''Dancing with the Stars'' is an Irish
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
series, airing on
RTÉ One
RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís ...
that started on 8 January 2017,
and is currently hosted by
Jennifer Zamparelli
Jennifer Zamparelli (née Maguire) (born 9 April 1980) is an Irish comedian and television presenter. She is known for her role on the TV show ''Republic of Telly'', where she was a primary writer, and as co-host of the 2FM morning show ''Break ...
and
Doireann Garrihy
Aoibhín Garrihy, Ailbhe Garrihy and Doireann Garrihy are Irish social media influencers, having played different roles in the entertainment industry. Aoibhín is an actress, having played Neasa Dillon in RTÉ One's ''Fair City'' from 2010 to 2 ...
.
The show is based on the original UK version, ''
Strictly Come Dancing
''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 ...
'' and is part of the
''Dancing with the Stars'' franchise.
The judging panel consists of
Arthur Gourounlian,
Loraine Barry
Loraine Barry (born 10 December 1964) is a former professional dancer and also known for her role as a judge on the RTÉ One series, ''Dancing with the Stars.''
Early life
Loraine Barry was born in Cabra in Dublin, Ireland. By the age of ninete ...
and
Brian Redmond
Brian Redmond (born 6 March 1977) is best known for his starring role in the judging hotseat on RTÉ One series, Dancing with the Stars. An integral part of the show's team from the very first episode, Brian was hired to be the "Simon Cowell" cha ...
.
and formerly
Julian Benson
Julian Benson (born 26 February 1971) is a talent agent, choreographer and is also known for his role as a judge on the RTÉ One series, ''Dancing with the Stars.''
Early life
Julian Benson was born in Adelaide, Australia where he did his format ...
from seasons 1–4.
Production
In August 2016, it was confirmed that
RTÉ One
RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís ...
would broadcast an Irish version of ''
Dancing with the Stars
''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...
'', which would replace the successful ''
The Voice of Ireland
''The Voice of Ireland'' is the Irish edition of the international TV franchise ''The Voice'', a reality singing competition created by media tycoon John de Mol. The first series began airing from 8 January 2012 on RTÉ One. The coaches origina ...
'', which was cancelled in order for the broadcaster to order the new show.
A producer of the show commented, "We've got fantastic production people in Ireland who, I believe, deliver a show that's comparable with any of those shows on a fraction of the budget. So we're looking forward to the task of doing this equally the same way."
It became quickly apparent that the television studios at RTÉ Television Centre in Dublin were too small for the large scale production of Dancing with the Stars would require, with the largest television studio at RTÉ Studio 4 at would be too small and so the production have had to be based in
Ardmore Studios
Ardmore Studios, in Bray, County Wicklow, is Irelands's only four wall studio.
It opened in 1958 under the management of Emmet Dalton and Louis Elliman. Since then, it has evolved through many managements and owners. It has been the base for ...
located in County Wicklow, whose largest studio is .
Format
The format of the series follows celebrities being paired up with professional dancers, who perform predetermined dances each week for judges' scores and public votes, with the couple with the lowest number of points being eliminated, until the winning couple remains.
Judges and hosts
;Color key:
, -
,
,
,
,
,
On 18 December 2016,
RTÉ
(RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...
confirmed that
Julian Benson
Julian Benson (born 26 February 1971) is a talent agent, choreographer and is also known for his role as a judge on the RTÉ One series, ''Dancing with the Stars.''
Early life
Julian Benson was born in Adelaide, Australia where he did his format ...
,
Loraine Barry
Loraine Barry (born 10 December 1964) is a former professional dancer and also known for her role as a judge on the RTÉ One series, ''Dancing with the Stars.''
Early life
Loraine Barry was born in Cabra in Dublin, Ireland. By the age of ninete ...
and
Brian Redmond
Brian Redmond (born 6 March 1977) is best known for his starring role in the judging hotseat on RTÉ One series, Dancing with the Stars. An integral part of the show's team from the very first episode, Brian was hired to be the "Simon Cowell" cha ...
would be the judges on the programme.
The show’s creative director,
Darren Bennett, stood in for Benson at various points throughout Benson’s time on the show when he was absent due to illness.
People in the running to be host of the show included former
Westlife
Westlife is an Irish pop vocal group formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member, until he left in 2004. The group temporarily di ...
musician and 2012 ''
Strictly Come Dancing
''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 ...
'' contestant
Nicky Byrne
Nicholas Bernard James Adam Byrne Jr. (born 9 October 1978) is an Irish pop singer, songwriter and radio and television presenter, best known for being a member of the pop group Westlife; he is the band's oldest member. Westlife has since rele ...
; as well as popular radio host
Ray D'Arcy
Raymond Michael D'Arcy (born 1 September 1964) is an Irish television and radio presenter currently on his second stint at state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). He once presented a self-titled weekday morning radio programme on th ...
, though D'Arcy ruled himself out of the running in August 2016.
In October 2016, it was reported that
Marty Whelan
Marty may refer to:
Names
* Marty (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters, also includes stage names
* Marty (surname), a list of people
Places in the United States
* Marty, California, a former settlement
* Marty, Min ...
had auditioned to host the show. In November, it was reported that
Amanda Byram
Amanda Byram (born 16 June 1973) is an Irish television presenter and former model, best known for co-presenting BBC One game show ''Total Wipeout'' with Richard Hammond, the Irish version of ''Dancing with the Stars'' on RTÉ1 and for hostin ...
had been selected as one of the hosts.
