RTÉ has announced that it has commissioned Traitors Ireland, the hit series which enthralled audiences across the world including award-winning versions in the UK, US and the Netherlands.
The series will be produced for RTÉ by Kite Entertainment who have licenced the format from All3Media International.
The nail-biting psychological reality competition sees 22 strangers arrive at a remote castle to play the ultimate game of deception, betrayal and trust… all in the hope of winning up to €50,000. But, hidden amongst them are the Traitors, who will attempt to secretly murder a player every night, without getting caught. It’s up to the others, the Faithfuls, to try to detect who the Traitors are, and banish them from the game, before they become their next victim.
Each day, the group embark on Missions as they work together to add more money to the prize pot. For the lucky ones who survive to the end, they have the chance of winning that life-changing cash, but if a Traitor remains undetected, they’ll steal all the money.
RTÉ and Kite Entertainment are now seeking participants for the series which will be shot on location in Ireland and broadcast on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player in 2025.
Grainne McAleer, Commissioning Editor, Documentaries and Series, RTÉ said, “We are delighted to bring this really ambitious and entertaining format to RTÉ’s audience. And we’re confident that we’ll get 22 brilliant contestants whose attempts to outwit and deceive each other will make for compulsive viewing. This is an exciting show to cast. We want to hear from all kinds of people. Those who can make friends and influence people. Those who can lie and connive their way to the top, and those who can plot their own unique path to victory. So, if you think you can outsmart and out-schmooze, this could well be for you.”
Darren Smith, MD Kite Entertainment said, “At Kite we’re delighted to be bringing The Traitors to Irish audiences. We’ve been fans of the format since seeing the original Dutch version a few years ago and are delighted that RTÉ, All3Media International and IDTV are allowing us to produce the Irish version. We’ll do our best not to let them, and most importantly Irish viewers, down. Now, we’re off to get ourselves a beautiful castle, a great cast, some cloaks and a brilliant host!”
The Traitors (Dutch title: De Verraders) was created and developed by Marc Pos and IDTV Creative Director Jasper Hoogendoorn in cooperation with RTL Creative Unit. Since its launch in the Netherlands on RTL 4 in 2021, the format has proved its international appeal with over 30 versions and numerous returning seasons. Hit international adaptations of the format include the Emmy winning US version for NBC Universal’s streaming service Peacock and BBC One’s BAFTA winning version in the UK, which drew in 8 million viewers for the season 2 finale. The US versions will return for a third, fourth and fifth season and the UK version has been commissioned for a fourth season and celebrity version.
A multi-award-winning ratings hit, The Traitors was recently named as K7’s format of the year in 2024 and the format was awarded C21’s International Format Award for Best Host of a Television Format. Previously the Dutch version De Verraders received the Rose d’Or award “Golden Rose” for Best Reality and Factual Entertainment.
Participants must be over 18 and available in Spring 2025. See www.rte.ie/traitors for further details on how to apply.