Everything you need to know ahead of this weekend's Dancing with the Stars final

This week, like last week’s semi-final, each couple will take to the floor twice and perform two routines
Everything you need to know ahead of this weekend's Dancing with the Stars final

Rose of Tralee Katelyn Cummins with pro dancer Leonardo Lini and Kylee Vincent during the live semi-final. Picture: Kyran O’Brien /kobpix.

The grand finale of Dancing with the Stars will see the final four couples compete to lift the coveted glitterball trophy on Sunday night.

This week, like last week’s semi-final, each couple will take to the floor twice and perform two routines.

First, each couple will perform a routine from the season as selected by the judges. This could be a routine the judges feel the couple could improve, or one they’d just love to see again.

Rose of Tralee Katelyn Cummins will reprise her Movie Week role of Snow White, as she and pro partner Leonardo Lini dance an American Smooth to Whistle While You Work by Rachel Zegler, while The Traitors Ireland star Paudie Moloney and his pro partner Laura Nolan will throw back to Country Week with a Quickstep to Stop the World and Let Me Off by Declan Nerney.

Ireland AM Host Eric Roberts with pro dancer Arianna Favaro during the live semi-final show last Sunday. Picture: Kyran O’Brien /kobpix.
Ireland AM Host Eric Roberts with pro dancer Arianna Favaro during the live semi-final show last Sunday. Picture: Kyran O’Brien /kobpix.

 

Ireland AM presenter Eric Roberts and his partner Arianna Favarro will dance their Fright Night Charleston to Happy by C2C featuring Derek Martin, and singer-songwriter Tolü Makay and her partner Maciej Zieba will dance their routine from all the way back in week two, in the hopes that their American Smooth to Olivia Dean’s Man I Need will recapture the judges’ adoration a second time round.

The couples will then each perform a second showdance routine, a freestyle performance where they’ll combine different dance styles to showcase the creativity, skills, and storytelling abilities they’ve learned throughout their journey.

Singer Tolu Makay with Maciej Zieba during last Sunday's live show. Picture: Kyran O’Brien /kobpix.
Singer Tolu Makay with Maciej Zieba during last Sunday's live show. Picture: Kyran O’Brien /kobpix.

Cummins and Lini will dance to Ordinary by Alex Warren, Moloney and Nolan will dance to Andy Williams’ classic Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Roberts and Favarro will dance to Can’t Hold Us by Macklemore x Ryan Lewis, and Makay and Zieba will dance to Kill the Lights by Alex Newell, Jess Glynne, DJ Cassidy and Nile Rodgers.

Aside from our finalists, all eight eliminated celebrities will return on the night, including Michael Fry, Brian Kennedy, Amber Wilson, Anne Cassin, Niamh Kavanagh, Stephanie Kelly, Philip Doyle and Jordan Dargan.

The contestants and their pro partners will return a very special one-off comeback performance to Myles Smith’s Stay (If You Wanna Dance).

Dancing with the Stars presenters Jennifer Zamparelli and Laura Fox.
Dancing with the Stars presenters Jennifer Zamparelli and Laura Fox.

The judges will give their scores as usual, but this will be just for guidance, as it’s the public vote alone that will decide the champions of Dancing with the Stars 2026.

The Dancing with the Stars grand finale airs on Sunday at 6.30pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.

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