RTÉ has officially announced Dancing with the Stars will return in January 2022, with 12 new celebrity dancers hoping to make it to the final.
After Goss.ie exclusively revealed the show would be making a comeback next year, the broadcaster confirmed the news in a statement shared this afternoon.
The entertainment series, which sees familiar faces from the world of entertainment team up with a professional dancer to perform a live routine each week, will run from January to March.
Aspirational dancers from the showbiz world will be teamed with professional dancers in a bid to impress the judges and viewers at home with their routines.
All will be hoping to progress to the final and get their hands on the coveted Dancing with the Stars glitterball trophy.
Presenters Jennifer Zamparelli and Nicky Byrne will be back at the helm of the series in 2022.
Judges Loraine Barry and Brian Redmond will also return to Dancing with the Stars, but longstanding judge Julian Benson will be replaced by acclaimed choreographer Arthur Gourounlian on the panel.
All three judges will be ready to give their informed, upfront, and sometimes tough-talking reviews and scores from each of the live performances to the contestants.
Among the other changes for the upcoming series are that 12 brand-new celebrities will now take part in the show (previously there were 11), and the series will get straight down to business, with celebrities and their partners being voted off from week 2 of the 12-week run of shows.
Social reporter James Patrice is back for the new season with his access-all-areas backstage pass to bring fans all the latest news and updates from the training room and the dancefloor on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter.
John McHugh, RTÉ Head of Entertainment, said: “RTÉ are delighted to announce that Dancing with the Stars is back and will once again be entertaining viewers across the country on Sunday evenings.”
“There’s a truly stellar line-up in store for this series, and I think everyone will welcome the return of the glamour and entertainment that ShinAwiL and Dancing with the Stars have always delivered for audiences.”
Larry Bass, CEO of ShinAwiL, said: “We are all thrilled in ShinAwiL to once again help bring the glitter back to brighten up our winter evenings in the new year on RTÉ One.”
“It will be a challenge to manage a show of this scale while also policing the strict covid protocols we have identified with RTÉ, but it is a challenge the whole team are looking forward to taking on. Dancing with the Stars is such a great feel-good show, it is exactly what the country needs after two years of tough times.”
Further details about Dancing With the Stars 2022 will be announced in the coming weeks, including the line-up of celebrities taking part, and their professional partners.
A number of new pro-dancers will be joining this year’s show also for the first time, including two new professional dancers from Ireland.
