In August 2016, it was confirmed that RTÉ One would broadcast an Irish version of Dancing with the Stars, which would replace the successful The Voice of Ireland, which was cancelled in order for the broadcaster to order the new show.[6] A producer of the show commented, "We've got fantastic production people in Ireland who, I believe, deliver a show that's comparable with any of those shows on a fraction of the budget. So we're looking forward to the task of doing this equally the same way."[6]
It became quickly apparent that the television studios at RTÉ Television Centre in Dublin were too small for the large scale production of Dancing with the Stars would require, with the largest television studio at RTÉ Studio 4 at 6,525 sq ft (606.2 m2) would be too small and so the production have had to be based in Ardmore Studios located in County Wicklow, whose largest studio is 15,000 sq ft (1,400 m2).[7]
Format
The format of the series follows celebrities being paired up with professional dancers, who perform predetermined dances each week for judges' scores and public votes, with the couple with the lowest number of points being eliminated, until the winning couple remains.[3]
On 18 December 2016, RTÉ confirmed that Julian Benson, Loraine Barry and Brian Redmond would be the judges on the programme.[4][5] The show’s creative director, Darren Bennett, stood in for Benson at various points throughout Benson’s time on the show when he was absent due to illness.
People in the running to be host of the show included former Westlife musician and 2012 Strictly Come Dancing contestant Nicky Byrne; as well as popular radio host Ray D'Arcy, though D'Arcy ruled himself out of the running in August 2016.[6] In October 2016, it was reported that Marty Whelan had auditioned to host the show. In November, it was reported that Amanda Byram had been selected as one of the hosts.[2][8] In December, it was confirmed that Byrne would host alongside Byram.[9] It was also confirmed that Bláthnaid Treacy would be hosting RTÉ Twospin-off show, Can't Stop Dancing, airing on Friday nights before the live shows.[10]
On 28 August 2018, after two series, Amanda Byram confirmed that she would not be returning as a presenter in 2019.[11]
On 30 October 2018, Jennifer Zamparelli was confirmed as Byram's replacement.[12]
On 12 November 2021, it was announced that the series would return after one-year hiatus following the COVID-19 pandemic. Hosts, Zamaparelli and Byrne were slated to return alongside judges, Barry and Redmond. Julian Benson would not return for the fifth series, being replaced by choreographer and creative director, Arthur Gourounlian.[13][14]
On 25 August 2022, Nicky Byrne announced that he would be stepping away from hosting duties after five seasons to focus on Westlife touring commitments.[15] On 7 October 2022, it was announced that Doireann Garrihy would take over from Byrne as co-host for the sixth season alongside Zamparelli.[16]
Week 7 of Series 1 and Week 6 of Series 2, 3 and 4 was 'Switch-Up Week' in which the celebrities danced with different pros for one week only. The table above reflects this as it excludes each pro's regular celebrity partner's Switch-Up Week score and includes their Switch-Up Week partner's score.
Series 6 saw Maurizio Benenato originally partner, Brooke Scullion. However, in the third week of the competition, Benenato left due to unforeseen circumstances and was replaced with Robert Rowiński. The scores are reflected in the table above with Benenato accounting for Scullion's first two scores and Rowiński accounting for Week 3's scores onwards.
Overall Highest and lowest scoring performances
The best and worst performances over each series in each dance according to the judges' scale are as follows. Team Dances and Marathons are not on this list.
The scores presented below represent the perfect scores which the celebrities gained in their original season. Perfect scores awarded in Team Dances are not included within this table.
The fifth series was postponed in late July 2020 due to an outbreak of the COVID-19pandemic.[20][21] The series returned on 9 January 2022 and ended on 27 March 2022.
