Last night, Dancing with the Stars surprised both audiences and its contestants in a magical way in honor of βDisney Night.β With just minutes remaining of week 5βs live episode, co-hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews shocked viewers and the two couples β DeMarcus Ware and Lindsay Arnold, and Alexis Ren and Alan Bersten β that were in jeopardy of elimination.
βDeMarcus and Lindsay, Alexis and Alan, on this fifth week of competition, the couple leaving right now is,β Bergeron said, before shocking audiences, βneither of you, itβs Disney night!β βYouβre all safe!β Bergeron added. βNo one is going home tonight!β
Ren and Bersten performed a Pocahontas-themed foxtrot and were awarded 29/30. Len Goodman thought it was a βwell-crafted routine, beautifully dancedβ; he also notices the βlovely chemistryβ between the two of them. Bruno Tonioli said it was like βtwo hearts beating as one β¦ It was gorgeous.β Carrie Ann Inaba saed the dance made her believe in fairy tales, adding, βIt was your best dance so far this season.β
Ware and Arnold performed a Hercules-themed Charleston and earned 26/30. Carrie Ann said, βA hero is born β¦ We have been waiting for this breakthrough the whole season,β and she never even noticed Lindsay was missing a shoe. Len thought it was βjam-packed β¦ You finish it, and you just feel great β¦ Not a lot of Charleston going on, however, I enjoyed it.β Bruno adds, βYou were always the leading man β¦ You never missed a beat β¦ It was your most complete performance to date.β
Upon hearing that they were safe from elimination, Ware, Arnold, Ren and Bersten were visibly shocked and relieved. Audience votes from last week and Monday will carry over to week 6 along with the judgesβ scores.
Hereβs a breakdown of how the other celebs did:
Juan Pablo Di Pace and Cheryl Burke danced the Viennese waltz to βGaston,β from Beauty and the Beast. Bruno said, βYou nailed that character right on the bullβs-eye β¦ Spot-on on every level.β Carrie Ann thought he had βflair for days β¦ and every detail is perfect β¦ spectacular.β And Len liked that βthe dance mirrored the music. It was full of gusto and zest,β and he loved the choreography despite a missing step up on the table. They scored 29. If not for grumpy ol' Len they could have had a perfect score. (see below)
Evanna Lynch and Keo Motsepe danced Jazz to βWhen Will My Life Begin?β from Tangled. Len liked βthe light and shade β¦ It had a lovely feel to it,β but it wasnβt βa spectacular number.β Bruno thought she has found her βstride,β but she has a tendency to get either behind the music or ahead of it. Carrie felt she βdid the Disney name proud,β but she needs to open up her movements more. They scored 24.
βGrocery Storeβ Joe Amabile and Jenna Johnson danced a Jive to βZeroβ from Ralph Breaks the Internet. Bruno said, βI can sense a faint glimmer of hope,β and it was βa baby step in the right direction.β Carrie Ann exclaimed, βGo Joe! That was a vast improvement β¦ You didnβt miss a step, truly,β but βyou close your shoulders a little bit β¦ I want you to own the stage.β Len liked how he dusts himself off after getting knocked by the judges ever week, but βthere wasnβt enough jive in that jive,β so if he comes back next week he needs to embrace full choreography and βgive it some welly.β They scored 17.
Mary Lou Retton and Sasha Farber danced Contemporary to βReflectionβ from Mulan. Carrie Ann said, βI saw you open β¦ And in that moment you connected with all of us deeply.β Len appreciated how βgentleβ and βunderstatedβ it was, with great βmusicality.β Bruno loved her βdetermination β¦ You donβt give up, and you get there eventually.β They scored 25.
John Schneider and Emma Slater danced the Quickstep to βI Wanβna Be Like You,β from The Jungle Book. Len thought it was βfull of quickstep content,β though he βlost a bit of energy as the dance went onβ; nevertheless, it was his βbest dance to date.β Bruno thought he βbrought some sparkle to the jungleβ and he was βmuch lighter on his feet than Baloo.β Carrie Ann thought it was his βbest performanceβ despite a couple of βsnafus.β They scored 24.
Bobby Bones and Sharna Burgess danced a Waltz to βPart of Your Worldβ from The Little Mermaid. Bruno thought it was βa bit slippery at times,β but it was βbrave effortβ even though he was off the beat. Carrie Ann appreciated his posture and his improvement, though he needs to stop giggling and raising his shoulders. Len admired that he βplayed it straightβ and performed a proper waltz. They scored 21.
Milo Manheim and Witney Carson danced the Quickstep to βIncredits 2,β from Incredibles 2. Carrie Ann thought it was a βfabulous routine,β especially performing all that choreography in a unitard. Len felt it had βplenty of zippidee-doo-dah,β but he thought they needed more body contact, due in part to the spandex. Bruno called it a βblockbuster β¦ Bring on the sequel!β They scored 27.
SURPRISE!