Dancing with the Stars returned this week for Oscars Night. The show opened with a red carpet moment hosted by Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribiero. Unfortunately, the walk didn’t last long after Bruno had a diva moment that ended the broadcast. Keep it together, Bruno! Returning to the ballroom, the DWTS troop welcomed viewers to the ballroom in a sparkling opening number choreographed by Britt Stewart and Alan Bersten.
This week, the stars and their professional dancer partners took on Hollywood glamour with music from Oscar Award-winning films backed by the DWTS band and a full string section. Have you ever danced to a complete orchestra?
This episode was the first elimination of Season 33. It was also a double elimination! The contestants’ votes and judges’ scores from the season premiere and Oscars Night were combined to decide who went home.
Jenn and Sasha
Jenn and Sasha started the week with a tango to “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody” from The Great Gatsby (2013). Bringing the tango into the Jazz Age, Jenn and Sasha worked the ballroom floor in hot pink. They definitely danced until the dropped, and they had the love of the judges in response. Derek advised her to watch her elbows and shoulders to stay even more fabulous. All of the judges agreed that this was a stunning week two performance despite some technical flaws.
Total Score: 19/30
Season Total: 38
Eric and Britt
Were we expecting a Godfather impression from Alfonoso this week? Not really, but we got one. Eric and Britt waltzed to The Godfather theme. They gathered inspiration from The Academy Museum to put together their mafioso personas and take command of the ballroom. Delivering his feedback in a Godfather voice (so many impressions), Bruno gave them feedback on completing their turns. The feedback for this Academy Award-nominee was very supportive.
Total Score: 15/30
Season Total: 30
Danny and Witney
Turning to Top Gun to get into the zone and work on his character skills, Danny danced the jive and channeled Tom Cruise this week. Dancing on “The Highway to the Danger Zone” seemed effortless! “He was off like a jet fighter!” Bruno shouted. “Talk about cruising at high altitude.” The bar is high this season, and Danny is one of the stars working hard to raise it.
Total Score: 21/30
Season Total: 41
Anna and Ezra
The Devil Wears Prada is the New York City scene. Is it any wonder Anna felt right at home dancing the quickstep to “Suddenly I See.” Carrie Ann told Anna she had potential to go far, but she had to let herself open up to do it. She received compliments on her turns from Derek and her simple quickstep, but they need to see her getting into the dance and worrying about the audience less.
Total Score: 17/30
Season Total: 35
Chandler and Brandon
Last week, Carrie Ann told Chandler that she set the standard for Season 33. Working to continue on that path, Chandler and Brandon decided to take on a vulnerable rumba to “What Was I Made For?” from Barbie. “Chandler, you were made for dancing,” Derek said, giving her a long list of compliments with small technical corrections. Bruno told her she makes dancing look easy. She danced through her childhood. Is it any wonder she’s doing so well?
Total Score: 24/30
Season Total: 47
Reginald and Emma
Oscars Night was a throwback for Reginald. Dancing to “Owed to Joy” from Die Hard (Reginald’s first big film by the way), Reginald and Emma danced a paso doble dedicated to Bruce Willis. “You’re starting to nicely defrost, but I think we have to put more drive in the undercarriage,” Bruno said after their dance, encouraging Reginald to move his hips and bring it on the dance floor.
Total Score: 15/30
Season Total: 31
Stephen and Rylee
It was back to back paso dobles last night as Stephen and Rylee adopted the Superman persona TikTok assigned to Stephen for a ballroom take on the Superman theme. Stephen commanded the dance floor as Clark Kent. Carrie Ann praised Stephen for being full-out and fun. “Woohoo! Superman in the house!” This star’s gymnastic skills are serving him well in the ballroom.
Total Score: 22/30
Season Total: 43
Joey and Jenna
After their cowboy anthem, Joey and Jenna were after more raw emotions for Oscars Night. Joey needed to learn how to be romantic and fluid for their xxx to “Shallow” from A Star is Born, so they brought Val (a notoriously sauve dancer and Jenna’s husband). “Nothing shallow about that, it was digging deep,” Bruno said. Despite his rehearsal nerves, Joey was an obvious leading man with a connection to his partner.
Total Score: 22/30
Season Total: 43
Phaedra and Val
Stunning is easy for Phaedra and Val. This week, they went after technique. Phaedra learned how to dance in frame for a foxtrot to “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” from Dreamgirls. Derek shared that he can’t help but smile when he watches Phaedra dance. Her skills on the ballroom floor include star quality, commitment, and character!
Total Score: 21/30
Season Total: 40
Tori and Pasha
Tori’s family has a personal attachment to The Greatest Showman and its message about believing in yourself, so it wasn’t a challenge for her to connect to “This is Me” for her rumba. She and Pasha worked on creating clean lines for an emotional performance. “Tonight, I saw you really take a risk. You opened your heart,” Carrie Ann said officially welcoming Tori to the competition. The judges had advice for improving her movements, but were in love with her investment in the performance.
Total Score: 19/30
Season Total: 36
Dwight and Daniella
The challenge this week was introducing Dwight to the frame required for the foxtrot, a difficult feat given he and Daniella’s height difference. With some tweaks to the technique, this duo was gliding across the floor to “City of Stars” from La La Land. Derek was surprised by how graceful they were, and said they managed the frame well. Most of his critiques focused on footwork. We love to see partners that can work so well together.
Total Score: 22/30
Season Total: 44
Brooks and Gleb
Can Brooks ad Gleb focus for eight hours? Dancing a quickstep to “9 to 5” from the 1980 film of the same name, this duo had to put their flirtation aside to work on their dance moves. Carrie Ann thought their busy ballet studio routine was fun, but asked where the romance was in the performance. She gave them feedback for bringing it all together. Derek also called Gleb out for the use of a tango frame during their quickstep. (We see you, Gleb!)
Total Score: 20/30
Season Total: 38
Ilona and Alan
To finish Oscars Night, Ilona and Alan went for an ambitious salsa to “I Had the Time of My Life” from Dirty Dancing. A famous song and dance movie requires real effort on the dance floor, and these too brought a rom-com to life with quirky changes in their routine from ballroom shoes instead of heels for Ilona and two tricks where she flipped Alan. “This girl can move!” Bruno shouted. He was impressed with Ilona’s hip movement and light footwork.
Total Score: 21/30
Season Total: 39
The Elimination
After 13 performances, it was hard to say goodbye to any of the contestants, but the double elimination was imminent. Slowly revealing the safe couples, Alfonoso and Julianne left Reginald and Emma, Anna and Ezra, and Tori and Pasha for the final result. In the end, Reginald and Emma were safe. Anna and Tori were our first eliminations on Season 33.
Next week, Dancing with the Stars takes a week off, but it will return for a two-day event on October 7 and 8. Monday, October 7 will be Soul Train Night and Tuesday, October 8 will be Hair Metal Night!
