When Paudie Moloney told RTE that making the Dancing with the Stars final means “everything” to him, he was speaking for himself. But the reason that quote leads the coverage is that the show needs someone like him. DWTS Ireland did not stumble into a 68-year-old Traitors star in the final by accident. Casting and narrative timing built the underdog arc that this season needed, and Moloney’s run is the product of that machinery as much as of his own determination.
This season was built for a Paudie
RTE reported in March 2026 that Moloney never expected to reach the final and thought he would be gone within three or four episodes. He had back surgery in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic; before it, he could barely walk across a room. He has said the operation was “the best thing I’ve ever done” and that there has been “a bit of a transformation” in his dancing, though “I’m never going to be a dancer.” The support from the public has been “massive,” with cards from across the country telling him he is “doing the seniors proud.” That is the story RTE and others have chosen to lead with: the man who defied expectation. As the Irish Independent put it in a headline, “If Paudie was a politician he’d be a very popular person” – the underdog who made it all the way to the DWTS final.
Casting made that story possible. Goss.ie and the Irish Independent reported that Paudie was revealed as the second celebrity for the ninth series of Dancing with the Stars in January 2026, following his run on The Traitors Ireland in 2025. The lineup mixed a Eurovision winner, the Rose of Tralee, an Ireland AM presenter, and a Traitors star. RTE needed a figure who could carry an underdog narrative without being a ringer. A 68-year-old retired prison officer who had never danced, and who had overcome serious back surgery, fit the bill. Extra.ie and RTE’s own preview framed the series around who would survive the first elimination; having someone like Paudie last until the final was a narrative choice as much as a vote outcome.
Controversy and the underdog frame
Not everyone accepted that narrative. The Journal.ie reported that an eliminated DWTS couple played down the “Paudie controversy” after some viewers questioned how he remained when stronger dancers left. One eliminated contestant said: “After last night I think Paudie could win it. He’s a testament that everything can change within a small space of time.” The show itself leaned into that tension. Moloney told The Journal.ie that DWTS is “not called a dance competition, it’s called an entertainment show” and that he would love to win but does not expect to. That line was repeated across outlets. The format – judges’ scores and viewer votes in a 50-50 split – allows a popular underdog to outlast higher-scoring dancers. US seasons have drawn record votes when underdog stories peak; the Big Brother 27 finale in 2025 delivered the show’s biggest audience in three years when an underdog won. DWTS Ireland was betting on the same dynamic.
The final four and why timing matters
RTE listed the 2026 finalists as Katelyn Cummins (Rose of Tralee, with the strongest scoring record and a perfect 40 for her semi-final Charleston), Tolü Makay (singer-songwriter, who survived a dance-off), Eric Roberts (Ireland AM presenter, who topped the semi-final leaderboard with 79), and Paudie Moloney. So the final combined the highest scorers with the man who had won over viewers without topping the board. That mix is not an accident. Reality TV casting is often finalised at the eleventh hour; US DWTS Season 34 had last-minute cast changes and pairings adjusted weeks before launch. The Irish series needed a contrast between ringers and an everyman. Paudie’s “it means everything” quote landed because the show had already positioned him as the heart of the series. The timing of his reveal, his back story, and his survival week after week were the narrative this season needed.
What This Actually Means
Paudie Moloney’s “it means everything” is genuine. So is the fact that his presence in the final is exactly what this season was designed to make possible. Casting a Traitors star with a back-surgery comeback and a “never going to be a dancer” line was not random. It was the construction of an underdog story that would run until the last night. The show needed a Paudie; this year it got one.
Who is Paudie Moloney?
Paudie Moloney is an Irish television personality who came to prominence on the first series of The Traitors Ireland in 2025. He was cast as a Traitor and eliminated in the ninth episode. RTE revealed him as the second celebrity for the ninth series of Dancing with the Stars in January 2026; at 68 he is the oldest ever contestant on the Irish show, partnered with Laura Nolan. He had back surgery in 2020 that he credits with transforming his mobility and enabling him to take part in DWTS.
Sources
RTE.ie, Irish Independent, The Journal.ie, The Journal.ie, RTE.ie