DWTS Ireland: General Discussion

[*Wallace]

Week 11 Semi-Final Dance spoilers!

 

 

 

Aidan & Emily - Viennese Waltz:“"Another Life" — Westlife

Gráinne & Kai - Foxtrot: "Falling" — Harry Styles

Lottie & Pasquale - Quickstep: "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" — Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga

Ryan & Giulia -  Samba: "Lo-Lo Dzama" — Šum Svistu

 

Trio dances:

Aidan, Emily & Laura - Salsa: "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" — Pitbull

Gráinne, Kai & Stephen - Charleston: "Dance Apocalyptic" — Janelle Monáe

Lottie, Pasquale & Ryan - Cha-Cha: "Turn Me On" — Riton X Oliver Heldens

Ryan, Giulia & Karen - American Smooth: "I Get a Kick Out of You" — Michael Bublé

 

 

Thoughts

 

 

 

Loving how DWTSIrl are doing trio dances this year. I think this is the first time they are doing so.

- Aidan has a very different mix of dances. Thinking he will do better with the VW and that should be really good. Not suer how his Salsa will go but I really love that song. And nice he’s doing this trio dance with his switch-up partner.

- Grainne also got a good set of dances. She’s been  great at ballroom so her Foxtrot should be really good. Love her Charleston song and can see that dance being a really fun crowd pleaser. Love that we get to see Stephen as we didn’t see enough of him

- Lottie also has a good set of different dances. Lottie can pretty much do anything well, so I can see her nailing and doing really well with her Quickstep and Cha-Cha. Not sure which would be better

- Ryan has a good set of different dances as well. Ryan can also do everything well, so expecting a great Samba and AS from him. I am really intrigued his trio dance is an American Smooth rather than the Samba, but curious how this is going to work out.

 

This looks like a strong episode and can’t wait for the dances!
 

 

[*Amanda]

 

[*Wallace]

^ I just saw that right now and was about to post about that. Glad the show is still going on, but gonna be weird having no audience in there. But it's best for safety reasons.

 

 

Week 9 Thoughts:

 

I feel sooo behind but thankfully some of the Week 9 dances are uploaded so gonna post my thoughts!

 

Ryan & Giulia - Quickstep: Ooh I love that Ryan got to Quickstep to “What A Man Gotta Do” as I have been imagining a Quickstep to this since it came out. But aww this was a really fun, cute and entertaining dance. I loved the Carnival Park theme to it and it had a cute setting/storytelling for the beginning of it. It transitioned to a really good and solid Quickstep. Ryan had a great frame, great fast precise footwork and as always made the dance look effortless. I think I saw one or a few iffy footwork faults, which could have een due to the speed - but some parts seemed a bit off balance. However, I also really loved the side by side dancing they did at the end. It was so energetic and Ryan was nailing it. it was like some Charleston. Another great dance from them.

 

Mary & John - Cha-Cha: N/A

 

Gráinne & Kai - Paso Doble: Okay soo "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" is definitely a very interesting song choice for a Paso, and honestly…. I don’t really like or get the song for a Paso. :ph34r: I’m a little confused on what to think of this dance too. I’ll start with the positives - Gráinne danced and performed it well - as she had expressive lines, good technique, partnering and footwork. The drama was there, but it felt more like over-the-top passionate drama rather than the intensity fiery feel of the Paso. It kinda had a Contemporary feel to despite having the Paso content? Generally, I didn’t really get a Paso feel so the dance didn’t work for me as a Paso. Gráinne looked really gorgeous and stunning as always though. I’m gonna blame the song choice more than anything. 

 

Fr Ray & Kylee - Quickstep: N/A

 

Aidan & Emily - Rumba: N/A

 

Lottie & Pasquale - Samba: Ooh I feel like I’ve really been waiting forever to see this Lottie Samba so yayy so glad I got to see it. And it was definitely well worth the wait! Lol wow that intro really looked like they were coming down in an elevator - cool effects. Okay so they went to dancing the Samba right away, and DANGG Lottie killed and smashed this Samba. She was smokin hot and made this all look so effortless. Lottie had EVERYTHING going on in this routine - there was great rhythm, hip action, partnering, footwork and much more. Omgg I love that part in the middle of the dance - where Pasquale was spinning Lottie around, he’d bring her up and ten she would break into a split. Um what?? That was SICK. Lottie & Pasquale were oozing hot chemistry here too. I think my favorite Lottie dance so far. Well done to her having the highest scoring Samba in DWTSIrl so far - although she deserved a 30 because this was flawless. Also never heard the song before but i love it.

