed, a strong sisterhood defeated an enduring bromance, and the traitors’ chance of winning went up in literal flames.

“We got too big for our boots. Later on, we got too eager, thinking we could do it. But the girls played an amazing game in the sense that they kept their heads. They were evaluating every situation,” reflects Nick.

The Traitors Ireland finale: Kelley, Nick, Oyin, Vanessa and Ben. Photograph: RTÉ
The Traitors Ireland finale: Kelley, Nick, Oyin, Vanessa and Ben. Photograph: RTÉ

“I do think it is poetic justice,” says Vanessa. “Because if you watch the timeline of the show, the girls were at the centre of a lot of the findings. I think the boys closed a lot of the deals for us, but I think we laid down a lot of foundations.”

They’ve known the outcome for five months, but spirits among the three winners at RTÉ’s finale screening event at Clayton Hotel Ballsbridge on Tuesday night are understandably high, and there are whoops and applause from the audience as both traitors are unmasked.

Each will now receive €14,300 – their share of €42,900 collectively gleaned through various cast missions from a possible prize pot of €50,000. It’s not as much as the £94,600 (€108,000) shared by two contestants on the most recent BBC series, but it’s nothing to sniff at either.

Past international iterations of The Traitors have seen some faithful contestants fluke their way to a win. Satisfyingly, each of the three Irish winners contributed to the final gameplay.

[ Traitors Ireland contestant Faye: ‘When everyone’s coming at you, it’s hard not to take it personally’ ]

Kelley was the holder of a crucial “swing vote” in the final episode and chose correctly. “I actually would rather have been played by women than played by men,” she says. Phew!

Oyin – who astutely pinpointed traitor-on-traitor clashes earlier in the series – was detective-in-chief. (“Are you clairvoyant?” Kevin McGahern, host of spin-off show Uncloaked, wondered.) Why does she think she read the game so well?

“I put it down to having a lot of time to reflect on how the day went, and just putting things together, with my journal. My strategy going into the game at the beginning was to listen more than I speak because that way I feel like you’re really able to take things in,” she says.

Vanessa says she momentarily doubted Oyin after “the second mistake” – referring to a banishment of Faye Brennan, a faithful, in the penultimate episode – but their support for each other ultimately proved unbreakable.

In the jubilant concluding moments, before she confirmed her faithful status, Vanessa also delivered the best dramatic pause of the entire series.

Kelley admits to being thrown by this. “It was so iconic the way you did that,” she tells her. “But at the time I thought, ‘She’s going to turn round and take all the money, isn’t she?’”

I enjoyed my time as a faithful. You can be yourself, you can be honest. You’re not being a bad person. Whereas as a traitor, it’s a deeper game on a deeper level, and unfortunately you upset people, and it’s not nice for anybody

—  Contestant, Nick

As a result of the three-way split, Oyin is now off to Japan, Kelley is helping to pay off her parents’ mortgage – luckily, “there’s not a lot left” on it – while an elated Vanessa’s plan is “to just blow it”.

But what of the defeated traitors?

“We’re delighted for the girls. We’re all really good friends and really close, so we actually couldn’t be happier for them. Honestly,” says Ben.

“The experience was, in total, amazing,” says a sanguine Nick.

“The worst part is nearly not losing the money, it’s getting the abuse off the three of them now,” jokes Ben.

“The drinks are on them,” chimes in Nick.

His friendship with Ben, though it might have been his undoing, was “something special”, he says. “Obviously it wasn’t good enough to beat the three girls, but it was a nice thing to have in an intense environment.”

Both Nick and Ben were initially designated as part of the faithful before being blackmailed into becoming traitors, with Nick having previously rejected an attempt to recruit him to the traitors’ side.

“I enjoyed my time as a faithful. You can be yourself, you can be honest. You’re not being a bad person. Whereas as a traitor, it’s a deeper game on a deeper level, and unfortunately you upset people, and it’s not nice for anybody,” he says.

“I didn’t want to ever turn.”

Several standout members of the 24-strong cast are now adjusting to the reality-TV spotlight. Paudie Moloney, one of the original traitors, has even signed up to do panto.

“It was easy obviously before the show aired. Nobody knows you’re on it. As soon as the show’s on air, you have people coming up asking you about it,” says Ben. “But, no, it’s fine.”

For RTÉ, it’s better than fine. The Traitors Ireland, presented with aplomb by Siobhán McSweeney, was a huge success from the outset and soon became an intergenerational, appointment-to-view phenomenon, while also raking in on-demand business via the RTÉ Player.

[ The Traitors craic, wit and wolfhounds has restored my pride in Ireland ]

Gráinne McAleer, its commissioning editor at Montrose, says about a million people watched each episode across platforms, describing this as being “like 12 All-Ireland finals”.

