Dancing with the Stars: How Davy Russell, Eileen Dunne, Laura Fox and more got on
Dancing with the Stars: The seventh series kicked off with a new group of Irish celebrities hoping to lift the glitterball trophy
It's a brand new season of Dancing with the Stars, with 11 Irish celebrities hoping to get all the way to the St Patrick's Day final and lift that iconic glitterball trophy.
Opening the show tonight, without any noticeable nerves, was Six O'Clock show host Katja Mia and partner Ervinas Merfeldas. A high-octane start to the night, she shimmied her hips across the floor in a samba. Often regarded as the "celebrity killer" due to its difficulty, judge Arthur Gourounlian said the presenter "killed it". She started proceedings off with a very respectable 21 out of 30 from the judges.
Next up was champion jockey Davy Russell, who took on the Pasodoble with Kylee Vincent. Judge Brian Redmond noted Russell had some big riding boots to follow, as the last jockey on the show, Nina Carberry, went on to lift the glitterball trophy. But, he said, "I think that's probably as good if not better than Nina was in her first performance..." Ooh la la. Russell received a score of 19.
Radio host, Ireland's Fittest Family presenter and Dancing with the Stars "superfan," Laura Fox was next on the dancefloor. She and pro Denys Samson gave us an energetic jive, which head judge Loraine Barry called "fun" and "fab" and scored 21.
Fair City Shane Quigley Murphy showed off some "exceptional lifts" with Laura Nolan during his salsa, but Brian felt there was a bit more "work" to be done, with Arthur and Loraine both commenting the footwork needed brushing up. He scored 19.
News reader Eileen Dunne impressed with her character performance in an American Smooth with Robert Rowiński, but received just 14 points.
Six-time Paralympic gold medal-winning sprinter Jason Smyth was next on the floor. Smyth is legally blind, with his central vision affected by Stargardt's disease. He performed a gorgeous foxtrot with pro Karen Byrne, who became emotional at the end of the performance. Both Smyth and Byrne received congratulations from the judges, with Loraine commenting; "I take my hat off to both of you." They scored 17.
Next up was RuPaul's Drag Race winner Blu Hydrangea with new pro dancer, Simone Arena, a former champion of DWTS Belgium. Loraine says they gave a "super" cha-cha-cha with "great feet, great hips and great legs." It was the highest score of the night, receiving 24.
Former Miss World Rosanna Davison and her partner Stephen Vincent delivered a "beautiful, graceful" waltz, according to Arthur, with a score of 17, while Wild Youth's David Whelan and Salome Chachua scored 23 for their fast-paced tango, with Brian commenting he was "one to watch."
Cork TikTok sensation Miriam Mullins and Montel Hewson, another new pro dancer this year, performed a quickstep and received a decent score of 18, while Mrs Brown's Boys' Rory Cowan and his partner Jillian Bromwich (another newbie) had some fun with a Charleston. While he only scored 11 — the lowest score of the night — Loraine said he showed "rhythm" and "agility".
- Dancing with the Stars continues for the next 10 weeks on RTÉ One every Sunday at 6:30pm.