 

Team Rhythm Rebels: So on paper this group with Ryan, Grainne and Mary, I thought would be much stronger yet of course they score lower. This was a cute and fun group dance. It has an interesting concept with the usage of the balloons and them moving in robotic moves throughout the dance. Very interesting. I do think once they all started dancing in hold, you could really tell the difference in the celebs - Ryan was the strongest with Grainne being really good/solid and Mary being quite stiff and not as strong as the other two. Also having Mary front in center for the group, like when the 6 danced in old together and her doing those robotic moves while fun kinda wasn’t a good look - so I can get how this didn’t score so highly. :ph34r: Really loved Ryan’s solo and wished it was longer. And Ryan really held up well with the male pros

 

Team Swing Breakers: And yet the group that has Fr Ray ends up winning? I don’t get it. But ok Aidan, Lottie and Fr Ray are all in this dance - and poor Lottie and Aidan there. Although after watching the dance, I honestly get how and agree that this team won. It had a great cohesive feel to it and has a more traditional theme to it. And they were very strategic and smart making Lottie a strong focus in this, who shone here and held her own and was great amongst the female pros - while keeping Fr Ray in the back as much as possible. Fr Ray was obviously the worst but his solo was short and wasn’t awful to distract from the whole dance, and he was often on the stand thing as much as possible while everyone did the massive fast dancing. Lottie was amazing and really shone in her solo - and the section her dancing with the pro girls was amazing. Aidan was great too - he had a nice solo with Emily ,but wish it was longer. Then OMGG loved the section of Aidan & Pasquale swing partnering dancing. This team is smart keeping Fr Ray out of that. Then the girls section with Lottie/Emily/Kylee was amazing - and Lottie looked ust as much of of a professional dancer as Emily & Kylee.

 

Rankings:

1. Lottie & Pasquale - Samba
2. Ryan & Giulia - Quickstep
3. Gráinne & Kai - Paso Doble

N/A

Aidan & Emily - Rumba

Mary & John - Cha-Cha

Fr Ray & Kylee - Quickstep

 

1. Team Swing Breakers
2. Team Rhythm Rebels

So it was the Bottom 2 of Mary vs. Gráinne with Mary going, which I agreed with. Hoping to catch up on Week 10's show tomorrow or soon.

[Ariel1989]

Today will be the final rather than the semi-final due to the virus.  Fingers crossed that Ryan can still win!

[*Wallace]

Whoaaa.... well darn.  I understand the reasoning and safety comes first but reallly sad we're gonna miss out on a week of competition and won't get to see any showdances.  And I feel like all the hype and excitement to get to the final is gone. Sadness.

 

Rooting for Ryan to win as well, since Lottie has no shot whatsoever.

[*Lily]

Oh wow, totally understand the decision but that's also a shame that it'll feel like a bit of an abrupt end to the season.  

[Ariel1989]

I’m nervous for Ryan’s chances, compared to Aidan his songs and dances don’t scream winner.  

[*Wallace]

12 minutes ago, *Lily said:

Oh wow, totally understand the decision but that's also a shame that it'll feel like a bit of an abrupt end to the season.  

Exactly.  

 

11 minutes ago, Ariel1989 said:

I’m nervous for Ryan’s chances, compared to Aidan his songs and dances don’t scream winner.  

Yeah this all really changes things. I think Ryan's got two exciting dances that could get him votes. But we don't really know who is more popular in the public between Ryan or Aidan. Gráinne could even have a shot as she avoided the Bottom 2 last week. It's all so interesting to think about.

 

Ooh and also realized they won't be able to do proper finale night stuff like bringing back the previously eliminated couples and having the dance again.  Ugh the more I think about this, it's all so sad.  

[*Wallace]

 

 

Just watched this video clip on Instagram of the celebs excitement getting to the Grand Final. Well now they have all made it there. Also this host cracks me up.  

 

 

 

Oh and then they already have a new video of the cast all making to the final now.  

[*Wallace]

Week 11 Final Scores....

