Boyband versus girl group night on Dancing with the Stars (RTÉ One, 6.30pm) goes in the wrong direction for Eurovision winner Niamh Kavanagh as she becomes the latest celeb to exit the contest. She receives her marching orders after a dance-off against Apprentice contestant Jordan Dargan and Rebecca Scott – but the real losers are the viewers, who must once again watch a tepid dancefloor smackdown where the outcome is inevitable.
As with high-flying Olympic rower Philip Doyle versus the struggling Anne Cassin seven days previously, it is unthinkable frontrunner Dargan is going to receive the thumbs down from the judges. And so, well before the dance-off, we know the Eurovision champ Kavanagh, dancing with Stephen Vincent, is in line for nul points.
Still, Kavanagh tries to be upbeat after her fateful tango to Destiny’s Child’s Survivor is confirmed as her last dance. “I had the best time,” she says. “I’ve done something I never thought I’d have been able to do.”
It’s a respectable showing from Kavanagh, who was hugely wonky throughout the opening weeks of the contest and looked set for an early exit. She has instead clung on until mid-February and the business end of Dancing with the Stars.
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Elsewhere, the overall winner on the night is Rose of Tralee, Katelyn Cummins, who, dancing with Leonardo Lini, delivers a bloomin’ great rumba to Boyzone’s No Matter What.
“I’m speechless,” says judge Arthur Gourounlian. “There was nowhere to hide for you.” Karen Byrne agrees, proclaiming it “one of the best female celebrity rumbas ever”. There are many weeks left yet – but do we have our potential 2026 champion?
Cummins bags three 10s (and a nine from Brian Redmond). Her score is boosted further during the first group dances of the season. Here, hosts Laura Fox and Jennifer Zamparelli put their dancing shoes where their mouths are by leading the female and male teams through two elaborate routines. While both have great fun, it’s Fox who claims the bragging rights as she and the lady celebs bop to Spice Up Your Life by the Spice Girls, and score a near clean-sweep of 39.
The excitement doesn’t end there. There’s also a cameo from Westlife, who send a good luck message to Traitors contestant Paudie Moloney and dance partner Laura Nolan ahead of their tango to the band’s When You’re Looking Like That. Paudie still places last on the night – but having avoided the dance-off for two weeks running, there is every chance that this caped crusader has a few surprises left yet. When the going gets tough, Paudie keeps on twirling.
