Dancing with the Stars recap: A shock departure for Cork's Elaine Crowley
Journalist and TV Presenter Elaine Crowley danced to Hairspray. Picture: Kyran O’Brien/kobpix
It was a night of massive highs and painful lows at Ardmore Studios.
Kevin Dundon's jive left the judges speechless with one of the lowest scores we've ever seen on the dancefloor, while Rhys McClenaghan's Charleston received the first 10s of the season.
But it was the shock departure of Elaine Crowley that really left viewers spinning on Sunday night.Â
The presenter looked shell-shocked to hear her name called.
"I am disappointed," she said, "but I'd a shakey day".
To the contrary, the judges had all commented on how the star had "bounced back" from a mistake that derailed last week's performance.
Judge Brian Redmond had said he felt her confidence coming back "step by step" during her jive to 'You Can't Stop The Beat' which earned a healthy score of 18. With all scores this week, it's worth bearing in mind that head judge Loraine Barry was missing this week due to the passing of her beloved mother, so a max sore of 30 was all that was available to the celebrities.Â
And that 30 was just out of reach for Rhys McClenaghan who earned 10s from judges Karen Byrne and Arthur Gourounlian for his Spiderman-themed Charleston.
"The whole time I was at the edge of my seat," judge Byrne said, with judge Redmond labelling it "extraordinary". He finished the night with 29, with Redmond holding back with a 9.
Yasmin Seky's contemporary ballroom to 'How Far I'll Go' left her feeling "exposed," but was the second highest scoring dance of the night.Â
"I absolutely loved it," judge Byrne said with judge Redmond complimenting her embodiment of the character. She scored 26.
Danny O'Carroll's "epic" Gladiator-inspired Paso Doble earned him 25 points, with judge Redmond saying the performance put him back in the "red carpet royalty" component of the competition.Â
Around the middle section of the leaderboard was Aishah Akorede and Jack Woolley. Akorede's cha cha cha to ‘Rescue Me’ scored 24, while Woolley's tango earned him 23.Â
"Not quite as good as I was hoping it would be," Redmond said of his tango, and all three judges seemed to be in agreement, complimenting his characterization but critiquing the technicalities.
Gearóid Farrelly had his most enjoyable performance to date with an American Smooth to 'Consider Yourself' from
"For the first time, you were dancing without looking at him for validation," judge Gourounlian commented, adding he was "proud" of the comedian. He scored a healthy 22.
Content creator Kayleigh Trappe dealt with a "challenging" quickstep "really, really well" according to judge Redmond and earned a score of 21.
Joanna Donnelly's quickstep was "a lovely neat dance," in judge Byrne's eyes and earned her 17.Â
Kevin Dundon, in full Shrek costume, jived to 'I'm a Believer' leaving the judges (and us) speechless.
"I am not sure what to say," Gourounlian admitted.
"A sticky, gloopy mess," Redmond filled in.Â
His score of 8 is one of the lowest we've ever seen and left him bottom of the leaderboard. But still, the chef kept smiling. We reckon the public will keep him in a bit longer.Â
- Dancing with the Stars airs Sundays on RTÉ One at 6.30pm