 

Aidan & Emily - Viennese Waltz: 8/9/9 = 26

Ryan & Giulia -  Samba: 9/10/10 = 29

Lottie & Pasquale - Quickstep: 10/10/10 = 30

Gráinne & Kai - Foxtrot: 9/9/9 = 27

Aidan, Emily & Laura - Salsa: 9/9/9 = 27

Ryan, Giulia & Karen - American Smooth: 10/10/10 = 30

Lottie, Pasquale & Ryan - Cha-Cha: 10/10/10 = 30

Gráinne, Kai & Stephen - Charleston: 10/10/10 = 30

 

Wow dangg this would have been a VERY impressive semi-final, but still none the less a very impressive final. 4 dances getting perfect scores and 5 of them receiving 10s.   Yayy for Lottie finally getting her perfect 30s, which I am shocked she's never gotten until tonight. This marks 2 perfect 30s for Lottie, 2 perfect 30s for Gráinne and 3 perfect 30s for Ryan.

 

And oh Darren was judging once again, so it’s super sad Julian has never returned. Thinking we will find out the winner within the next half hour.

 

At this point, I would genuinely be reallyy happy with any of Ryan, Gráinne or Lottie winning. Although don't think Lottie has a shot as she's that ringer type with a limited fan vote. I would be a bit meh/disappointed with an Aidan win but I still really like him and would be happy for Emily. We shall see.

[*Wallace]

Winner result reveal.

 

 

Lottie & Pasquale WON!

 

WAIT WHATTT? How does this happen? Lottie & Pasquale were in the Bottom 2 twice, and had to have had the least amount of votes those times she was there. I'm realllyyy shook and shocked right now. I mean Lottie is an amazing dancer and is a deserving winner. But wow I did not think she had the votes. I guess her fans held off voting for her until the final? Or I guess her perfect 30 dances were amazing enough to get the voters behind her.

 

Also well done to Pasquale as this is his second DWTS win (I think the other in Belgium?) within a year.

[*Lily]

Omg!!!

 

While I hadn’t been following this season as much as I hoped to, I’ve been watching Lottie’s dances over the weeks and thought she was amazing all season. I definitely thought she was the Ashley/Alexandra of the final who would be the ringer struggling with votes, especially with the two B2 appearances, but wow so happy for her and Pasquale for winning!

 

I’m glad after the concern that someone like Fr Ray could have even made the finals/ won, we got the complete opposite.

[*Amanda]

Sad that they had to end this ahead of schedule and we won't get to see any Showdances this season, but I understand why they did it

 

YAY! Congrats to Lottie & Pasquale!

 They were amazing all season long, but I didn't think she had a shot at winning with her numerous bottom 2 appearances. Thrilled for them.

[taylorkat]

That pleases me.

[DWTSFan2001]

 I'm not calling a fix or saying that Lottie was an undeserved winner (I like the ringers) but I find it suspicious that she went from two stints in the Bottom Two to winning. If it wasn't "rigged", then I'm guessing that Fr. Ray's votes went to her which would explain everything. Congrats to her though.

 

So, Pasquale has won his first two attempts on the trot, just like Cheryl & Julianne. Well done to him, however, he should definitely count his lucky stars as he's had ringers in both countries (I really believe that a pro ought to pay their dues first before getting a ringer or potential winner). A true test of a pro is how they cope with a duffer - definitely his time for one if he is back next year, let's see how he manages.

 

I wonder if this show returns for a 5th series next year. I still think that the show feels too traditional, it doesn't have the same modern, up-to-date and fun vibe that many other shows in the DWTS franchise have (USA, Australia, France, Germany, even UK). Not connected at all with the judging panel so would like some changes there. Hosts are fine - not as good as Tom on DWTS USA or the Australian hosts, but not as bad as Tess on SCD.

 

Pros are almost all good. There was a bit of a shakeup this year, I don't expect to see any of the former pros back - Curtis has moved onto better things (and he never reached his potential on this show), Valeria & Vitali left to expand their family (they are expecting their 2nd child this year!) and I have no idea what happened to Ksenia but it was announced several months before this series started that she was leaving so I'm guessing that something went down or she quit fairly quickly after the end of Series 3.

