DWTS isn’t sexist, says RTE... the women get top marks!
Montrose hits back after Deirdre O’Kane allegation
SHE’S known as a woman who manages to keep her cool while taking no nonsense.
So when Deirdre O’Kane claimed she and the other women contestants on Dancing With The Stars are deliberately marked down, she sparked a sexism row.
But RTÉ stepped in last night with figures showing that Deirdre’s allegations against the national broadcaster are simply incorrect.
Earlier yesterday, the comedian had spoken out over a perception that the male participants in the hit Sunday evening programme were getting consistently higher marks. She told how she had confronted tough-talking judge Brian Redmond after her foxtrot received a poor tally of points from the judges.
‘I set a personal best but we can’t control the judge’s scores,’ she said, adding that she was ‘sick of’ the low scoring.
And, she went on: ‘The judges are not just tougher with me. They are tougher with all the women without a shadow of a doubt. The men get an easier time on Dancing With The Stars and that’s plain to see. I said to Brian. I don’t think I deserved that seven, and he said, “I don’t care.”’
However, RTÉ released figures yesterday pouring cold water on Deirdre’s claims.
The data shows that, of the top five highest scores achieved this series, four were allocated to pairings where the female partner was the celebrity participant – and Deirdre was one of the top scorers.
Topping the poll are singer Jake Carter and Karen Byrne with 25.6 points, an average of their ten dances so far.
They are followed by Kildare model Alannah Beirne and Vitali Kozmin on 22.4 (over nine dances), then Conor McGregor’s sister, fitness model Erin McGregor and Ryan McShane on 24.4 points, Anna Geary and Kai Widdrington on 23.8 with Deirdre and John Nolan in fifth place with 22.9 points.
Show judge Brian Redmond said: ‘The statistics prove the female contestants are averaging three points more than the men so the stats don’t back up what Deirdre said.’
‘They are tougher with the women’