“Dancing With the Stars” Horror Movie Night brought spooks and surprises before the season’s first double elimination.
The Halloween week included shakeups in the leaderboard as the competition continued to stiffen. Comedian Connor Wood shocked with his first 10s of the season, while other stars disappointed tough guest judge Shirley Ballas.
The “Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro” judge, who is also pro Mark Ballas’ mother, joined the panel and did not mess around. She kicked off the night’s competition, giving Julia Stiles a 4 (her lowest score of the competition thus far).
The competition ended in a double elimination, sending home Tyler Cameron and his partner Sharna Burgess and Jackson Olson and his partner Emma Slater. The scores and combined votes from Dedication Night and Horror Movie Night decided the eliminations.
In a tease for next week’s Disney-themed episode, host Alfonso Ribeiro also announced that Cynthia Erivo will be joining as a guest judge. Next week’s episode will take place Monday ahead of Election Day.
Stiles opened the night’s competition with her Argentine tango to “The Dogs Attack” inspired by the horror film “The Omen.” The actress was in the 2006 remake of the film, so this performance was that much more personal. She and her partner Ezra Sosa seemed to butt heads in rehearsals this week before performing their routine that was not up to snuff. The guest judge said she needed sharper, controlled legs among other critiques. Derek Hough said it was the actress’ worst dance of the season.
Harry Shum Jr. and his partner Jenna Johnson wowed with a contemporary routine to “Toxic” by 2WEI. The “Glee” star incorporated many lifts and tricks in this routine inspired by the horror movie “Saw.” Bruno Tonioli said he could taste the fear and that Shum Jr.’s acting and choreography was “perfection.” Inaba gave it a standing ovation, while Hough echoed that the dance was executed perfectly.
“I’ve been judging a long time, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like that,” Ballas said before giving a 10, contributing to the first perfect score of the season.
“Fresh Prince” star Tatyana Ali performed a paso doble to “I Lied to You” from the Academy Award-winning horror hit “Sinners.” The routine leaned into the film’s spooky vampire and haunting swing style. Inaba said that it was the actress’s most passionate, embodied dance yet, but the skirt slightly over powered. Ballas said the dance had no recognizable paso doble steps but was very theatrical.
Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy’s zombie-inspired Argentine tango to “Uninvited” turned the judges’ heads. The pair pushed the envelope with flicks, lifts and tricks, though Dewan did have one stumble during the routine. Hough called it one of the best Argentine tangoes he has seen on the ballroom floor. Inaba said she did see the mistake, but that the dance as a whole was “perfection.”
Comedian Connor Wood had a breakthrough performance with his contemporary routine to “You Are My Sunshine” inspired by “Annabelle: Creation.” His partner Rylee Arnold played the doll, while Wood played its maker. The judges praised the routine for its outstanding choreography, musicality and cinematic quality. Tonioli said it was like watching a mini movie, while Inaba crowned Wood the “contemporary king.” Hough called the performance perfect before giving the podcaster his first 10s of the season.
“This dance clicked for me,” Wood said.
Ezra Frech and his partner Daniella Karagach persevered after the paralympian dealt with a minor injury related to his amputated leg. The duo performed a jazz routine to “Madness” inspired by “The Invisible Man.” The judges wanted to see more acting and performance quality from the athlete.
Savannah Bananas athlete Jackson Olson performed a contemporary routine to “That’s Life” by Frank Sinatra, inspired by the “Joker.” The baseball player leaned into the kooky character this week, bringing a darker side of himself to the ballroom. The judges said the performance quality was good, but his transitions in and out of the lifts were clunky.
Tyler Cameron performed a Viennese Waltz to “Love Song for a Vampire” by Annie Lennox, inspired by “Bram Stoker’s Dracula.” The judges praised the reality star for acting skills but said his technique and frame needed work. Tonioli warned him not to lean in to his partner Sharna Burgess because it compromised his frame. Coming off of an emotional Dedication Night, the “Bachelorette” star said it felt a little like whiplash.
Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov performed an Argentine tango to “Perfection” from the “Black Swan” score. The song held special significance for the Olympic figure skater as she connected with the film’s exploration of how the pursuit of perfection can ultimately destroy you. Ballas said she could see the skating influence in Glenn’s quality of movement, and Tonioli praised her for her musicality. The judges’ critiques were overall positive, but she did not receive a 10 for her performance.
Maura Higgins closed out the night with a creepy contemporary routine to “Cry Little Sister (Theme from ‘The Lost Boys’).” The “Traitors” alum leaned into the routine’s eerie, seductive atmosphere, earning praise from Hough. Tonioli said that the reality star is “magnetic” as a performer and “can make the horrible look beautiful.” Ballas called the performance powerful, though she encouraged Higgins to rotate her feet more to improve the flow of her movements, demonstrating on prop shoes.
See the full leaderboard and scores below.
LEADERBOARD: Week 6 & 7
Harry Shum Jr. & Jenna Johnson: 76
Jenna Dewan & Val Chmerkovskiy: 74
Amber Glenn & Pasha Pashkov: 74
Ezra Frech & Daniella Karagach: 72
Connor Wood & Rylee Arnold: 69
Maura Higgins & Mark Ballas: 67
Jackson Olson & Emma Slater: 67
Julia Stiles & Ezra Sosa: 62
Tatyana Ali & Jan Ravnik: 60
Tyler Cameron & Sharna Burgess: 58
The post ‘DWTS’ Week 7: Harry Shum Jr. Earns First Perfect Score of the Season With ‘Saw’-Inspired Contemporary Dance appeared first on TheWrap.
