Dancing in the dark, but stars still put on a powerful show
‘These are the pitfalls of live TV’
THEY say ‘dance like no-one is watching’ – and this became a reality last night when a power cut wiped out RTÉ’s Dancing With The Stars for hundreds of thousands of viewers.
With just half an hour left of the broadcast, producers were forced to halt the live show when power crashed at Ardmore Studios in Co. Wicklow.
In studio, the stars and professionals were left dancing in the dark as technicians attempted to fix the problem.
The show was off air for over ten minutes, sparking ire throughout social media and causing a major embarrassment for the national broadcaster.
Producer Larry Bass told the Irish Daily Mail: ‘We had a catastrophic power cut. These things happen and there is nothing you an do. Thankfully we had a team of electricians on site to help us get back up and running. It is something you can’t legislate. Thankfully, it happened after all 11 dancers had finished and it proved it is live television and these are the pitfalls of live TV.
‘We were able to get it back online and get the show finished.’
After power had been restored, the show’s first evictee was announced – and it was a real curveball. There was a collective intake of breath form the audience when host Nicky Byrne announced Mrs Brown’s Boys star Eilish O’Carroll was the first to leave the series – providing a bigger shock than the power cut.
‘I had a ball,’ she said. ‘I am going to miss this. I am going to have a lie-in tomorrow morning. I am OK; when you get the judges’ votes you think that is an indication of how the public will vote. I am disappointed and the first person to go out is always going to be a big deal. But I have to suck it up, girl, and yeah, it was a great but short journey.’
On top of the shock eviction and blackout, there was a bumper schedule with all 11 dancers performing. First to take to the dance floor and, one of the show’s highlights, was Mairéad Ronan who danced the Charleston with her partner John Nolan.
The TV and radio broadcaster gave all new mums a shot in the arm with a jawdropping number that even managed to garner a smile from resident crank judge Brian Redmond.
Despite giving birth to baby Bonnie just five months ago, the mum of three wowed all three judges and scored a leaderboard-topping 24 points.
The other star performer on the night was comedian Fred Cooke, who performed an upbeat Charleston with partner Giulia Dotta. After the dance, Fred commented: ‘The Charleston is 1920s happiness, so if you’re not enjoying it, you’re missing the point.’
The final celebrity to perform was actor Johnny Ward, but the power went before he got a chance to defend himself from the judges. In the end, when the votes were tallied, it was Eilish who became the first to leave the show.