The “Dancing with the Stars” ballroom transformed into a magical world on Tuesday as the show took on Disney Night, where the eight remaining couples performed tributes to beloved Disney themes. From “The Little Mermaid” to “Deadpool,” the contestants embraced the enchantment, but not every performance was happily ever after.
Individual round recap
The recaps are formatted in order of when each contestant performed.
Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold: Overall Score 48/60
Performing the Charleston to “A Star Is Born” from “Hercules,” Nedoroscik and Arnold started the night with a high-energy performance, despite a few timing issues. To take on the sun-kissed and chiseled Roman hero Hercules, Nedoroscik went the distance by getting his first spray tan to look the part. The couple received 8s across the board, earning a score of 24/30.
Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber: Overall Score 51/60
Dancing the Rumba to “Kiss The Girl” from “The Little Mermaid,” Tran and Farber glided across the ballroom with elegance and class. The judges complimented the duo and said their chemistry and confidence radiated through their movement. The judges all gave the duo 8s, earning a score of 24/30.
Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson: Overall Score 52/60
Graziadei said he fulfilled his dream of “being shirtless and Tarzan on TV” in this week’s episode, dancing the Samba to “Trashin’ The Camp” from “Tarzan.” The pair embraced the wild characters in their performance and earned a standing ovation from the audience and shining reviews from the judges. The pair received two 8s and one 9 for a score of 25/30.
Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong: Overall Score 54/60
After receiving tough feedback last week, Kinney and Armstrong danced the Paso Doble to “We Own The Night” from “Zombies 2.” Armstrong fiercely brought the power this week to prove the judges wrong and earned her place at the top of the leaderboard this week after earning all 9s for a score of 27/30.
Phaedra Parks and Val Chmerkovskiy: Overall Score 48/60
The reality star and Chmerkovskiy showed off their sassy sides with their jazz routine to “Cruella de Vil” from “101 Dalmatians.” After struggling in rehearsals, Parks pulled it together to take on the iconic Cruella in her performance. Parks and Chmerkovskiy received feedback from the judges about timing, partner trust and their movement. The judges gave them 8s for a score of 24/30.
Danny Amendola and Witney Carson: Overall Score 51/60
Capturing the excitement of a Marvel fight sequence, Amendola and Carson portrayed Deadpool and Wolverine in their jazz routine to “Bye Bye Bye.” The two incorporated dramatic lifts and playful movement and earned themselves glowing feedback from the judges and three 9s for their score of 27/30.
Dwight Howard and Daniella Karagach: Overall Score 48/60
Howard and Karagach danced the Tango to “When Can I See You Again” from “Wreck it Ralph,” hoping their energetic performance could help them recover from their current last place standing on the leaderboard. The pair received praise for their overall improvement and earned their highest scores so far with three 8s, totaling to 24/30.
Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten: Overall Score 52/60
Complete with donkey-dressed background dancers, Maher and Bersten showcased their strength by dancing a jazz routine to “Surface Pressure” from “Encanto.” The judges complimented Maher’s storytelling skills but wanted her to focus more on the dance in future weeks. The duo earned two 8s and one 9 for an overall score of 25/30.
Team dance recap
As the couples dwindle week to week, the show incorporates more dancing challenges to fill the full two-hour running time. Tuesday’s episode included the first team dance of the season, in which the celebrities and their partners team up and choreograph a dance to be scored out of 30 and added to their individual scores. This week, the two lowest celebrities on the leaderboard, Maher and Howard, were team captains.
Team Goofs, which consists of Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten, Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson, Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong and Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber, danced to “I 2 I” from “A Goofy Movie.” They scored 27 out of 30.
Team Roar, which consists of Dwight Howard and Daniella Karagach, Danny Amendola and Witney Carson, Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold and Phaedra Parks and Val Chmerkovskiy, danced to “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” from “The Lion King.” Their score was 24 out of 30.
Review
Disney Night is one of the more anticipated themes of the season, though this one seemed to fall short. The dances, costume design and characters chosen were not nearly as eye-catching as they had been in previous years.
Each couple is showing improvement from week to week, though there are clear front-runners. As amazing of a person as she is, Maher often falls short compared to the other stars. Even though Karagach is easily the most talented pro, she and Howard seem to be remaining fairly stagnant, though there should be some grace given their massive height difference. Tran seems to be getting too in her head, therefore making her movements more choppy than they should be.
The judges’ scores seemed quite unfair at some points, especially with Graziadei and Maher receiving the same score, even though the former had much more choreography and pure talent in his performance. On the same note, one of Maher’s main critiques from the judges was that there was not enough dancing and too many tricks — a critique that was nowhere to be found in Amendola’s judgment, even though his jazz was also mostly lifts and tricks.
After watching each of the eight couples’s dances, even though the safe couples are always “in no particular order,” the bottom two seemed clear: Maher and Howard. Though they are both showing improvement and are highly entertaining, their progress seems slower compared to the other celebrities.
The last three celebrities were Parks, Tran and Nedoroscik, with Parks ultimately being the one sent home. It was clear Nedoroscik would not be sent home, as the judges have shown him nothing but love and he definitely has the fan votes. Though it was unexpected that neither Howard nor Maher were in the bottom three, it was a pleasant surprise.
With the theme next week being Halloween, arguably one of the best nights each season, the couples will be coming in hot in hopes of making it to the semi-finals. Hopefully, the performances will only be spooky in the way they are supposed to be.