 

All of this year's lineup should probably be back. Kylee & Karen both seriously got screwed this year (I get that you need to have some fodder, but in a cast of 5 men, why cast 2 that are absolutely terrible at dancing in every way?), both deserve much better next year. Emily is really due a duffer - all of the other women have had one obvious duffer, she's been quite lucky. Giulia had a duffer last year and a ringer this time, how about a middler next year, someone of Brian's level? Not sure about Laura - given how awful Michael & Fr. Ray were, I don't think she was unlucky getting Brian as a partner so probably isn't front of the queue for someone good.

 

Pasquale definitely due someone rubbish next time and Robert is the weak link of the lineup so hopefully is out or with another duffer. Ryan has had his share of good ones but he doesn't seem to have a good record in the public vote so not sure what is next for him on the show, whilst Kai had Demi last year and I didn't expect Grainne to do well because of models historically doing badly in the public vote. Those two could go either way IMO. John always seems to get older celebs and hasn't had a true ringer yet - time to give him a really young ringer next year? Stephen also deserves someone with potential after being first boot on his first series - ouch.

 

As for other things - keep switch up (I miss it in the USA, was probably scrapped because most of the pros were incapable of handling it maturely), keep trios and team dances. I wish that SCD would adopt those. Cast 6 men and 6 women next time. I'm sure I'll think of something else so might edit this later.

 

Any suggestions from y'all?

[*Wallace]

I still got two more weeks of shows to catch up on. Hoping to catch up on last week’s dances today. Gonna post some pics and Instagram posts of Lottie & Pasquale’s win.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last link being the only video i could find of the winning moment.   

[*Wallace]

Finally got around to watching the Week 10 TV Theme Night dances, so going to post my thoughts!

 

WEEK 10 TV THEME NIGHT THOUGHTS

 

Gráinne & Kai - Samba: Ah I was worried for Gráinne with the Samba, and her having a Wonder Woman Themed Samba made me think of Susan Calman’s Samba. Luckily, this was better danced which I was expecting it to be. This was a cute dance, not one of Gráinne’s best but it was okay. I do think she performed and had a lot of fun with this which was good to see. I think she coped decently with it - some parts seemed a little awkward, like some parts towards the end. But it was cute and fun. I agree with the scores of a mix of 7s and 8s, but not sure where I would lean towards.

 

Fr Ray & Kylee - American Smooth: N/A

 

Ryan & Giulia - Charleston: Love the Muppets theme song and ahh so used to seeing Quicksteps to it but nice to see a Charleston here haha. MY GOODNESS, this had to have been the fastest Charleston I’ve ever seen. This was crazy fast and so exhausting to watch. I mean all of tat in a great way. I loved Ryan & Giulia’s energy together. Guilia gave Ryan a lot of content, and he executed perfectly. Loved all of their partnering work, footwork, the swivels, and all of the side by side dancing was so on point and in sync. The tricks - with his hand stand and flipping Guilia around were so much fun to watch. The just went by so fast, with lots of content and Ryan did not miss a step. Really an impressive dance, and it was such a joy to watch. Deserving of its perfect 30.

 

Lottie & Pasquale - Paso Doble: I loved the Mission Impossible theme of this dance, but I also felt and got a The Matrix vibe from this acne too - like a Fusion. Like when Lottie did that matrix move with Pasquale’s arm going over her and that move where he goes to the side and Lottie holding onto his leg. Ooh i loved how musical they were in this hitting and making all of those sharp movements at the start with the music being all dramatic. So good! This dance was very sharp and intricate. There was a lot of expressive Spanish lines and shaping in the arms. The partnering work was great and strong, although I understand there wasn’t that much partnering. And maybe the dance was a bit more style over substance. But i didn’t care - I loved and lived for the theatrics and dramatics o this dance. Lottie killed it with channeling that character and danced the routine phenonimally.

 

Aidan & Emily - American Smooth: Omgg Emily with the cat ears is adorable. ETA: Oh wait nevermind that’s her hair in buns lmao. I didn’t know what to expect from this dance - but this was a cute and fun dance from them. Aidan did really well with this dance. I loved the opening sequence of them dancing with the canes. Felt Aidan had a lot of fun with that  showing a lot of fun personality and danced well in sync with Emily there. I feel like this was the most fun he had in a dance and his performance skills are growing. This dance definitely had a Broadway feel/production to it - and had a feeling of a Broadway/Jazz dance. The lifts and tricks Aidan did here with Emily were also impressive. I do think the dance lacked some American Smooth Foxtrot to it, as it seemed to take nearly a full minute of the dance for them to start dancing in hold. But the in hold dancing was really good, as Aidan had a nice frame, footwork and partnered well with Emily. Definitely amongst Aidan’s best, and I’d say my favorite dance of his yet and deserving of its 8s and 9.

