Dancing with the Stars is back for week five. The competition continues with only eight couples remaining after this week’s elimination. Week five brought relatively low scores to the ballroom and team dances during “Disney Night.”
The episode opened up with an explosive numberas the professional dancers performed to “Friend Like Me” from “Aladdin.” The dancers shined during the dance by beloved choreographer Mandy Moore. The number also featured Broadway performer Michael James Scott who plays the Genie in “Aladdin” on Broadway.
After opening with an exciting start, the stars competed with their partners and later on competed in the team dances. “Disney Night” featured songs and themes from Disney movies, with each couple dressing the part.
Gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik kicked off the night with a “Hercules” themed dance to “A Star is Born.” Nedoroscik and partner Rylee Arnold performed a well-executed Charleston and after last week’s breakthrough performance expected to see high scores. The couple ended with three eights from the judges and received notes to not get ahead of the music.
Nedoroscik started strong but throughout the night, three other couples received the same score of 24 out of 30. “The Bachelorette” star Jenn Tran and partner Sasha Farber also received four eights for their rumba to “Kiss the Girl” from “The Little Mermaid.” Judges told Tran it was her best dance of the season, but the pair did not receive a single nine. The judges scored low this episode and no couple received a ten, despite it being well into the season.
Dwight Howard and Daniella Karagach received a 24 for their upbeat tango to “When Can I See You Again” from “Wreck-It Ralph.” The pair was excited to receive their score as this is the best they have done so far this season.
Reality television star Phaedra Parks and partner Val Chmerkovskiy also received a 24 for their “Cruella de Vil” themed jazz. Parks missed quite a few steps as the judges pointed out and looked unconfident this week.
Standout “Zombies 2” star Chandler Kinney performeda Paso doble to her song “We Own the Night” from the second franchise movie. Kinney was visited by two of her costars while prepping for the dance, one of whom was season 27 runner-up Milo Manheim.
Kinney and her partner Brandon Armstrong lit up the dance floor and received four nines from judges, landing them at the top of the leaderboard once again. Because Kinney received one of the highest scores and the highest average scores over the five weeks, she was granted immunity for next week's dance-off challenge.
NFL player Danny Amendola tied with Kinney during “Disney Night” for his “Deadpool & Wolverine” themed jazz to “Bye Bye Bye.” Amendola and his partner Witney Carson packed their routine with tricks and earned high praise from the judges. Amendola continues to come out swinging each week and has improved immensely since week one.
“Disney Night” contained entertaining dances from the eight couples and also team dances. Viewers got to see the two teams get chosen. Olympian rugby player Ilona Maher and Howard were chosen as captains as they had the lowest scores last episode. Howard chose Amendola, Nedoroscik and Parks for his team, “Team Roar.” Maher chose Tran, Kinney, and Joey Graziadei for her team “Team Goofs.”
Team dances brought high stakes; each team dance's scores were added to the couples’ final scores for the night. Both teams were shown laughing and enjoying their time together during the video packages beforehand. Team dances are a fan favorite tradition amongst “DWTS” fans and are a great way for stars to shine and work together.
“Team Roar” performed to “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” from “The Lion King.” The stars all performed as if competing for the title of king during the dance, adding an entertaining appeal. It featured upbeat movements and an ending phenomenon as Howard lifted Nedoroscik above his head. The dance was good but not quite as difficult as the judges intended, giving the team four eights and ending with a 24.
Next was “Team Goofs,” who performed to “I 2 I” from “A Goofy Movie.” The team came out swinging in black and neon green outfits. There were tricks and lifts as Maher lifted Tran above her head, continuing to challenge the usual expectations of a male base for tricks. The dance was technically challenging, entertaining and very clean. “Team Goofs” received four nines from judges, ultimately beating “Team Roar.”
After team and solo performances elimination began. Sadly this week Parks and partner Chmerkovskiy were eliminated. The two shared how happy they were to be able to work with each other and thanked their supporters upon exiting the ballroom.
“Disney Night” certainly shook up the competition and the weeks are winding down with only seven stars remaining. Next week couples will compete in a dance-off section of the show and continue to compete for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. Will judges finally award a ten next week? And who will unfortunately see themselves out?
