There were pleasant surprises in the form of Mrs Brown’s Boys' Danny O’Carroll decent foxtrot, while Olympian Jack Woolley impressed with a waltz, and Joanna Donnelly struggled with a cha cha cha.
Christmas is behind us, Dry January is in full swing, and RTÉ’s most fabulous show is back on the telly.
On Sunday night, Dancing with the Stars returned for another season with eleven new celebrities and a new judge in the form of pro dancer Karen Byrne.
Opening the show was Mrs Brown’s Boys Danny O'Carroll, best known for portraying Buster on the hit show.
“If I am being honest, I am pleasantly surprised,” Byrne remarked of his foxtrot. “Your frame was very impressive.” Head judge Loraine Barry added, “you have potential.” He scored a healthy 22 out of a now possible 40 points.
Next up was Yasmin Seky, best known for her role as Nikita Murphy in Kin. Judge Brian Redmond noted she was “a bit stiff” in the notoriously difficult samba, but said the "energy is definitely there.” It was 25 for the actress.
Gearóid Farrelly’s tango to Dua Lipa’s ‘Training Season’ started with a small slip. Thankfully, it was only up from there.
“You dealt with [the slip] so, so well,” Judge Redmond said. He said it was “great to see two male bodies on the show,” acknowledging his same-sex pairing with Stephen Vincent on the show. He scored 28.
Double-Olympian Jack Woolley, who viewers will recognize from watching him at this year’s games, was one of the standouts of night one with Byrne saying she was “lost for words” at his first effort on the dance floor. Judge Arthur Gourounlian said he predicts “a good Dancing with the Stars journey” for the Taekwondo athlete. He scored 30.
The most painful moment of the night came in the form of Joanna Donnelly’s week one scores. We thought the weather forecaster’s cha cha cha to ‘It’s Raining Men’ was delightful, but the judging panel didn’t feel the same.
“It was a bit of a dry spell,” Gourounlian commented. She scored just 15 overall with Redmond’s measly three sticking in the throat.
Similarly, Mickey Joe Harte of ‘We’ve Got The World Tonight’ fame stormed in with a Paso Doble that had us cheering at home, but Redmond reckoned it could have been “a bit more subtle in places”. He scored 19.
Things got more positive when beauty pageant winner Aishah Akorede and her pro partner Robert Rowiński took to the floor.
Gourounlian said her quickstep was "elegance meets energy," while Byrne said her frame looked "so natural".
"You fit in Robert's arms perfectly, it's like you were made for each other," she commented. She scored 29.
Celebrity chef Kevin Dundon's American smooth earned him 17 points. Redmond said it was "sweet and fun" but it needed "more work".
Content creator Kayleigh Trappe embraced her Monaghan roots with a jive, scoring an impressive 28.
"Halfway through I wanted to go up and join you," Byrne said. "It was very slick, I loved it."
Virgin Media presenter Elaine Crowley had the audience oohing and ahhing with her waltz to 'Three Times a Lady'.
"You put a spell on the ballroom, I couldn't take my eyes off you," Gourounlian commented. The Ireland AM presenter scored 23.
Closing the night with a bang was Olympic gold medallist Rhys McClenaghan with a salsa that started with splits in the air.
"More tricks than a magician," Redmond commented. "We're not giving out gold medals tonight, but that's the kind of thing that would get you on a podium".
He closed out the night with a score of 31, topping the leaderboard.