Celebrity Bainisteoir is a prime-time reality programme broadcast by RTÉ and produced by Animo Television/Kite Entertainment. Created by Fiona Looney. During and after its eight-part original run in 2008, the "hugely popular RTÉ Television tournament" was widely mentioned in the media including such newspapers such as An Phoblacht, The Belfast Telegraph, the Evening Echo, the Irish Examiner, the Irish Independent, the Irish News and The Irish Times. During the first series, a pop culture website asked its readers "If you weren’t watching Celebrity Bainisteoir last night, then where were you?"

In the wake of the successful first series, the Evening Herald of Dublin reported in September 2008 that RTÉ was seeking out a new set of celebrities for a second series of Celebrity Bainisteoir set to air in summer 2009, and that a Celebrity Bainisteoir special would air during the Christmas season in 2008. The second series began on 22 March 2009.