In December, it was confirmed that Byrne would host alongside Byram.
It was also confirmed that Bláthnaid Treacy would be hosting
RTÉ Two
(RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...
spin-off show, ''Can't Stop Dancing'', airing on Friday nights before the live shows.
On 28 August 2018, after two series,
Amanda Byram
Amanda Byram (born 16 June 1973) is an Irish television presenter and former model, best known for co-presenting BBC One game show ''Total Wipeout'' with Richard Hammond, the Irish version of ''Dancing with the Stars'' on RTÉ1 and for hostin ...
confirmed that she would not be returning as a presenter in 2019.
On 30 October 2018,
Jennifer Zamparelli
Jennifer Zamparelli (née Maguire) (born 9 April 1980) is an Irish comedian and television presenter. She is known for her role on the TV show ''Republic of Telly'', where she was a primary writer, and as co-host of the 2FM morning show ''Break ...
was confirmed as Byram's replacement.
On 12 November 2021, it was announced that the series would return after one-year hiatus following the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. Hosts, Zamaparelli and Byrne were slated to return alongside judges, Barry and Redmond. Julian Benson would not return for the fifth series, being replaced by choreographer and creative director,
Arthur Gourounlian.
On 25 August 2022,
Nicky Byrne
Nicholas Bernard James Adam Byrne Jr. (born 9 October 1978) is an Irish pop singer, songwriter and radio and television presenter, best known for being a member of the pop group Westlife; he is the band's oldest member. Westlife has since rele ...
announced that he would be stepping away from hosting duties after five seasons to focus on
Westlife
Westlife is an Irish pop vocal group formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member, until he left in 2004. The group temporarily di ...
touring commitments. On 7 October 2022, it was announced that
Doireann Garrihy
Aoibhín Garrihy, Ailbhe Garrihy and Doireann Garrihy are Irish social media influencers, having played different roles in the entertainment industry. Aoibhín is an actress, having played Neasa Dillon in RTÉ One's ''Fair City'' from 2010 to 2 ...
would take over from Byrne as co-host for the sixth season alongside Zamparelli.
Professional dancers and their partners
Key:
: Winner of the series
: Finalist (2nd/3rd/4th place)
: First elimination of the series
: Withdrew from the series
: Participating in current series
:*Week 7 of Series 1 and Week 6 of Series 2, 3 and 4 was 'Switch-Up Week' in which the celebrities danced with different pros for one week only. The table above reflects this as it excludes each pro's regular celebrity partner's Switch-Up Week score and includes their Switch-Up Week partner's score.
:*Series 4 ended a week early due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
; therefore, there were four competitors in the final instead of three.
:*Series 5 had 12 couples unlike series 1-4, so 4 competitors were in the final once again.
:*Series 5 saw Ervinas Merfeldas step in for
Denys Samson
Denys Samson (; born 21 August 1989) is a Ukrainian ballroom and Latin dancer and choreographer.
Career
Samson is a former two-time Ukrainian Ten Dance Champion and a two-time World Ten Dance Champion.
''Dancing with the Stars''
Ukrain ...
and
Stephen Vincent for Weeks 9 and 10 respectively, and
Emily Barker
Emily Barker (born 2 December 1980) is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician and composer. Her music has featured as the theme to BBC dramas '' Wallander'' and '' The Shadow Line''. With multi-instrumental trio the Red Clay Halo, she reco ...
step in for
Salome Chachua
Salome Chachua ( ka, სალომე ჭაჭუა ''Salome Ch’ach’ua'', born 23 June 1990) is a Georgian ballroom and Latin dancer and choreographer.
Career
Chachua is a seven-time Georgian Latin dancing champion. From 2004 to 2006 ...
in Week 10, due to illness. The scores are reflected in the tables above and added to the stand-in professionals totals.
Overall Highest and lowest scoring performances
The best and worst performances over each series in each dance according to the judges' scale are as follows. Team Dances and Marathons are not on this list.
Ranking of couples
This table only counts for single dances scored on a traditional 30-points scale. It does not include the Team Dance or Marathon scores.
Number of perfect scores
The scores presented below represent the perfect scores which the celebrities gained in their original season. Perfect scores awarded in Team Dances are not included within this table.
By Professional:
Series overview
Episodes
Series 1 (2017)
The first series of ''Dancing with the Stars'' started on 8 January 2017 and finished on 26 March 2017.
Series 2 (2018)
The second series began on 7 January 2018 and finished on 25 March 2018.
Series 3 (2019)
The third series began on 6 January 2019 and finished on 24 March 2019.
Series 4 (2020)
The fourth series began on 5 January 2020 and finished on 15 March 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
Series 5 (2022)
The fifth series was postponed in late July 2020 due to an outbreak of the
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
pandemic
A pandemic () is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. A widespread endemic (epidemiology), endemic disease wi ...
. The series returned on 9 January 2022.
Series 6 (2023)
The sixth series is due to begin on 8 January 2023.
References
External links
*
{{RTÉ Entertainment
2017 Irish television series debuts
Irish reality television series
Irish music television shows
RTÉ original programming
Irish television series based on British television series