 

Rock Till You Drop Dance Marathon: Aww yay I love that they danced to the Happy Days theme song. As usual with dance marathons, this is hard to watch and dissect everyone closely and properly.  But it was all kind of what you would expect. Lottie and Ryan slaying and nailing their dancing the most. Aidan and Gráinne, not as good as them, but delivering a very good and solid effort. And Fr Ray easily the weakest link and not nearly as good as any of them. So no issues with Fr Ray wing eliminated first. I do think Aidan stood out a little more to me over Gráinne - so I’m fine with her going 2nd and Aidan going 3rd. It was definitely a tough decision between Lottie and Ryan. Both were fantastic through the whole thing - ut no complaints with Lottie winning this.

 

Ranking:

1. Ryan & Giulia - Charleston
2. Lottie & Pasquale - Paso Doble
3. Aidan & Emily - American Smooth
4. Gráinne & Kai - Samba

5. N/A. Fr Ray & Kylee - American Smooth

The Bottom 2 was Lottie & Pasquale vs. Fr Ray & Kylee. Felt bad for Lottie there as she delivered a strong Paso and nailed the Dance Marathon, but at least Fr Ray finally went. Looking forward to watching the finale dances soon!

[*Wallace]

I watched the Week 11 Finals episode earlier this week but forgot to post my review, so doing so now.

 

WEEK 11 FINAL THOUGHTS:

 

Aidan & Emily - Viennese Waltz: This was really nice and sweet VW from Aidan. It was elegant and flowy as well. I thought Aidan did well with the side by side movements and showcased Emily well in hold. He did seem to come across a little stiff - with lacking a bit of smoothness and drive needed for a VW. I also think he performed it better on the out of hold parts whereas was a little timid in hold. Still a good dance.

 

Ryan & Giulia - Samba: Ooh I’m glad Ryan got a traditional Samba this time as I was kinda disappointed he had a heavily themed Salsa awhile ago and he’s capable of delivering a strong traditional Latin dance. And he certainly did so with this Samba! I was trying to think where I knew this song from - and it was from Henry & Vanessa’s iconic Samba from SYTYCDAU1. I loved the opening of the dance setting off the African themed Samba vibe with their solo sections. Then they dance fantastic technical and super fast Samba dancing together. Ryan really embraced the theme so well here and had great footwork, technique, partnering skills, hip action and all of the necessities for a fantastic Samba! Ryan did fantastic with all of the partnering dancing, including the Samba rolls thrown in there. Also loved all of their side  by side dancing. Ryan & Giulia  always ooze chemistry in their dances and this was no different. This was their hottest dance yet.

 

Lottie & Pasquale - Quickstep: Omgg the theme of this dance reminds me of Nancy & Val’s Tango. But aww this was a really cute and fun dance from Lottie & Pasquale. I loved their solo dancing they did amongst each other - like some kind of battle showing off stuff they did trying to one up the other, and Pasquale was definitely performing up to that on his parts. The actual Quickstep portions were really great. Lottie had a great frame and footwork, and they moved and gelled together as one.  It was very clean, precise and good fast paced. I did feel they really performed their characters well and ahd so much fun with this which was a joy to watch!

 

Gráinne & Kai - Foxtrot: Wow this was really gorgeous. There’s that saying of “like poetry in motion” and this dance would be the visual example of that. Gráinne produced such gorgeous lines, had a great frame, in hold position and footwork. The dance was so elegant and smooth. And I felt they really connected so beautifully together. Gráinne produces such strong and gorgeous ballroom dances and this dance showed that. I’m surprise this didn’t get any 10s because I couldn’t think of much that was wrong with this.

