Overcomplicated dance moves have cost Katelyn Cummins the top spot on the leaderboard this week, but the Laois Rose is still a firm contender to win this year's Dancing with the Stars.

Portlaoise's Katelyn Cummins and her partner Leonardo Lini danced a difficult quick-step to 'Hit the Diff' by Marty Malone for the season's 'Country Week' episode, earning impressed cheers from the crowd as the final couple of the night to dance.

It's somewhat familiar territory for the Portlaoise-based electrician as a trip to the Fossey Mountain Ranch in Timahoe was part of her journey to being crowned Laois Rose, before being crowned the Rose of Tralee in the Kingdom for 2025.

The pair flew around the dance floor this week, completing impressive twists at a baffling speed.

While these moves were phenomenal to the audience and the viewers at home, the judges gave mixed reactions to their performance.

"Katelyn, everything that is thrown at you, you handle with grace. It was quick, jam-packed danced, but to me sometimes you got overwhelmed. With some of the movements you weren't as sharp as I know you are, but, you still delivered big time!" he said.

Brian Redmond had sharper comments to make, earning the nickname 'Mr Grumpy' from his fellow judges.

The judge highlighted that the pair were close to performing lifts during the dance, which is not in keeping with a quick-step. 

"With the quick step itself, there was hugely complex choreography. That's probably a sign of how much faith Leonardo puts in you," he said.

"At times, maybe you struggled a little bit, there was a tension in your shoulders that I hadn't seen before. You are to be commended for the challenge that you took on, but this is not your best performance just yet," he said.

This comment was met with boos from the crowd, who were clearly deeply impressed with Katelyn and Leonardo's performance. 

Judge Karen Byrne was quick to dismiss Brian Redmond's concerns.

"From the very beginning to then end I was like, poor Katelyn going around the floor!" she joked.

Katelyn chimed in with a joke that Leonardo puts her to work.

It's all paying off, that's how you are so magnificent. You are flying around. Sometimes I'm a firm believer that less is more, I know you want to show off how good she is, but put a few more slows in there and give her a chance," Karen told Leonardo.

"I did speak last week about the tension in your top half Katelyn, and if I'm honest I saw it a lot more this week. It was fantastic and unbelievable, I am saying this because I know you can go and work on it. It was still unreal," she said.

Newcomer judge Oti Mabuse was surprised with her fellow judges criticisms.

"Mr grumpy is back in number one position, but I loved it," she joked about Brian Redmond.

"I thought you kept up with Leonardo, there was no gap. It was such difficult choreography, you two deliver a high quality of dancing that is very different from everyone else every single week. Do you dance like this on your farm for your cows and chickens?!" Oti laughed.

"It was so, so good, keep going this way," she said.

While the judges tallied their scores, presenter Laura Fox asked Katelyn on her views of the judges comments.

"The quickstep wasn't my favourite dance to do, we had the American smooth last week which was slow enough, and we went quicker this week," Katelyn admitted.

when asked if she feels the judges are getting 'a bit nit-picky' in their critiques, Katelyn responded modestly.

"I think so, a little bit, but I am all for constructive criticism. It helps me improve every week and I do appreciate it a lot," she said.

Her partner Leonardo defended the choreography, explaining that he knows Katelyn's skills on the dance floor.

"I know what Katelyn is capable of, I wanted to give something more. That is why I did hard choreography, but I think she did a great job," he said.

The crowd cheered in agreement.

The judges scores came in, with Brian Redmond giving the pair a surprisingly low score of six. This decision was once again met with boos from the audience.

WATCH: Laois Rose's Snow White performance tops scoreboard once again!

Karen Byrne, Oti Mabuse and Arthur Gourounlian all scored Katelyn and Leonardo's dance with eights, giving the pair a total of 30 points.

Amber Wilson became the third celebrity to be eliminated from the competition this week.

After dancing to alongside pro partner Alex Vladimirov on this week’s special Country Week theme, Amber received the lowest combined scores from the judges and public votes. 

Laois locals are bursting with pride over Katelyn and Leonardo's performance online, expressing their pride in her hard work and great effort. 

WATCH: Laois Rose of Tralee earns top marks on Dancing with the Stars in first episode

The judges comments are sure to prompt our Laois Rose to work even harder on next week's performance.

Next week is Dedicated Dance Week, airing on Sunday 1 February from 6:30pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.  

For all of the latest news on Katelyn Cummins Dancing with the Stars performances, keep an eye on the Leinster Express / Laois Live!

Video credit: Dancing with the Stars on RTÉ One.