It’s a bank holiday blubfest on Dancing with the Stars (RTÉ One, 6.30pm) as Dedication Night unleashes a torrent of tears – and that’s just judge Brian Redmond when he sees Traitors star Paudie Moloney boogying in a shiny prison guard outfit.
Moloney’s routine is played largely for laughs, but elsewhere during an enjoyably earnest evening, the sincerity is non-stop. Heartstrings are yanked during a tribute to the late Julian Benson, who twirled his way into the affections of DWTS viewers during his time as an adjudicator.
The actual dances are full of feels too, with Jordan Dargan, dancing with Rebecca Scott, underscoring his status as a frontrunner when he racks up the first tens of the season and a February “j’adore!” from Arthur Gourounlian.
Jordan Dargan and Rebecca Scott. Photograph: Kyran O’Brien /kobpix
Dedication Night is one of the things DWTS Ireland does particularly well. It’s impossible not to experience goosebumps as Eric Roberts, dancing with Arianna Favarro, dedicates his tango to his nephew Oisín, who has cerebral palsy and autism.
Or to feel tears as Eurovision winner Niamh Kavanagh, performing with Stephen Vincent, talks about her nephew Daniel, who died from brain cancer. Under the glitter and the applause, it’s a reminder that the celebs are real people – and that everyone carries a little bit of tragedy in their hearts.
What’s missing is jeopardy. In recognition of all the emotion on display, eliminations have been pushed forward to next week – meaning there is absolutely no tension when the winner of the public vote is announced.
It is Rose of Tralee Katelyn Cummins, who is safe from expulsion seven days hence. She is understandably relieved – but the removal of any sense of danger detracts from the excitement.
Katelyn Cummins and Leonardo Lini. Photograph: Kyran O’Brien/kobpix
Katelyn finished second on the night – a long way behind Dargan, now clearly a favourite for the Glitterball trophy. He’s been an accomplished groover from the get-go, and his slow waltz to Christy Moore has the judges reaching for the superlatives.
“This is such a brave choice for a piece of music,” gushes Brian Redmond.
Judge Brian Redmond.
“It was soft, it was elegant,” agrees head judge Oti Mabuse, one of three judges to give him a 10 (Redmond, ever the grinch, reaches for nine).
At the opposite end of the leaderboard, Paudie Moloney is surely counting down the days until the voting public figuratively stabs him in the back – so inevitable is his ejection from the contest starting to loom. He and Laura Nolan gave it all jiving to Elvis – but, in terms of his prospects for the rest of the series, Paudie has surely already left the building.
“If you weren’t playing the part of the prison guard, you might have been locked up for crimes against dance,” says Brian Redmond. A score of 11 feels generous.
Julian Benson, a dancer and choreographer who became known as a judge on RTÉ‘s Dancing with the Stars, died aged 54 in 2025
The undoubted centrepiece, however, is the routine dedicated to Julian Benson.
The pro dancers perform a beautiful routine to Donna Summer’s Last Dance, with some of Benson’s signature OTT jackets as backdrop.
“A little bit of sentiment, a little bit of emotion,” says Brian Redmond, before reaching for Benson’s favourite catchphrase. “Cha-cha boom-a licious. Baby baby boom!”
Outrageous, bittersweet and full of verve, Benson would have loved it to bits.