 

Aidan, Emily & Laura - Salsa: Okayy well this trio gets points for dancing to my 2009 JAM “I Know You Want Me (Call Oche).” 11 years later, this song is still a jam and I will never tire of it. Okay this was a really fun dance. Aidan was really happy and smiley in this dance an lol love how the host picked up on that after the dance. OK I do think they did a great job making Aidan the focus and keeping him in the middle. Emily & Laura were both really hot in this dance an were workin’ it like whoa. I do feel like this dance had more of a hip-hop feel and lacking partnering an the Salsa content in it. I do really like the parts where Aidan was partnering Emily & Laura, and it was noticeable he was lacking the hip action and latin flavor the girls had - even though he had his own cool flavor going on. Ooh I absolutely love that 3 person lift move they did that was reminisce of Calvin/Lindsay/Witney’s epic move in their Salsa trio. That was the best for me. But this was really fun.

 

Ryan, Giulia & Karen - American Smooth: Ahh this dance had such a great timeless classic feel to it. It had a nice mixture of Hollywood glamour and Broadway feel to it. The 3 person partnering in hold stuff in ballroom trio dances does make me giggle a bit but these 3 made it work. Most importantly, Ryan always remained the star having the spotlight on him. He shone in both the partnering work and the solo dancing. The tap dancing part from Ryan was really cool as well. It was also nice seeing Karen dancing with a capable male dancer as it’s been awhile since we saw her with a great dancer. This dance was just straight up smooth and a delight to watch.

 

Lottie, Pasquale & Ryan - Cha-Cha: This dance had an interesting theme to it with the whole doctor/scientiest feel to it, which lasted like 10 seconds. Btu it kinda made sense with the “Doctor Love” feel of the song. Lottie was really hot in this dance and really worked it. She came off and danced/performed in such a natural sexy way.  She had great partnering, hip action, footwork, rhythm and she just owned the dance from start to finish. Sometimes with how fast they were all moving, you could lose focus on Lottie with the guys being shown over her - but that isn’t really much of an issue as Lottie was killing it and fantastic throughout.

 

Gráinne, Kai & Stephen - Charleston: Oooh I LOVE that they danced their Charleston to “Dance Apocalyptic,” as I really love that song! Aww this dance was adorable and sooo much fun. Gráinne was adorable and looked like she was having a blast here. She really performed and danced this really well in such a natural effortless way. I really loved the sections of her partnering dancing with Kai and then would turn around and dance & kick around with Stephen. All of the partnering, tricks and side by side dancing they did was great and entertaining throughout. The ending flip over move with Kai & Stephen was really fun - but also weird because it just left Gráinne standing there and doing nothing while that was happening.  Regardless this was one of my very faves from Gráinne.

 

 

Rankings:

1. Lottie, Pasquale & Ryan - Cha-Cha
2. Ryan, Giulia & Karen - American Smooth
3. Gráinne, Kai & Stephen - Charleston
4. Ryan & Giulia - Samba 
5. Lottie & Pasquale - Quickstep
6. Gráinne & Kai - Foxtrot
7. Aidan, Emily & Laura - Salsa
8. Aidan & Emily - Viennese Waltz

 

This was super difficult to rank, because I really loved the Top 5 dances (3-4 were the toughest to rank), loved #6 and really liked 7-8. This was a really strong semi-final turned episode much stronger than last year’s semi-final episode. Really happy for Lottie & Pasquale winning, as she’s an amazing dancer that ha so many stanout dances. Although I would have been happy with Ryan winning as he’s been just as amazing too.

[*Wallace]

Now that I properly watched everything (that was available to watch), I’ll do my Overall Rankings of this series.

 

1. Lottie & Pasquale
2. Ryan & Giulia
3. Gráinne & Kai
4. Sinéad & Ryan
5. Aidan & Emily
6. Brian & Laura
7. Glenda & Robert
8. Mary & John
9. Yewande & Stephen
10. Michael & Karen
11. Fr. Ray & Kylee

 

- Lottie and Ryan were dominant and amazing throughout the season. They were the two that excelled and did really well with everything thrown at them. Definite amongst the DWTSIRL greats.

- Gráinne did really well throughout the season, and i am glad to see DWTSIrl supporting a model and not robbing her. She had a few misses but lots of solid and great dances.

- Ugh poor Sinéad was super robbed and didn’t expect that, nor did she deserve that. She was really solid.

- Aidan was a pleasant surprise. He’s better than your average athlete, and had some really nice dances. Although once Fr Ray left, it was easy to tell he was the weakest of that Final 4, but by no means bad.

