It’s the most magical evening of the year, Disney Night on Dancing with the Stars season 20. The nine remaining couples will perform to songs from some of the most beloved Disney films ever and animated characters will be featured in the dances.
This is the second time DWTS has done Disney Night, and the first time was a rousing success with James Maslow earning a perfect score for his Frozen Contemporary routine and Charlie White’s near-perfect Mary Poppins dance (if only he didn’t drop that cane). Will season 20 see its first perfect score? And who will be eliminated?
LIVE…from Hollywood…it’s Disney Night on Dancing with the Stars!
The fairy tale opening number is filled with animated characters from Disney films and even Mickey and Minnie. I’m already terrified by Chris Soules’ Hercules toga. But I love Riker as Captain Jack Sparrow and Rumer as Ursula.
THE RESULTS, PART 1
Once again, we’re getting results throughout the night.
Robert and Kym are…SAFE!
Suzanne and Tony are…IN JEOPARDY!
And Suzanne is dancing first.
Suzanne Somers and Tony Dovolani: Lady and the Tramp Jazz
They weren’t happy with their scores last week and the audience boos about them being in jeopardy. In rehearsals, she had serious doubts and considered quitting the show. It feels like she threw herself a pity party and the audience is eating it up.
They do a slinky, sexy routine, but in the middle Suzanne very obviously got screwed up and froze. It’s extremely uncomfortable and awkward. Her heel caught in her dress and it really threw her off her game. I actually didn’t love it that much before the huge mistake, but the judges all seem to think it was her best dance outside of the hiccup. I feel like her crisis of confidence during rehearsals has forced the judges into sucking up to her to make her feel better about herself.
Judges’ Scores: 7+7+7+7=28
Seriously? That’s very nice for having such a huge mistake that she didn’t really recover from as beautifully as everyone tells her she did.
Robert Herjavec and Kym Johnson: Mary Poppins Quickstep
They were very emotional and loving after last week’s great performance. But the Quickstep is a lot harder for Robert because it’s not about beauty and grace. Also, Robert seems to have a Mary Poppins fetish and Kym is really getting his juices flowing this week.
Kym flies in on an umbrella but, ironically, the two aren’t stepping in time. The middle was fine, but the start and end were really, noticeably off on the footwork. The judges call him out on the terrible timing of Robert’s footwork and the audience boos them. This audience is already out of control with the boos. That wasn’t practically perfect in any way.
Judges’ Scores: 6+6+6+6=24
Ouch, they could be in real danger next week. They dropped 10 whole points from their score last week.
THE RESULTS, PART 2
Chris and Witney are…IN JEOPARDY!
Mark and Willow are…SAFE!
Patti and Artem are…IN JEOPARDY!
So we already have three couples in jeopardy and four couples left. Does that mean they’ll all be safe?
Patti LaBelle and Artem Chigvintsev: Pinocchio Waltz
Patti’s knee is getting worse and worse, but she’s not a quitter. In your face, Suzanne! It’s one of those dances that’s perfect for older women, with very little movement. It’s just graceful and elegant and lets her awesomeness shine through. It’s not amazing, but there’s nothing wrong with it. The judges use “simple” as a compliment. Hilariously, I feel like Julianne Hough throws some shade at Suzanne by talking about how great Patti’s attitude is. At least that’s how I heard it.
Judges’ Scores: 7+6+7+7=27
Patti refuses to complain about her knee because Noah only has one leg. I adore her.
Willow Shields and Mark Ballas: Alice in Wonderland Foxtrot
I expected Mark to be the Cheshire Cat or Mad Hatter, but instead, he’s the White Rabbit, unrecognizable behind the fur and make-up. He’s acting like a kid in a candy store this season. In rehearsals, her dad forces her to have a snack break every day and she doesn’t like it. She’s definitely a kid.
I enjoy her dancing more than I have in recent weeks, but I’m getting sick and tired of Mark’s over-the-top productions. It feels like the routine is more about Mark’s epic vision with the costumes and sets. Carrie Ann Inaba thought Willow was off for the entire first half and the judges are starting to come around to my way of thinking that the elaborate productions are getting in the way of the dancing.
Judges’ Scores: 8+8+9+9=34
Once again, Mark’s vision wins higher scores than the dancing might deserve without it. He’s been spending way too much time with Derek.
Chris Soules and Witney Carson: Hercules Quickstep
After getting the lowest score last week, they’re not in a good place and Chris snaps at Witney, making her feel like a bad teacher. So she brings back defending champion Alfonso Ribeiro to help out. But this morning in dress rehearsal he pulled his calf.
