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With the men having performed the week before, it was “Ladies’ Night” on the latest episode of RTE’s Dancing with the Stars [Sunday 15 January]. The initial group performance — set to Adele’s downtrodden but defiant “Set Fire to the Rain” — foreshadowed what was to come.

Our two hosts, Nicky Byrne and Amanda Byram, welcomed us with something that just about resembled enthusiasm. Nicky’s discomfort was infectious, and Amanda’s comedic delivery could only be found funny if we were to laugh at her and not with her. The dancing portion of the show proved to be a dreary affair. More running time is spent on showing household names like Aoibhín Garrihy and Denise McCormack drinking tea in their houses than on any actual dancing. There are occasional touching moments, however, such as when one judge tells Operation Transformation’s Dr. Eva Orsmond that her performance was “difficult to stomach.” It is always a relief to know that we are not alone in our suffering.

There is a moment of absurd relief when Teresa Mannion dances to a song which samples her immortal “Don’t make unnecessary journeys” weather report.  At one point, she teasingly swings a stop sign close to her partner’s neck – a decapitation being the only thing that could have brought life to this debacle.

Thankfully, the show ends on an unintentional high when the celebrity men perform a group dance. Hughie Maughan, of Big Brother fame, bafflingly channels Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder by appearing in blackface. To add to the oddity, Des Bishop dances while smiling like he’s been told at machete-point to look happy lest his family be butchered.

The show earns two stars, earning the second star only because of its curious ability to induce a feeling of confusion and unease which can usually only be achieved through the use of hallucinogens.