How to apply for Traitors Ireland Season 3 in 2027 – all the casting details

How Kite Entertainment selects the final lineup out of thousands of applicants

Streamed live on RTÉ One, the first episode drew in over 600,000 viewers, seeing Eamon O’Keeffe selected to be a Traitor by Siobhán McSweeney.

O’Keeffe couldn’t have been happier with the decision, saying he has “zero regrets” on how he played the game and would do it all over again, adding that he had no interest playing as a Faithful.

Beware of the sheer number of applications

However, O’Keeffe was only one of the 23 other contestants who got called up to star on the RTÉ One series, despite tens of thousands of other applications.

“I was one of about 10,000 people who sent a video application to try and be on the show,” said last year’s Traitor.

O’Keeffe shared how his audition tape went, saying that he was “a huge fan of the show” and that he would be “quarter-backing other players’ tactics” when watching the show.

He also added that “the timeline between finding out I was selected and the start of filming was less than two weeks.

“It was tricky in terms of getting time off work without telling people what’s going on!”

Other contestants made a favourable impression on Irish viewers, but none had a greater impact than Paudie.

Avoid trying to be the new Paudie

Paudie found himself in the action as the senior contestant from last season, alongside his son Andrew who had no idea of each other's application prior to the start of the show.

The former Limerick prison officer made such a strong impression on viewers that 127 applications for the new season came from other “Paudi types”.

“We had over 120 prison guards apply to be in the show this year.

“I did interrogate the number because it seemed too round. And it turned out to be 127 applied.”

Not wanting to repeat the Paudie fade as a gimmick, the show has confirmed that none of these applicants were chosen as the new cast.

“They weren’t all Paudie types. We had guards as well. We also had some older brilliant guys apply, and you’d put them in any show in a heartbeat.

“But it just felt like a try-hard, like we were looking for another Paudie. And we were really keen not to repeat things that worked last year.”

Your best try would be to avoid trying to be like previous likeable contestants, especially not as a copy of the “Paudfather”.

What Traitors look into when selecting the final 24

Whether contestants are regarded as the “nation’s grandad” for how decent they are, like Paudie, or for how ruthless they played, such as O’Keeffe, your best chance would come by just being yourself.

Of course, Kite Entertainment cannot select every applicant as a great majority are likely to be left disappointed. 

The whole point of Traitors is bringing in contestants with backgrounds and personalities diverging from each other, offering prime-time television to Irish viewers.

If you are one of the many who hope to make their way to Slane Castle, applications are now open for Traitors Ireland season 3, set to begin in 2027.