Disney Night wasn’t just a tribute. Dancing with the Stars opened this week with an opening number featuring Michael James Scott who currently plays Genie in the hit Broadway musical Aladdin. Michael sang “Friend Like Me” surrounded by the professional dancers. The performance was choreographed by Mandy Moore. To celebrate their favorite Disney songs and characters, the stars and their partners took on the personas of heroes and villains.
With only eight couples left, this episode featured the usual duets, but the second half of the show was the team dance round. The couple at the top of the first round won immunity from next week’s Dance-Offs and earned bonus points to their score (assuming they survived the elimination, no spoilers!).
Stephen and Rylee
Improvement was the name of the game last week. The judges’ praised Stephen for bringing his champion attitude to Dedication Night. This week, he wanted to keep showing off his strength. This duo danced the Charleston to “A Star is Born” from Disney’s Hercules. Mimicking Hercules’ feats of strength with their quick moves had the audience on their feet. Carrie Ann, covered in lightning bolt-shaped confetti, said that Stephen danced “like a hero,” but she noticed he was ahead of the music.
Total Score: 24/30
Jenn and Sasha
Is Jenn one of the top three dancers on the show? She might be, and she’s certainly trying to prove it. This week, Jenn wanted to prove she was DWTS royalty, performing an under-the-sea rumba straight from The Little Mermaid. Jenn and Sasha floated across the ballroom floor, earning compliments from Derek for a “beautiful rumba,” though he was disappointed that Sasha hadn’t taken on the role of Sebastian the crab! Even without a crustacean sidekick, Carrie Ann called this her best dance so far.
Total Score: 24/30
Joey and Jenna
Carrie Ann praised Joey’s attention to detail last week, so there wasn’t room for error on Disney night! Joey and achieved his very specific dream, “I’ve always dreamed of being shirtless on TV,” with his samba. “I loved it!” Bruno shouted after this dance, but he and Carrie Ann had critiques for this duo, encouraging him to stay loose and bounce, not taking steps that are too big to manage.
Total Score: 25/30
Chandler and Brandon
Chandler had a leg (and maybe a tail?) up this week. She and Brandon decided to dance the pasodoble to “We Own the Night” from Zombies 2 where she plays Willa. Chandler owned the ballroom this week. The judges have been giving Chandler plenty of critiques this week, but Derek confirmed that this was a good sign! “When you’re in dance class, you know, when the teacher is kind of picking on you, that means you’re doing something right!” he said. She brought it tonight and proved that she can take notes and put them to work.
Total Score: 27/30
Phaedra and Val
Jazzing it up, Phaedra was the first star to take on a villainous role this week. Channeling Cruella de Vil’s fashion sense and her command of those around her, Phaedra danced with Val and an ensemble of Dalmation-spotted backup dancers. Derek called their choreography “smart,” but wanted to see Phaedra’s solo confidence translated to her partner work. Bruno encouraged her villainy. “It feels good to be bad, doesn’t it?” He said, doing a slow shimmy.
Total Score: 24/30
Danny and Witney
Picking a newer Disney creation, Danny and Witney decided to dance a jazz routine to “Bye Bye Bye” as Marvel’s favorite frenemies Deadpool and Wovlerine. They fought it out on the ballroom, showing off their tricks. “It’s Deadpool and All That Jazz The Musical!” Bruno shouted, telling this couple that their moves were stunning and commited to the excitment of their characters.
Total Score: 27/30
Dwight and Daniella
Dwight proved to the judges and his partner that he is committed to dancing. He has fun on the dance floor, and he takes his performances seriously. Last week, this started to turn into stage fright. Their Wreck-It Ralph tango was their attempt to pull themselves up from the bottom of the leaderboard. The audience gave them a standing ovation, but Carrie Ann pointed out their Dwight’s steps and timing were off for a lot of the dance. Derek cheered on Dwight’s efforts, and Bruno praised him for taking Daniella’s choreography and bringing it to the floor.
Total Score: 24/30
Ilona and Alan
“When the going gets tough, Ilona gets going,” Bruno screamed last week. Continuing to promote that message and trying to stand out, Ilona became Louisa Madrigal from Encanto in a jazz routine that showed off her strength while Alan became a donkey for her to throw around. Derek called Ilona “captivating” while asking her to dance more, balancing storytelling and technique.
Total Score: 25/30
The Team Dances
After the partner dances, Chandler and Brandon won immunity from next week’s dance-off round. The stars were divided into two teams, led by Ilona and Dwight, the two lowest scoring stars. Ilona chose Jenna, Joey, and Chandler for her team while Dwight chose Danny, Stephen, and Phaedra.
Dwight’s “Team Roar” was given “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” from Mufasa: The Lion King. They decided to fight over the crown in their routine, creating layered tricks that featured the whole group before breaking into partners. Team Roar wanted to save Dwight from the bottom of the leaderboard while showing off everyone’s skills. Bruno attacked Derek while showing his enthusiasm for this group. He loved the performance, but worried that they weren’t synchronized enough. Carrie Ann wasn’t as impressed with the stars’ solo performances.
Group Score: 24/30
Ilona’s “Team Goofs” was given “I 2 I” from A Goofy Movie. They had to reign in their silliness to create a groovy group number that featured fun as well as a party of amazing dance moves and tricks from a variety of styles. The Goofs wanted to do Powerline justice as they grooved and discoed. Carrie Ann called their dance fun, clean, and well-rehearsed. Derek was obsessed with the song, and Bruno thought it was slick!
Group Score: 27/30
The Elimination
At the end of the night, Chandler and Brandon were at the top of the leaderboard while Stephen and Rylee were at the bottom. This didn’t include audience votes, though. Julianne and Alfonso’s reveal left Stephen and Rylee, Jenn and Sasha, and Phaedra and Val on the stage. In the end, the judges’ scores and audience votes left Phaedra and Val in the bottom. Phaedra and Val had a heartfelt goodbye, celebrating their partnership.
Next week, Dancing with the Stars comes back for Halloween Nightmares Night. The stars will dance to face their biggest fears and take on the dance-off round. You can watch live on ABC, Tuesday, October 29 at 8pm ET.
