To be fair, the term “Irish celebrity” doesn’t bring a long list of people to mind.
Enya’s never going to leave her castle to partake in a reality dancing contest, even though we have heard she’s a fan of an aul boogie. Bono’s too busy saving the world and there’s already been one McGregor on the show – probably no need for another.
For this reason, Dancing with the Stars Ireland could be reaching its end – and may be replaced with The Masked Singer.
According to the Independent, insiders at RTÉ say the upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars may be the last. Apparently, while costs are a factor, RTÉ are also “running out of people prepared to do the show, and the pool of talent is dwindling”.
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The Masked Singer is a cheaper alternative, as there are no co-dancers needed.
If you’re not familiar with the concept, The Masked Singer is a Korean franchise which first aired in South Korea in 2016, and sees celebrities singing songs while wearing head-to-toe costumes and face masks concealing their identities. A panel of judges are brought in to guess who’s singing, behind the mask.
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Dancing with the Stars Ireland has been running since January 2017 and been won by Aidan O’Mahony, Jake Carter, Mairead Ronan, Lottie Ryan and Nina Carberry. A total of 55 celebrities have taken part in the show including Deirdre O’Kane, Des Bishop, Marty Morrissey, Mary Kennedy, Glenda Gilson and Grainne Seoige.
At one stage, there were so many RTÉ employees participating that Louis Walsh dubbed the show “Dancing with the Staff”.