This week on Dancing with the Stars, the competing celebs danced to capture the feelings and memories of their most memorable year.
While the contestants worked to remember the years that changed their lives, the pros honored the memory of former DWTS judge Len Goodman, replacing the opening number performance with a mid-show waltz led by Derek and Julianne.
The Highlights:
- The Dancing with the Stars pros danced to remember Len Goodman’s impact and legacy on dance and the show.
- The judges award the first 10s of the season.
- Xochitl and Val dance for the quinceanera she never had.
Mira and Gleb
After Mira’s Cinderella performance last week, she has found the balance of acting and dance. For her most memorable year, she decided to revisit the year she became a mother in a contemporary performance that featured her daughter Mattea. Derek was excited to see Mira open the show with a routine that brought so many emotions. Bruno and Carrie Ann had some light corrections, but they enjoyed Mira’s moves.
Score: 22/30
Ariana and Pasha
Ariana and Pasha’s scores were anything but frozen last week. Ariana wanted to explore the difficulties she faced with her boyfriend’s publicly covered affair this year. Their Viennese waltz brought together all of those emotions and brought the audience to their feet. Bruno had nothing but praise for their powerful performance and Carrie Ann loved seeing Ariana as a fighter this week.
Score: 24/30
Charity and Artem
In 2020, Charity’s world changed as she found her fame and discovered herself. For Charity’s emotional most memorable year, she and Artem danced a contemporary routine that Carrie Ann said might be the dance everyone remembers from Season 32. Derek appreciated their dedicated prop work and the ways they took up space. It’s no surprise this duo earned the first 10 of the season.
Score: 28/30
Alyson and Sasha
Celebrating meeting her husband, Alyson continued to take on dance with a Viennese waltz. Derek was full of compliments for Alyson as she tapped into the dance. Bruno shared the same praise, noting a few missteps but overall progress in Alyson’s dancing.
Score: 21/30
Harry and Rylee
Finding fame wasn’t easy for Harry who thought the spotlight would be all fun and games. This week, he and Rylee danced about the reality check that came with international fame and learning to take care of his mental health. Bruno loved the energy of this contemporary dance but wanted to see more musicality from Harry. Carrie Ann thought he was losing progress from last week.
Score: 18/30
Jason and Daniella
In 1999, Jason Mraz was far from the music superstar we know today, but he left his small town to chase his dreams in California. He and Daniella danced a quickstep that relived Jason’s hopeful adventure from the east coast to the west coast. Derek praised Jason for continuing to take chances in his art whether it is in music or dance. Bruno was happy to see a “light, bright, effortless” quickstep.
Score: 27/30
Lele and Brandon
In 2020, Lele opened up about her mental health, releasing a docu-series not only to share her own journey but to encourage others to talk about their mental health. Lele and Brandon’s contemporary routine showed their progress as partners, and Derek told them to enjoy the work they had done. Carrie Ann called this Lele’s “best dance.”
Score: 24/30
Xochitl and Val
Superstar Xochitl Gomez is the first Latina superhero in the Marvel universe. This was an incredible milestone for her and Marvel fans everywhere, but her rise to fame made her miss her quinceanera. For her most memorable night, she and Val did a Viennese waltz for the party she never had, impressing the judges and earning compliments (and debate over a wobble?) from the judges. They matched Charity and Artem, also earning a 10!
Score: 28/30
Mauricio and Emma
Taking it back to 1996, Mauricio and Emma turned a year of struggles and finding his current career into a contemporary performance. Carrie Ann loved the authentic emotion and dance these two delivered with their dance. Derek agreed that Mauricio has taken on this whole competition with a determination to improve.
Score: 24/30
Barry and Peta
For the final dance of the night, Barry and Peta danced the pasodoble. Barry’s most memorable year was 1968, and he hoped to really prove himself in the competition while dancing out the energy of being a teenager. Derek said, “Len would have loved that dance” because it was no-nonsense pasodoble “filled with content.”
Score: 24/30
The Results
After a night of memorable years, it was time to reveal who would be going home. After such emotional dances, it’s hard to imagine anyone could go home, but the combined judges and fan votes left Mira and Gleb at the bottom of the leaderboard this week.
Dancing with the Stars returns next week for Whitney Houston Night live on Tuesday on Disney+ and ABC at 8:00 PM ET.
