Dancing with the Stars bade farewell to Teresa Mannion this week, after she and actress Denise McCormack made the treacherous journey into the bottom two, and found themselves as the first contestants to be involved in the Dance-Off. Here's how the evening went...
Nobody puts Dayl in the corner
Last week Dayl got the first ever score of 30 on the show, so how could he live up to that again this week? With Contemporary Ballroom, of course. Dancing to Hall of Fame by The Script, Dayl was reunited with partner Ksenia and delivered yet again in spades.
Dayl said he was trying to "be Patrick Swayze for once", and all three judges said he and Ksenia nailed it, especially with the lifts. Brian Redmond said that "anybody can do lifts, but it's a real challenge to do difficult, dangerous lifts well", and that the dance had "a sense of two young lovers coming back together after being separated for the week". The duo bagged a huge score of 28, including another 10 from Darren Bennett, who said it was "right up his street".
Teresa was a swinging sensation, but not enough to save her
Teresa was reunited with partner John Nolan this week, and took on the Paso Doble to Habanera by Charlotte Church. In what was a different routine to what they were used to, Teresa and John were told that it was clear they had their confidence back and that they were improving.
Darren Bennett said this week he was "expecting power and passion, and I got it". They achieved a score of 16, with judge Brian Redmond pointing out that "sometimes dance is about the moments of stillness between the movement", but that they "did a great job of using Teresa to polish the floor". Judge Loraine Barry praised the duo, saying "the music immediately said to me there would be a lot of drama, and that drama I absolutely saw".
Despite her improvements week-on-week, however, Teresa found herself in the dreaded Dance-Off, and up against Denise, who bagged one of the top scores of the night, a 27. The judges voted Teresa off, but she said she couldn't believe she got to week 8, saying: "I had never done a dance step, but week by week I improved a little bit and tonight I felt both of us knew and enjoyed dancing that routine."
Denise salsas her way back into the frame
Denise has been one of the leading contenders from week 1, and although that has dimmed in recent weeks, this week she brought the power, much to the delight of Brian Redmond. Having been told to bring the power to the rehearsal room, they threw the kitchen sink at it.
Dancing a Salsa to Vivir Mi Vida by Marc Anthony, Denise was in her element as she and partner Ryan McShane earned a score of 27, one behind Dayl and Ksenia. Brian Redmond told her that "with that kind of performance it feels like you're starting to make a sprint to the finish line", while Loraine Barry felt she was really at the top of her game "This salsa had everything in it – it was full on and that's what you bring every week," she said.
Her routine, despite being a very high score, found her in the Dance-Off at the end of the show. Denise delivered a powerful performance yet again, saying afterwards that she was "nervous but the crowd were fantastic". The judges voted to save her at Teresa's expense.
Dancing Dessie brings the emotion
Dancing Dessie was reunited with Karen Byrne this week, and the Dublin duo delivered a solid Viennese Waltz to The Marino Waltz by The Dubliners, even fitting in a bit of Riverdance. Des garnered a huge cheer from the audience following their dance. Loraine Barry said he "started dancing from beginning to the end", and said Des "did the song great justice".
He earned a score of 19 and "broke Brian Redmond" according to Amanda Byram, although Brian pointed out that, "technically there were some issues, technically it was a bit more Whiskey in the Jar but emotionally it was more Black Velvet Band... I really enjoyed it". Judge Darren Bennett showered his performance with praise, citing that "these are the moments that make Dancing with the Stars the show that it is". Des' emotional performance was enough to sway the audience to vote him in for a place in next week's show.
Back to Kai – Back to Reality
Katherine Lynch and Kai Widdrington took on the Charleston to Life is a Cabaret by Liza Minnelli. She needed to use her whole body to deliver a good performance and she got one of her highest scores of the series, 23 points.
In a performance that had bags of character, Katherine certainly impressed the judges, with Loraine Barry saying "it was such a fabulous performance with really high energy". Darren Bennett said, "Life wherever you are is always going to be a cabaret." However, Bennett also pointed out that, "Occasionally for me it needed more of the authentic technique, but it was amazing."
A Game of Two Halves
Kerry All-Star Aidan O'Mahony found himself at the bottom of the judges' leaderboard last week with a disappointing 15. Reunited with partner Valeria this week, a rejuvenated Aidan was determined to do better. Brian Redmond was pleased with Aidan's response to last week's criticism, saying that "No elimination last week meant this was a game of two halves and you certainly improved this halve – overall much better."
Waltzing to Fly Me to the Moon by Buddy Greco, Aidan and Valeria earned a respectable 22 points. Darren Bennett said: "A true sportsman always takes the hit and comes back fighting, and that's what you did tonight." A game of two halves it turned out to be indeed, as he cemented his place in next week's show.
Aggressive Aoibhín
Aoibhín was so close to a perfect score last week, and so was determined to match the milestone set by Dayl. Aoibhín and Vitali delivered an aggressive Paso Doble to the tune of Florence + the Machine's Spectrum, something which Darren Bennett picked up on, claiming that their dance "had the full spectrum".
Loraine Barry pointed out that it had "a spectacular opening". However, she said she "would've liked just a little bit more of that energy that you had in the face more in the feet and legs - but overall a great performance".
