SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from Disney Night on Dancing with the Stars.
It’s hard to believe, but the Dancing with the Stars Season 35 contestants are in the final stretch of the competition.
Week 8 is upon us, and not only is it Disney Night in the ballroom, but we’ve also arrived at the team dances. The eight remaining couples will perform to Disney Broadway hits new and old including Hercules, Tangled, The Little Mermaid, Hamilton and Aida. And to their credit, they’re all performing two dances this week even though they have one less day to prepare, since the show was moved to Monday so as not to conflict with Election Day.
There’s also a very special guest just in the ballroom for Disney Night: Cynthia Erivo. She’s providing some expert commentary as a Broadway vet herself.
The two teams we’ll see take the floor tonight are Team Slaytopia and Team Wildcats. Their ranks are as follows:
Team Slaytopia: Alfonso Ribeiro, Tatyana Ali (team captain) and Jan Ravnik, Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas, Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov, and Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa, dancing to “Zoo” from Zootopia 2.
Team Wildcasts: Julianne Hough, Connor Wood (team captain) and Rylee Arnold, Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach, Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy, and Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson, dancing to to “We’re All in This Together” from High School Musical.
Let’s get into it.
Olympian Amber Glenn with Pasha Pashkov. The Olympic figure skater and her pro partner kicked off the show with a quickstep to “A Star Is Born” from Hercules. She’s aiming for at least one 10 this week, after scoring all 9s on Horror Movie Night, so they’re going all out. They’re both going to play the titular character for this performance, and Pasha has decided Amber will have to take over as the lead for certain parts of the dance. “Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who’s the strongest of them all?” Bruno Tonioli exclaims, but he couldn’t help but point out that one tiny misstep she made. SCORE: 34 out of 40
Reality star Maura Higgins with Mark Ballas. These two are feeling pretty good after last week, but they are really trying to level up with a jive to “You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly!” from Peter Pan. A fitting song for the woman whose catchphrase is “I tink!” But, the jive is pretty fast, and Maura is struggling to handle the pressure in rehearsals. There were a few missteps, but overall she brought that Tinkerbell spirit to the ballroom and got the audience on their feet. “It felt like at times the energy dropped and came back in. I just want to remind everyone…take care of yourself throughout this competition,” Carrie Ann Inaba said. SCORE: 32 out of 40
Actress Tatyana Ali with Jan Ravnik. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum and her partner are coming off a bit of a brutal week of scoring on Horror Movie Night, when guest judge Shirley Ballas gave them a four. Tatyana is happy to be back for another week and is looking forward to proving why she’s here to stay with a contemporary routine to “Easy as Life” from Aida. Jan knows the judges will be looking for powerful emotions and an intimate connection, so he’s drilling that into her in rehearsals. It seems to have paid off, but all the judges think she needs longer lines. “You have this divine feminine energy,” Derek Hough tells her. SCORE: 33 out of 40
Actor Harry Shum Jr. with Jenna Johnson. These two were the first to receive a perfect score this season, so they’re riding a high and they also have a lot to prove with a jazz routine to “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” from Mary Poppins. Harry wants to infuse the spirit of Dick Van Dyke into this routine and bring a little bit of magic to the ballroom floor. They do not disappoint. Harry’s toe touch was quite impressive. “I saw all of these legendary movement-based people, and the comedy in it, the intricacy in it just blew my mind. I’m flabbergasted,” Cynthia Erivo said. SCORE: 40 out of 40
Paralympian Ezra Frech with Daniella Karagach. This Paralympic gold medalist and his partner took a little bit of a step back last week, so they’re aiming to make up for that this week with a samba to “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid. Previously, Daniella says they thought the samba would be off limits given Ezra’s mobility limitations with his prosthetic, but now she thinks his mind-body connection is strong enough to take it on. Unsurprisingly, she was right. “He looks like a prince and dances like a devil!” Bruno says. SCORE: 37 out of 40 (a 10 from Derek!)
Actress Julia Stiles with Ezra Sosa. These two are taking on a paso doble to “Satisfied” from Hamilton this week — the first time in a while they won’t be paying homage to one of Stiles’ own projects. The man himself Lin-Manuel Miranda is already rooting for Julia, so she’s got the wind in her sails. Now, all that’s left is to nail the intensity of this style of dance, if she can get past the intense pain in her ribs that began flaring up a few weeks ago. And she certainly satisfied the judges with this performance. “I loved it. I thought it was great,” Carrie Ann told them. SCORE: 33 out of 40
Actress Jenna Dewan with Val Chmerkovskiy. The Rookie star is getting some pointers from her Tony nominated fiancé Steven for her quickstep to “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast. Steve says it is more important for the performance to be truthful than “big,” even on Broadway. So, that’s the advice they’re using as the foundation of their routine this week. It’s a narrow needle to thread, since this is a pretty lively song, but they prove themselves yet again. “That’s what I love to see in a quickstep!” Derek proclaimed. SCORE: 40 out of 40 (their first perfect score)
Comedian and podcaster Connor Wood with Rylee Arnold. Sporting a goatee as his faux hair of choice this week, Connor must find his inner grace for a waltz to “I See The Light” from Tangled. They scored their first 10s last week, and they’re riding high, so it’s a big week for them. Of course, Connor has to call in his buddy Milo Manheim, a former DWTS contestant and the Flynn Rider in the upcoming live-action film. He’s hoping not to let his adrenaline get in the way, because this is definitely not the dance to unintentionally speed up. “The thing I was really taken by was the commitment to the storytelling,” Cynthia says. SCORE: 32 out of 40
TEAM DANCES
Team Slaytopia. They’re really leaning into the zoo in Zootopia with this number. This is really the first time these celebrities will need to remain in sync and have to really block themselves with other dancers. They’re in it to win it, though. And their competition should think twice about messing with the girl power on this team. Watch out, Team Wildcats! “I had so much fun…that’s perfect. I love it. Thank you for that,” Cynthia says. SCORE: 36 out of 40
Team Wildcats. It’s always tough to go last, and this group has to follow up a dance that was pretty universally praised by the judges. However, the teams are pretty evenly balanced, which is surprising considering the team captains were the ones to decide who they’d compete with. This group is looking to bring a ton of energy to the ballroom floor and, of course, some classic High School Musical choreography. Team Slaytopia better not rest on their laurels. “I got, like, weirdly emotional watching that,” Derek admits. SCORE: 40 out of 40
WHO GOES HOME?
The end is nigh, so unfortunately another couple has to go home this week. Julia and Ezra are sent packing.
The highest-scoring couple from the first round gets immunity for next week, but since both Jenna and Harry got perfect scores, they had to add up their total scores from all eight weeks. Harry won by just one point, so he’s in the clear! Next week is Grammy Night in the ballroom, and don’t forget the show is returning to its normal Tuesday timeslot.
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