‘Dancing With the Stars’ celebrates its five hundredth episode as pair earns 1st excellent scores of the season

Dancing With the Stars crammed the ballroom with nostalgia Tuesday night time, celebrating its five hundredth episode by revisiting beloved routines from previous seasons.

Katie McConaughy, affiliate choreographer of the How the Grinch Stole Christmas nationwide tour, instructed Yahoo Leisure the night’s theme of wanting again was about greater than choreography — it was about progress and reflection.

“It reminds us to embrace each second, even the falls [of life],” she stated. “Every second is a chance to be taught. You don’t fail. You simply say, ‘OK, I do know a greater method to do this now.’”

The spirit of DWTS’s legacy was felt much more with previous champions like Adam Rippon (Season 26) and Kristi Yamaguchi (Season 6) cheering from the viewers, bridging the present’s wealthy historical past with its future.

“With dance, you’ll be able to specific issues once you don’t have the phrases,” McConaughy stated, highlighting how the night time’s music selections introduced these reminiscences alive. “If you wish to convey pleasure, you must select a music that really brings you happiness, for instance. In any other case, it gained’t really feel real.”

After the professionals kicked off the evening with a efficiency to Beyoncé’s “Loopy in Love,” a tribute to the opening quantity from Season 1, the night time launched into two rounds of competitors.

The primary included the paired routines, whereas the second was the debut of the “on the spot dance problem,” the place contestants have been assigned a random music and dance model in real-time, leaving them only some minutes to rehearse earlier than taking the stage dwell. Scores from each rounds contributed to general totals.

Chandler Kinney and her companion, Brandon Armstrong, paid homage to Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough’s routine to “Para Te” by Appart from Season 16. The pair impressed the judges with the primary excellent scores of the season — first for his or her important dance after which for his or her cha-cha problem to “Apple” by Charli XCX.

Longtime judges Cari Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli, who’ve been with the present since its first season, took a second to honor onetime choose Len Goodman, who died in April 2023 and whose identify now graces the DWTS mirrorball.

For his or her half, Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson re-created Riker Lynch and Allison Holker’s Season 20 up to date routine to “Work Track” by Hozier. Inaba praised their dedication, although she famous Graziadei’s efficiency “lacked a little bit of rawness.” The pair adopted up with a rumba to “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish for his or her dance problem.

Stephen Nedoroscik and his companion, Rylee Arnold, took on Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas’s iconic Viennese waltz from Season 31, dancing to Joji’s “Glimpse of Us.” Their efficiency impressed the judges, which netted them 29 factors. Throughout the dance problem, their jive to Olivia Rodrigo’s “Love is Embarrassing” suffered from technical missteps, incomes a 25.

Whereas the present introduced again previous dances, it’s nonetheless a contest in spite of everything, stated McConaughy, emphasizing that method and storytelling are the important thing to delivering a standout efficiency.

“All motion tells a narrative,” she defined. “Connecting to a reminiscence that you simply personally have will make any form of dance or story come alive” and is a surefire technique to impress the judges.

Danny Amendola and Witney Carson delivered a pointy quickstep to Royal Crown Revue’s “Hey Pachuco,” a tribute to Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough’s Season 5 routine. Their execution earned them nines throughout the board. Within the dance problem, their jive to Little Richard’s “Good Golly Miss Molly” scored persistently with eights from every choose.

Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten wowed the ballroom with their energetic routine to “Chuck Berry” by Pharrell Williams, impressed by Jordan Fisher and Lindsay Arnold’s Season 25 dance. They stored the vitality excessive of their salsa on the spot dance problem to “Da’Dip” by Freak Nasty, ending with Maher lifting Bersten onto her shoulders.

NBA star Dwight Howard and Daniella Karagach’s routine to “Santa Maria (Del Buen Ayre)” by Gotan Venture, a tribute to James Hinchcliffe and Sharna Burgess’s Season 23 dance, wasn’t sufficient to maintain them within the competitors.

After being despatched dwelling, Howard expressed gratitude for the expertise. Karagach stated, “Lots of people stated we couldn’t do it, and we did it, and for me that’s a win.”

Dancing With the Stars returns for the semifinals Nov. 19 on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.

How did the celebs carry out?

Judges: Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli

Dwight Howard and professional Daniella Karagach: Eradicated

• Routine: “Santa Maria (Del Buen Ayre)” by Gotan Venture

• Inspiration: James Hinchcliffe and Sharna Burgess’s Season 23 dance from Season 23

• Routine rating: Carrie Ann 8, Derek 8, Bruno 9

• On the spot dance: Paso Doble to “Victorious” by Panic! On the Disco

• On the spot dance rating: Carrie Ann 8, Derek 7, Bruno 7

Chandler Kinney and professional Brandon Armstrong: Protected

• Routine: “Para Te” by Appart.

• Inspiration: Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough’s Season 16 dance

• Routine rating: Carrie Ann 10, Derek 10, Bruno 10

• On the spot dance: Cha-Cha to “Apple” by Charlie XCX

• On the spot dance rating: Carrie Ann 10, Derek 10, Bruno 10

Joey Graziadei and professional Jenna Johnson: Protected

• Routine: “Work Track” by Hozier.

• Inspiration: Riker Lynch and Allison Holker’s Season 20 dance

• Routine rating: Carrie Ann 9, Derek 10, Bruno 9

• On the spot dance: Rumba to “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish

• On the spot dance rating: Carrie Ann 9, Derek 9, Bruno 9

Stephen Nedoroscik and professional Rylee Arnold: Protected

• Routine: “Glimpse of Us” by Joji.

• Inspiration: Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas’s Season 31 dance

• Routine rating: Carrie Ann 10, Derek 10, Bruno 9

• On the spot dance: Jive to “Love Is Embarrassing” by Olivia Rodrigo

• On the spot dance rating: Carrie Ann 9, Derek 8. Bruno 8

Ilona Maher and professional Alan Bersten: Protected

• Routine: “Chuck Berry” by Pharrell Williams.

• Inspiration: Jordan Fisher and Lindsay Arnold’s Season 25 dance

• Routine rating: Carrie Ann 10, Derek 9, Bruno 9

• On the spot dance: Salsa to “Da’Dip” by Freak Nasty

• On the spot dance rating: Carrie Ann 8, Derek 8, Bruno 8

Danny Amendola and professional Witney Carson: Protected

• Routine: “Hey Pachuco” by Royal Crown Revue

• Inspiration: Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough’s Season 5 dance

• Routine rating: Carrie Ann 9, Derek 9, Bruno 9

• On the spot dance: Jive to “Good Golly Miss Molly” by Little Richard

• On the spot dance rating: Carrie Ann 8, Derek 8, Bruno 8

Who’s been eradicated up to now?

• Week 2: Anna Delvey and Tori Spelling

• Week 4: Reginald VelJohnson and Eric Roberts

• Week 5: Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchenko

• Week 6: Phaedra Parks and professional Val Chmerkovskiy

• Week 7: Jenn Tran and professional Sasha Farber

• Week 9: Dwight Howard and professional Daniella Karagach