- Brian was fun and enjoyable  - but I wished and expected him to be better. His same-sex Quickstep with Kai was his highlight for sure.

- Glenda was an early boot I was quite sad to see go when she did. I felt she had more potential left in her that we didn’t get to see.

- Mary is a sweet woman, and I know/read she’s Ireland’s national sweetheart so not surprised she made it this far. She wasn’t too good, but she had some decent and enjoyable dances.

- Also wish we got to see more of Yewande. While se wasn’t good, she certainly had more potential over Michael and Fr Ray.

- Michael was bad. Seemed nice enough but was boring to me. I would have preferred him going before Yewande and Glenda, but at least he didn’t rob

- I guess Fr Ray was ~fun, but my goodness he was really terrible. The fact that he’s barely had the second lowest average of the season, with the help of a 27-point scoring group dance and 10+ dances, is really telling.

[*Amanda]

5 hours ago, *Wallace said:

much stronger than last year’s semi-final episode. 

The Fred Cooke shade.  

 

Here's my ranking:

 

1. Lottie & Pasquale - She SLAYED and had so many standout dances. I don't care if they weren't always ~traditional ballroom~ enough, they always felt fresh and exciting and I'm so happy she could overcome the general hate for female ringers and pull off the win.

2. Ryan & Giulia - He's amazing as well, but I just connected with Lottie more. He was super consistent and delivered many standouts too. I would've been content with a Ryan win as well. I'm glad Giulia got a chance to shine with a actually good partner after last year.

3. Gráinne & Kai - I never would've thought she'd make the finals, but so happy she did. She had some fantastic routines, particuarly her Contemporary Ballroom, Viennese Waltz, and Charleston being standouts of the season. And of course, I love her "Paper RIngs" Quickstep because it's set to a T.Swift song.

4. Sinéad & Ryan - UGH SO ROBBED. The Lottie vs Sinéad dance-off was the worst and it's sad that both couldn't survive. She did really well, though! I loved her American Smooth and then her Viennese Waltz during switch-up week.

5. Aidan & Emily - A good dancer and was better than I expected him to be, but I felt he was the weak link of the top 4. 

6. Brian & Laura - Brian's Quickstep with Kai was an amazing moment, but other than that I found him just...there?

7. Glenda & Robert - Rather forgettable in the long run, but she had potential and I would've liked to see more of her instead of being stuck with Fr. Ray and Michael.

8. Mary & Jonathan - Mary wasn't that good, but better than those below her. She was enjoyable though and didn't make me rage like Fr. Ray did with her continued presence.

9. Yewande & Stephen - She wasn't good, but I would've taken more of her instead of Michael and Fr. Ray. But also, can this show retire "Lover" as a song choice? Hannah Brown is the only one who's done that song justice thus far.

10. Michael & Karen - Not Fr. Ray levels of bad and he had the decency not to rob anyone, but still pretty bad. I hope Karen gets someone good next year now she's had two duds following her win with Jake.

11. Fr. Ray & Kylee - DREADFUL. He's this season's equivalent of S**n where he was terrible the entire time but his extremely large following carried him through for WAY too long. Thank goodness that he missed out on the finals, but he still robbed poor Sinéad who was a FAR better dancer than him, as well as an actually decent dancer in Brian.

 

Wally and I having the same exact rankings.  

[DWTSFan2001]

Just say on Digital Spy that DWTSIRL will not be airing next year. I wouldn't really blame it on COVID as Strictly is still running, my guess is that RTE simply don't have the money to run it safely, they already had a tight budget before all of this.

 

How about some of their pros for Strictly or even DWTS Australia?

[*Wallace]

On 3/27/2020 at 7:10 PM, *Amanda said:

The Fred Cooke shade.  

 

Here's my ranking:

 

1. Lottie & Pasquale - She SLAYED and had so many standout dances. I don't care if they weren't always ~traditional ballroom~ enough, they always felt fresh and exciting and I'm so happy she could overcome the general hate for female ringers and pull off the win.

2. Ryan & Giulia - He's amazing as well, but I just connected with Lottie more. He was super consistent and delivered many standouts too. I would've been content with a Ryan win as well. I'm glad Giulia got a chance to shine with a actually good partner after last year.

