Dancing with the Stars recap: Joanna Donnelly says goodbye as Kevin Dundon celebrates a win
Chef Kevin Dundon's waltz earned him his first seven from the judges. Pictures: Kyran O’Brien/kobpix
Joanna Donnelly has become the third celebrity to be eliminated from this year's
The meteorologist had repeatedly found herself at the bottom half of the leaderboard, and on Sunday night's Eurovision special, her jive to ABBA's 'Waterloo' scored her just 23 points.
Judge Brian Redmond said she lost the battle a bit with the bounce, while head judge Loraine Barry had commented that it needed some "tidying up".
"I've had the time of my life," Donnelly said as she departed the competition.
"Making those memories, meeting this young man [pro partner Maciej Zieba].... yes it's a big time commitment, but there's no better use of your time."
She faced former Miss Universe Ireland Aishah Akorede in the first dance-off of the season.
Akorede's Charleston to the United Kingdom's 1996 Eurovision classic, 'Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit' by Gina G had scored 30 earlier in the night.
"Some parts of it you could have given more," judge Karen Byrne had said of that initial performance.
This week's top scorer was, once again, one of our Olympic greats.
Rhys McClenaghan's quickstep to Norway's 'Fairytale' left Barry "so impressed".
"There are moves you did I haven't seen world champions do as well," Redmond said. He scored 39, with only Redmond holding out on a perfect 10 for the Olympian.
Danny O'Carroll was hot on his heels with a contemporary ballroom that was "nothing short of mesmerizing," according to judge Arthur Gourounlian.
“You were the best prop [professional dance partner] Salome could have had," Byrne added. He received 36.
Olympian Jack Woolley topped the leaderboard last week, which earned him immunity from this week's dance-off, but he didn't rest on his laurels. He earned 35 points for his unique Paso Doble.
"It's obvious you're not immune to hard work," Redmond remarked.
Sitting comfortably in the middle of the leaderboard was actress Yasmin Seky with 32 for her salsa to Armenia's 'Qélé, Qélé'.
"Something clicked this week with you, it really was fun - but keep an eye on the feet," Barry commented.
Geróid Farrelly danced contemporary ballroom to friend and fellow podcast host Niamh Kavanagh's 'In Your Eyes'
He's been friends with the 1993 Eurovision winner since he was a young teen, so thankfully he did a wonderful job and (hopefully) didn't leave Kavanagh wincing at the interpretation.
Barry said the routine was "fully loaded".
"You're so exposed here because there's a direct comparison to [pro partner] Stephen all the time," she continued, calling it a "beautiful" performance. He scored 31.
Content creator Kayleigh Trappe had the dreaded samba to complete this week. "The samba roll was a bit dodgy," Byrne admitted, but Redmond said she met the challenge "quite well". She scored 30.
Finally, the people's prince Kevin Dundon had his best night so far, with the magic of Portugal's 'Amar Pelos Dois' from Salvador Sobral transferring to his performance.
"Kevin you should be so proud of yourself. Doing a waltz like that... you've shown so much progress," Byrne said.
"The essence of the waltz... you did it beautifully," Barry said. "You had a lovely posture position. It was very elegant. Your best dance yet."
He was rewarded with his highest score to date, 24, including a seven from head judge Loraine Barry.
