Dancing With The Stars: Who Will Win This Year’s Series?
Daire Walsh
As we now enter into week six of the competition with eight contestants still remaining, betting sites are continuing to examine who the most likely winner of this year’s Dancing With The Stars will be.
Two weeks after his fellow Fair City co-star Rory Cowan was voted off, Shane Quigley Murphy also suffered elimination from the 2024 edition of DWTS.
Although two couples scored lower than the 19 points he garnered alongside Laura Nolan for a Samba to Sam Smith’s How Will I Know? Murphy couldn’t make it through the public vote at the end of last Sunday’s show.
With TikTok star and Red FM presenter Miriam Mullins also being eliminated in between the Carrigstown duo, the competition is certainly starting to open up.
That said, as we move towards ‘Dedicated Dance Week’ this coming Sunday, the contestants that have been earmarked as the main contenders up until now remain the most likely winners of Dancing With The Stars for this year.
Whelan Still The Favourite For Top Dance Prize
He may have dropped off from 27 points to 24 last weekend – and received a tough assessment from judge Brian Redmond for his Cha-cha-cha with Salome Chachua – but David Whelan remains the favourite for a DWTS success in the eyes of specials betting sites.
A member of the band Wild Youth (who represented Ireland in the Eurovision last year), Whelan was rated at 11/10 last week and is currently available at 11/8 in advance of this weekend’s episode.
Fox, Hydrangea And Mia Also Keeping Up The Chase
Having previously been the second favourite for the top prize, RTE presenter Laura Fox found herself dropping down to fourth in the pecking order ahead of last Sunday’s show.
However, the Galway woman that currently serves as the host of Ireland’s Fittest Family on the Irish national broadcaster has once again returned to being the leader of the chasing pack behind Whelan.
Fox and Denys Samson gained the highest points tally in week five, with their Samba to Echame La Culpa by Luis Fonsi and Demi Lovato securing a healthy haul of 27. Now available at odds of 3/1, she remains a viable candidate for Dancing With The Stars supremacy.
Northern Ireland drag queen Blu Hydrangea has been a consistent performer along with Simone Arena since this year’s competition began.
Last week saw them executing a Contemporary Ballroom to Loreen’s Tattoo and claiming an impressive 25 points for their efforts – including a score of nine from Arthur Gourounlian.
Heading into week six, the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK is rated as a 9/2 prospect for top honours with betting apps. Interestingly, this Sunday will see Hydrangea and Arena performing a Paso Doble to Sissy That Walk by RuPaul himself.
One of the most powerful moments in last week’s Dancing With The Stars was when judge Loraine Barry – a former world champion dancer – addressed the camera to take on those who had made harmful comments in relation to the body size of contestant Katja Mia.
The fact that Mia (who currently works as a presenter on Virgin Media’s The Six O’Clock Show) has consistently been registering 20+ points in this year’s contest made the comments which were directly towards her all the more ridiculous.
Last Sunday saw her and dance partner Ervinas Merfeldas claiming 23 points for a Viennese Waltz to Avril Lavigne’s Keep Holding On and they safely made it through to this weekend’s show.
At the time of writing, her chances of becoming the 2024 winner of Dancing With The Stars are rated at 9/2.
Davison Could Still Have An Outside Chance
While the above quartet are seen as the frontrunners for the top dancing prize, Rosanna Davison at 9/1 could be an interesting outside bet.
The winner of the Miss World pageant in 2003, the Dubliner and Stephen Vincent produced their best dance of the competition last Sunday as they secured a combined 26 points off the judges for a Charleston to Caro Emerald’s Dr. Wanna Do.
This week’s show could prove to be an emotional one for Davison as it will see her dancing a Rumba to Lady In Red – the song that was a number one hit for her father Chris de Burgh.
Smyth and Russell Further Down The Pecking Order
At 33/1 respectively, former sports stars Jason Smyth and Davy Russell are seen as rank outsiders for overall honours in this competition.
From Smyth’s point of view, the fact that his central vision is affected by Stargardt’s disease (he is regarded as legally blind as a consequence) presents him and his dance partner Karen Byrne with difficult challenges on a weekly basis.
However, he was used to overcoming various obstacles on his way to winning six Paralympic gold medals and the pair claimed a respectable 18 points for a Salsa to the Olly Murs song Don’t Stop Dancing last Sunday.
After only claiming 12 points in week three, ex-national hunt jockey Russell has improved steadily in the past couple of weeks and scored 20 in the most recent episode for his American Smooth with Kylee Vincent to Rod Stewart’s Ain’t Misbehavin.
Although neither man might be in the shake-up when it comes to the business end of the competition, their undoubted popularity could see them remaining in the race for at least another few weeks.
Dunne Not Seen As A Likely Competition Winner
The same could be said for former RTE newsreader Eileen Dunne, who made it through to week six after being one of two celebrities (Whelan surprisingly was the other) to be called safe as a result of Murphy’s elimination last Sunday.
She and Robert Rowinski scored 17 points for their Jive to Let’s Twist Again by Chubby Checker – making it the third week in succession that this pair have garnered this tally.
Nevertheless, at 80/1, she is seen as the least likely winner of the competition in the eyes of new betting sites.