3. Gráinne & Kai - I never would've thought she'd make the finals, but so happy she did. She had some fantastic routines, particuarly her Contemporary Ballroom, Viennese Waltz, and Charleston being standouts of the season. And of course, I love her "Paper RIngs" Quickstep because it's set to a T.Swift song.

4. Sinéad & Ryan - UGH SO ROBBED. The Lottie vs Sinéad dance-off was the worst and it's sad that both couldn't survive. She did really well, though! I loved her American Smooth and then her Viennese Waltz during switch-up week.

5. Aidan & Emily - A good dancer and was better than I expected him to be, but I felt he was the weak link of the top 4. 

6. Brian & Laura - Brian's Quickstep with Kai was an amazing moment, but other than that I found him just...there?

7. Glenda & Robert - Rather forgettable in the long run, but she had potential and I would've liked to see more of her instead of being stuck with Fr. Ray and Michael.

8. Mary & Jonathan - Mary wasn't that good, but better than those below her. She was enjoyable though and didn't make me rage like Fr. Ray did with her continued presence.

9. Yewande & Stephen - She wasn't good, but I would've taken more of her instead of Michael and Fr. Ray. But also, can this show retire "Lover" as a song choice? Hannah Brown is the only one who's done that song justice thus far.

10. Michael & Karen - Not Fr. Ray levels of bad and he had the decency not to rob anyone, but still pretty bad. I hope Karen gets someone good next year now she's had two duds following her win with Jake.

11. Fr. Ray & Kylee - DREADFUL. He's this season's equivalent of S**n where he was terrible the entire time but his extremely large following carried him through for WAY too long. Thank goodness that he missed out on the finals, but he still robbed poor Sinéad who was a FAR better dancer than him, as well as an actually decent dancer in Brian.

 

Wally and I having the same exact rankings.  

Omg just saw that you did this post! Amazing write-up of thoughts and rankings!  Loveee all of our agreement!

 

On 7/22/2020 at 12:58 PM, DWTSFan2001 said:

Just say on Digital Spy that DWTSIRL will not be airing next year. I wouldn't really blame it on COVID as Strictly is still running, my guess is that RTE simply don't have the money to run it safely, they already had a tight budget before all of this.

 

How about some of their pros for Strictly or even DWTS Australia?

Oooh nooo I just found this out here.   Sadness. But yeah if there isn't way for them to run the show safely then it's an understandable call. I hope it doesn't get forgotten about or actually cancelled and can come back in 2022.

[Ariel1989]

The show is returning for a fifth series this January! https://lovin.ie/amp/entertainment/dancing-with-the-stars-ireland-to-return-in-january

 

There will be 12 couples instead of 11. 

 

Nicky and Jennifer are returning as hosts. 
 

Brian and Loraine are returning as judges while Julian is being replaced by dancer/choreographer Arthur Gourounlian who also happens to be married to series 4 contestant Brian Dowling.  
 

No word on celebs or pros yet.  Kai is definitely out since he’s on Strictly now.  Giulia has been competing professionally in Italy for a while so she might be out as well.  For the other non-Irish pros, Emily and Pasquale are currently in Ireland so they might be in plus Pasquale has confirmed that he won’t be a part of the upcoming new season in Belgium (he won the last season) due to its scheduled broadcast.  Kylee and Stephen were said to be in Ireland as well but I haven’t found any solid proof of that rumor yet; Loraine did comment on an IG fan page, “Can’t wait to see them” so maybe the rumor has merit?  
 

According to the Irish Sun, Ryan is out and all the pros will have to be vaccinated; they said that John, Karen and Laura have already been double vaccinated since they teach dancing outside of the show.  I have a feeling they put the part about needing to be vaccinated with Ryan’s leaving because Ryan might have refused to get vaccinated.  He once posted a story where he criticized the focus on Covid over world hunger which he said was a bigger problem; I messaged him that he was being insensitive towards people who lost loved ones to Covid and while he hasn’t said anything back or blocked me, it does say that he saw my message    

[*Wallace]

Oooh I was wondering and checking on DWTSIrl updates every now and then but never saw anything. Yayy for the 5th season coming this fall!  

 

Thanks for all of this info, Ariel!  Looking forward to this, although media is so hard to find.

[Ariel1989]

New pro announced!  Maurizio Benenato of Burn the Floor and Graziano Di Prima’s Havana Nights Tour.  Confirmed by the Irish Sun and by Maurizio himself.