The farmer is in a toga, although it looks more like a mini-skirt that a female tennis player would wear. The lame dancing doesn’t help because it’s just awkward and clumsy. The judges try to be nice because they know he’s injured, but Julianne doesn’t think he’s having any fun. Carrie Ann Inaba inexplicably says it’s his best dance of the season. Did she have a brain aneurysm while Bruno Tonioli was talking?
Judges’ Scores: 7+6+7+7=27
Meh, I don’t think it deserved such generous scores. That wasn’t equal to Patti.
THE RESULTS, PART 3
Noah and Sharna…SAFE!
Nastia and Derek are…SAFE!
Riker and Allison are…SAFE!
Rumer and Val are…SAFE!
That’s a nice and different way to do it. I’m glad that, for once, the worst three are the ones in jeopardy.
Noah Galloway and Sharna Burgess: Aladdin Foxtrot
Tom Bergeron points out that their dance from last week has over 33 million views on Facebook. That’s a LOT of support. He’s very hard on himself about how his leg looks, but Sharna tells him to suck it up.
He flies in on a magic carpet to meet his Jasmine. The start is kind of slow as it takes him some time to get off the carpet and down the stairs, but then it gets going. It’s charming and flirtatious, which makes Noah even more endearing. It’s a little lacking in content, but it’s very pleasant. Julianne likes his hold and his lack of uneasiness when it comes to his steps. He’s extremely focused and determined.
Judges’ Scores: 7+7+7+7=28
So that was only 1 point better than Chris or Patti and just as good as Suzanne? That’s B.S.
Riker Lynch and Allison Holker: Pirates Paso Doble
Riker is excited to be Captain Jack Sparrow, but Allison doesn’t think it’s right for the Paso because it’s not manly enough. He’s really, really into playing the character.
The dance itself is absolutely amazing. Riker really does make a fantastic Captain Jack, and he somehow manages to make the pirate who wears guyliner into a fierce and manly leading dancer. The judges are shocked and delighted by how powerful and committed Riker was. Carrie Ann calls it the best ever. I agree, that was fast, furious, and epic.
Judges’ Scores: 10+9+9+10=38
Come on, that should’ve been perfect. Riker stays in character and hits on Erin Andrews.
Rumer Willis and Val Chmerkovskiy: Little Mermaid Samba
For Disney Night the producers wanted her to do Frozen, but she gave it to Nastia, and instead of being a princess, she wanted to play a villain, so she’s Ursula. Val knows Len Goodman is old-fashioned, so he’s crafting a traditional Samba. They even do some underwater rehearsing in a pool.
Rumer was always been great, but she takes it to another level with this routine. She is so wickedly powerful and sublime as the villain. It gets deserved raves from the judges. It might actually be better than Riker, although I think they were both perfect.
Judges’ Scores: 10+9+10+10=39
Screw you, Len. I mean, seriously, is he just waiting to give Derek his first 10 of the season? Because we’ve now had nine 10s this season, and none have been from Len.
Nastia Liukin and Derek Hough: Frozen Jazz
They can apparently thank Rumer for getting Frozen. And for the second time in three weeks, Derek gets to perform last. Their goal is to show Nastia’s silly side.
The dancing is good, but I hate how they lip-sync to the lyrics of “Love Is an Open Door” and how they basically just recreate the whole sequence from the movie. It’s too much like musical theater, not dancing. It doesn’t feel original or that interesting at all. Carrie Ann also hated the lip-syncing.
Judges’ Scores: 9+9+10+10=38
It didn’t deserve either of those 10s, all 9s would’ve been correct. This means we’re five weeks in and Len still hasn’t given out a single 10.
THE FINAL RESULTS
It’s down to Chris, Suzanne, and Patti. Honestly, we could just get rid of all three of them right now and I’d be fine with that. None of them have a chance of making the finale, let alone winning.
Patti and Artem are…SAFE!
Good for them. They’re my favorite of these bottom three.
Suzanne Somers and Tony Dovolani ARE ELIMINATED!
Wow, a bit of a shock. Not only did Chris have lower scores, but I guess her little Three’s Company homage didn’t appeal to that many voters.
Next week the theme is Spring Break and we also get team dances, where I believe Rumer and Nastia will be the captains given how they’ve done it in the past. In other words, it’s the most epic of DWTS rivalries: Derek vs. Val. And, of course, Derek wins EVERY time. But since I believe Rumer gets first pick, that means Nastia and Derek will probably get stuck with Chris.
Also, in a few weeks, Tuesday results shows are back and we’ll get a dance-off to try and avoid a double elimination.
THE LEADERBOARD
39: Rumer Willis
38: Riker Lynch, Nastia Liukin
34: Willow Shields
28: Noah Galloway
27: Patti LaBelle, Chris Soules
24: Robert Herjavec
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
