This week’s “Dancing with the Stars” hit a major milestone celebrating its 500th episode with a night of nostalgia, standout routines and high-stakes instant dances. Each of the remaining six couples brought performances that honored the show’s nearly two-decade legacy, reminding fans why DWTS remains a reality TV staple.
Individual round recap
The recaps are formatted in order of appearance.
Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson: Score 28/30 (9, 10, 9)
Starting off the night, Graziadei and Johnson performed a Contemporary inspired by Riker Lynch and Allison Holker’s performance in Season 20 to “Work Song” by Hozier. Graziadei and Johnson spoke about how the dance represented their connection and bond and performed gravity-defying lifts across the ballroom. The judges praised their movement, awarding the pair two 9s and one 10.
Danny Amendola and Witney Carson: Score 27/30 (9, 9, 9)
Amendola and Carson performed a Quickstep inspired by Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough’s performance in season 5 to “Hey Pachuco” by Royal Crown Revue. In his rehearsal footage, Amendola talked about channeling his football experience with fast footwork to deliver an energetic performance. The judges awarded the duo straight 9s and critiqued Amendola’s framing, meaning the way the upper body is held while dancing.
Dwight Howard and Daniella Karagach: Score 26/30 (8, 9, 9)
Challenging themselves this week, Howard and Karagach performed an Argentine Tango inspired by James Hinchcliffe and Sharna Burgess’ performance in season 23 to “Santa Maria (Del Buen Ayre)” by Gotan Project. Delivering a spicy performance showing their strength and hard work, the duo was awarded two 9s and one 8.
Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold: Score 29/30 (10, 10, 9)
Performing an emotional and complicated dance, Nedoroscik and Arnold danced a Viennese Waltz inspired by Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas’ performance in season 31 of “Glimpse of Us” by Joji. The duo was praised by Carrie Ann Inaba for their “beautiful celebration” and were awarded two 10s and one 9.
Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong: Score 30/30 (10, 10, 10)
Kinney and Armstrong performed an Argentine Tango inspired by Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough’s performance in season 16 to “Para Te” by Appart. The couple wowed judges with their powerful and smooth moves, earning themselves the first perfect score of the season.
Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten: Score 28/30 (10, 9, 9)
Wrapping up the individual dances, Maher and Bersten performed a Quickstep inspired by Jordan Fisher and Lindsay Arnold’s performance in season 25 to “Chuck Berry” by Pharell Williams. Determined to earn her first 10 of the season, Maher and Bersten were determined to prove themselves while they flew across the ballroom with their fancy footwork. The judges praised the pair, saying they were clean and entertaining, awarding them two 9s and their first 10.
Instant dance round
The most intense competition round of the season occurred on Tuesday night’s episode: the instant dance round. In this challenge, each couple finds out their dance style and song live on air, with five minutes to choreograph a dance.
Graziadei and Johnson: Rumba to “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish (9, 9, 9)
The couple received three 9s, making their total score 55/60.
Amendola and Carson: Jive to “Good Golly Miss Molly” by Little Richard (8, 8, 8)
Amendola and Carson received three 8s for the instant dance round, giving them a total score of 51/60.
Howard and Karagach: Paso Doble to “Victorious” by Panic! at the Disco (8, 7, 7)
The couple received two 7s and an 8, ending the night with a total score of 48/60.
Nedoroscik and Arnold: Jive to “love is embarrassing” by Olivia Rodrigo (9, 8, 8)
Nedoroscik and Arnold received two 8s and a 9 after their jive, resulting in a total score of 54/60.
Kinney and Armstrong: Cha cha to “Apple” by Charli xcx (10, 10, 10)
The couple left both rounds of Tuesday’s competition with three 10s, giving them a perfect total score of 60/60.
Maher and Bersten: Salsa to “Da’ Dip” by Freak Nasty (8, 8, 8)
Maher and Bersten ended the instant dance round by receiving three 8s, giving them a total score of 52/60.
Review
Though it is always a pleasure for Graziadei and Johnson to grace the screen, the couple starting off the night may not be the best for the other contestants. They continuously excel at their dances, consistently remaining at or near the top of the leaderboard. The couple has an extremely high chance of winning the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, and it would certainly make thousands of viewers happy to see Graziadei win.
Tuesday’s episode was the 500th episode of the show, with each couple reimagining a dance from past seasons. A good idea in theory, but there definitely could have been more done to celebrate the show’s milestone.
Sharna Burgess, a pro from previous seasons, made an appearance on Tuesday night to the excitement of many fans. Mark Ballas was also in the live audience, as well as made an appearance in the package of Nedoroscik and Arnold practicing their Viennese Waltz.
From the way the episode was advertised, it seemed there would be far more old pros, Mirrorball champions and former contestants attending and maybe even performing. It certainly would have made for a more entertaining episode if that was the case.
The instant dance round was extremely impressive for each couple, but perhaps a little too stressful for some. There are certain styles of dance that can be choreographed in a much quicker and simpler fashion, such as the Jive or Cha Cha, than others, like the Paso Doble.
Disappointed is an understatement — Howard going home before Maher is nothing short of a travesty. Though both have made improvements throughout their time on the show, Howard clearly outperformed Maher multiple weeks in a row.
Maybe it is just a personal bias towards Karagach, but her and Howard showed much more promise and improvement than Maher and Bersten. Maher is an inspiration and a wonderful person, but at the end of the day, this is not “Personality with the Stars,” it’s “Dancing with the Stars.”
As the competition heads into the semifinals on Nov. 19 at 8 p.m., hopefully the judging and viewer votes will reflect this.