This Sunday's episode of Dancing with the Stars could be an emotion one for the remaining nine couples as they take part in Dedicated Dance Night and perform a routine "in tribute to a person, or people, who have made a major impact on their lives".
Taekwondo athlete Jack Woolley will dedicate his dance to his friend and two-time gold medal-winning boxer, Kellie Harrington.
Jack and his professional dancer, Alex Vladimirov, will dance an American Smooth to Grace by The Wolfe Tones - a song which has become synonymous with Kellie. Jack’s dedication comes after the support that Kellie showed to him when he suffered a random assault just weeks after his first Olympic appearance in 2021.
Mrs. Brown’s Boys actor Danny O’Carroll will pay tribute to his father, and the sitcom’s creator, Brendan, with a Mrs. Brown’s Boys inspired Cha-cha-cha to She’s a Lady by Tom Jones, which featured in the 2014 film, Mrs. Brown’s Boys D’Movie.
Danny will reprise his role as Buster Brady for the routine while his pro-partner Salome Chachua becomes Mrs. Brown for one night only.
Comedian Gearóid Farrelly and his partner Stephen Vincent dance a Paso Doble to Holding Out For a Hero by Bonnie Tyler in honour of his own heroes - his parents, Eamon and Deirdre.
Former Miss Universe Ireland Aishah Akorede and her pro partner Robert Rowiński will honour Aishah’s mother Kemi, who has been the biggest influence in her life and a pillar of support as Aishah has dealt with sickle cell disease throughout her life.
They will honour Aishah and her mother’s Nigerian heritage with an African-inspired Samba to Kese (Dance) by Wizkid.
Meteorologist Joanna Donnelly and pro-dancer Maciej Zieba will Tango to Dreams by The Cranberries. Joanna, who has spoken openly about her previous struggles with fertility and her IVF journey, will talk about Pomegranate, the former charity she set up to help couples who were in a similar position to her but couldn’t afford the treatment. Her dedication will be to a couple who benefitted from the charity.
Some of the contestants will honour people who helped them in their careers. Having topped the leader board last week with the first two perfect tens of the season, Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Rhys McClenaghan will team up with Laura Nolan to dance a Jive to Gold Dust by DJ Fresh in honour of his coach, Luke Carson.
Luke has coached Rhys throughout his career from the lows of coming off the pommel horse mid-routine in Tokyo 2020 to achieving his lifelong dream of winning gold in Paris 2024.
Also on Sunday, Kin actress Yasmin Seky will praise three youth club workers who influenced her. Yasmin credits Mary, Phil and Gary as the driving force behind encouraging her to take on a career in performing.
When the 2016 movie Sing Street held casting sessions, they convinced Yasmin to audition by singing Halo by Beyoncé. Ultimately, Yasmin didn't get the role but the trio played a big part in instilling the confidence in her that she could go for it.
Along with her pro-dance partner, Simone, Yasmin will perform the first Rumba of the season to the song she auditioned with for Sing Street.
Social media personality Kayleigh Trappe and her partner, Ervinas Merfeldas, will dance a Contemporary Ballroom for her four-year-old niece Fíadh to Brave by Sara Bareilles.
Finally, following his Shrek-inspired routine last week, which landed him at the bottom of the leader board, Kevin Dundon will return with Rebecca Scott to dedicate a Tango to his wife, Catherine. They will dance to David Bowie’s Let’s Dance - a song from the era from when they first met.
None of the celebrities will be eliminated from the show on Sunday night. However, the couple who receive the highest combined points from the judges’ scores and public vote will earn immunity from the following week’s first Dance-Off of the season.
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