Darren Smith, managing director of production company Kite Entertainment, which makes the series and owns the Irish rights to the format, says he has the feeling it was “like 12 Toy Shows”, with the series galvanising RTÉ after “a bumpy few years” and pulling off the elusive trick of getting teenagers watching television with their parents again.

Is this his biggest ever hit?

“Ah, yeah. This time too will pass. We’ll be back to making shows where we blame the scheduler and marketing for nobody turning up. But while this is happening, we’re going to love the moment.”

One cliffhanger remains. Will The Traitors Ireland return for a second series?

“I hope so, yeah, subject to contract,” says RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst, speaking outside the Clayton as we’re surrounded by extras in gold masks and hooded robes standing impassive guard at the entrance. (Irish wolfhounds, part of the iconography of the show, soon make an appearance for a photoshoot.)

“Everyone is being very grown up. They want it and we want it,” says Smith of its prospects of renewal.

“I’d be very optimistic that we’ll be making a second series. My absolute complete belief and strategy is that it will be [on] RTÉ, but I’m very optimistic that we’ll be making a second series either way.”

The cast go through “a spectrum of emotions” while filming the show, as Oyin says in the final episode.

But for the architects of the Irish version of The Traitors, the overwhelming feeling as the TV dust settles is sheer joy.

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Giorgio Armani creations interplay with Italian masterpieces at new Milan exhibition

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24 September 2025

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“Giorgio Armani, Milano, for love’’ at the Brera Art Gallery opens today, mere weeks after the celebrated designer’s death at the age of 91.

Featuring 129 Armani looks from the 1980s through the present day, the exhibition places his creations among celebrated Italian masterpieces by such luminaries as Raphael and Caravaggio.

It is one of a series of Milan Fashion Week events that were planned before Armani’s death, to highlight his transformative influence on the world of fashion.

“From the start, Armani showed absolute rigor but also humility not common to great fashion figures,’’ said the gallery’s director Angelo Crespi. “He always said that he did not want to enter into close dialogue with great masterpieces, like Raphael, Mantegna, Caravaggio and Piero della Francesca.’’ 

Instead, the exhibition aims to create a symbiosis with the artworks, with the chosen looks reflecting the mood of each room without interrupting the flow of the museum experience – much the way Armani always intended his apparel to enhance and never overwhelm the individual.

A long blue asymmetrical skirt and bodysuit ensemble worn by Juliette Binoche at Cannes in 2016 neatly reflects the blue in Giovanni Bellini’s 1510 portrait “Madonna and Child”; a trio of underlit dresses glow on a wall opposite Raphael’s “The Marriage of the Virgin”; the famed soft-shouldered suit worn by Richard Gere in American Gigolo, arguably the garment that launched Armani to global fame, is set among detached frescoes by Donato Bramante. Every choice in the exhibition underscores the timelessness of Armani’s fashion. 

Armani himself makes a cameo, on a t-shirt in the final room, opposite the Brera’s emblematic painting “Il Bacio” by Francesco Hayez. 

“When I walk around, I think he would be super proud,’’ said Anoushka Borghesi, Armani’s global communications director. 

Armani’s fashion house confirmed a series of events this week that Armani himself had planned to celebrate his 50th anniversary. They include the announcement of an initiative to support education for children in six Southeast Asian, African and South American countries. The project, in conjunction with the Catholic charity Caritas, is named “Mariu’,’’ an affectionate nickname for Armani’s mother.

In a final farewell, the last Giorgio Armani collection signed by the designer will be shown in the Brera Gallery on Sunday, among looks he personally chose to represent his 50-year legacy.

“Giorgio Armani – 50 Years” opened to the public today at the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan, Italy. The exhibition lasts until 11 January 2026.

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The last day of doomsday: What is the viral ‘RaptureTok’ trend?

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24 September 2025

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If you’re reading this today, Wednesday 24 September 2025 could be the last day before the end of the world as you know it.

If you’re reading this tomorrow, you weren’t blipped out of existence and good luck with all the rebuilding. Please do better.

Confused? We’ve got you covered.

According to the more holy corners of TikTok, it has been prophesized that yesterday – or today, they couldn’t make their minds up on which one, so just go with it – is the day of the Rapture.

For the filthy heathens among you, that’s the long-awaited end-time event when Jesus Christ returns to Earth, resurrects all dead Christian disciples and brings all believers “to meet the Lord in the air.”

It wasn’t yesterday, clearly, so today’s the day… And turn off that R.E.M. song, this is serious.

This all stems from South African pastor Joshua Mhlakela, who claimed that the Rapture will occur on 23 or 24 September 2025. Mhlakela said that this knowledge came directly from a dream he had in 2018, in which Jesus appeared to him. Mhlakela reiterated all of this on 9 September in an interview with CettwinzTV and since then, the prophecy has become a viral sensation on TikTok.

Many individuals on the social media platform have taken this literally and very seriously, with more than 350,000 videos appearing under the hashtag #rapturenow – leading to the trend / popular subsection dubbed ‘RaptureTok’. 

Some videos mock the prophecy, but you don’t have to scroll for too long to find those who are completely convinced that it’s happening today.

There’s advice on how to prepare; tips on what to remove from your house should certain objects contain “demonic energy”; and testimonies of people selling their possessions. One man, who goes by the name Tilahun on TikTok, shared a video last month, in which he said he was selling his car in preparation for the big day. “Car is gone just like the Brides of Christ will be in September,” he said.

One woman in North Carolina was live recording yesterday from the Blue Ridge Mountains, fervently keeping an eye on any holy activity in the sky. Another claimed that her 3-year-old started speaking in Hebrew, thereby confirming that it’s all legit. 

Some more distressing videos include American evangelicals saying goodbye to their children for the last time… We won’t share those, as they’re actually quite depressing.

It’s hard to completely blame TikTok users for wanting the final curtain to drop, as things aren’t going too great down here on Earth. That being said, it’s worth noting that the Bible never actually mentions the Rapture; it’s a relatively recent doctrine that originates from the early 1800s, one which has gained traction among fundamentalist theologians – specifically in the US, where everything is fine, civil conversation is alive and well, no one’s worried, and they’re all enjoying their “God-given freedoms”.

So, if the Rapture does come to pass, we here at Euronews Culture will be eating a whole concrete mixer full of humble pie. If it doesn’t, see you tomorrow, and do spare a thought for those who are going to be very disappointed on Thursday 25 September. 

And if extra-terrestrial beings followed Tara Rule’s advice (see below), thank you alien visitors for joining in on the fun. And if you could provide some much-needed guidance on how to do better, that would be grand.

Only a few more hours left to find out…

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‘Dawson’s Creek’ reunion sees James Van Der Beek make surprise appearance amid cancer battle

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24 September 2025

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The cast of the hit TV show Dawson’s Creek, which ran from 1998 to 2003, came together earlier this week for a reunion charity event in New York City.  

The cast, including Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson, took the stage at the Richard Rodgers Theater on Monday evening to read the 1998 pilot episode.  

The evening was to raise money for F Cancer and James Van Der Beek, who played Dawson in the show. Van Der Beek, 48, was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer last year, and was unable to attend.

However, he shared that he had an understudy for the evening…

“I DO have an understudy. A ridiculously overqualified replacement who would have been #1 on my wishlist (had I ever dreamed he’d be available),” he wrote. “Someone my kids would definitely consider an upgrade over me… Plus, he already knows how to get to the theater. So that’s convenient. The role of ‘Dawson,’ usually played by James Van Der Beek, will be played by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Can’t believe I just got to type that.” 

Additionally, a visibly moved Van Der Beek did appear on screen via video message. 

“I can’t believe I don’t get to hug my cast mates,” he said. “I want to stand on that stage and thank every single person in the theater for being here tonight. From the cast to the crew to everybody who’s doing anything and has been so generous, and especially every single last one of you – you are the best fans in the world.” 

During the event, Van Der Beek’s wife Kimberly and the couple’s children joined the cast onstage to sing Paula Cole’s ‘I Don’t Want To Wait’, which served as the show’s theme song. 

Another surprise during the event was when Steven Spielberg – Dawson’s hero throughout the series – appeared on screen. Check out the director’s message below:

Van Der Beek has undergone chemotherapy and has continued to engage publicly, advocating for cancer awareness and the importance of early detection. He has promoted new screening options and teamed up with Guardant Health to raise awareness about colorectal cancer screening for people under 50.

The video message during the reunion show has sparked concern after fans noticed that the actor appeared visibly thinner compared to earlier public appearances.  

Messages of support flooded social media, with fans praising Van Der Beek’s resilience.

Elsewhere, Holmes and Jackson, who played Joey and Pacey respectively in Dawson’s Creek, are currently working together on a new project, Happy Hours. 

According to Deadline, the forthcoming trilogy is “a story about two people (played by Holmes and Jackson) navigating their relationship within the challenges of careers and family responsibilities and the pursuit of love, despite life’s inevitable obstacles. It’s a character-driven dramedy that explores the emotional journey of young loves who reconnect as adults, with the connective thread of shared joys, loss, and hope.” 

Holmes is directing, writing and starring in the movie – and the reunion between the two has sparked rumours about a possible romantic rekindling.  

Holmes and Jackson met in the 90s. They were an item and appeared close during the reunion evening. However, multiple sources clarified that Homes and Jackson aren’t back together and enjoy a longlasting and continuing friendship. 

Reflecting on the event, Holmes wrote on Instagram: “I will never find the words for what these three beautiful humans mean to me. For our shared journey. For our everlasting bond. James, Josh, Michelle… from April 1997 – I love you.” 

He added: “James, you got this. We got you. To everyone who supported us from the beginning and who continue to support James and his beautiful family, we thank you. Thank you for last night.”

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