‘Dancing With the Stars’ Recap: Dedication Night Ends With Elimination Twist
What To Know
- Ten couples hit the dance floor for Dedication Night on Season 35 of Dancing With the Stars.
- The celebrities honored important people in their lives with their dances.
- The judges scores were combined with viewer votes, leading to a shocking reveal.
Dedication Night is always one of the most anticipated episodes of the season on Dancing With the Stars, so there was a lot riding on the October 20 performances for the remaining Season 35 couples. The 10 celebs still in the running for the Mirrorball trophy hit the dance floor with routines specifically dedicated to someone special in their lives.
Tears were shed throughout the evening, but at the end of the day, the dance competition is still in play. Judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli, along with guest Kym Johnson, gave their critiques and scores, which were combined with viewer votes before the end of the night.
Scroll down to find out how the contestants scored and to find out the surprise reveal at the end of the episode.
Ezra Frech & Daniella Karagach — 37/40
Up first was Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach with a contemporary dance to “Bloodline” by Mon Rovia. He dedicated the routine to his mom, Bahar Soomekh, who was featured in the dance.
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“So inspiring, life affirming. Your positive attitude, your strength of character, are unique. You really are a lesson to us all, and the dancing, by the way, that was brilliant,” Tonioli said. “Those lifts? Totally seamless. You’re a real talent and we love you.”
Inaba praised Soomekh for the impact she’s had on her son. She applauded Frech for “using the momentum and physicality” on the dance floor and called it “absolutely stunning.”
From Johnson, Frech earned the first 10 of the season, along with 9s from the other judges for a total score of 37/40.
Tatyana Ali & Jan Ravnik — 32/40
Up next was Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik. The actress dedicated her Viennese waltz dance to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air costar James Avery, who died in 2013. She was joined by DWTS host (and former winner) Alfonso Ribeiro, who played her brother on the show, on the ballroom floor.
“You were glowing tonight,” Tonioli told Ali. “It had a wonderful, easy flow, as if you were floating on the wings of your guardian angel. You were guided by a glowing light and it showed tonight.”
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Inaba said she was “honored” to see the reunion between Ali and Ribeiro and gushed that the “graceful” routine was “like old Hollywood come to life.” Hough called Ali “one of the most improved” of the season. “You are such a vision out there. The storytelling, the grace, it really was beautiful,” he added.
Johnson called the dance “beautiful,” but noted that she would’ve liked to see Ali move “a little more across the floor” in the routine. With four 8s from the judges, Ali earned a 32/40, her best score of the season.
Maura Higgins & Mark Ballas — 35/40
Maura Higgins honored her home country of Ireland, dancing a paso doble to “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” by Dropkick Murphys with Mark Ballas. They were joined by a hand-picked Irish dancer to add some Ireland vibes to the routine.
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Inaba said she “loved the attack” Higgins brought to the dance floor, which is something she improved on from the previous week. She had to call out a lift, though. Hough, meanwhile, gushed over the entire performance, and Johnson raved, “You made me want to go to an Irish pub with you or something. It was so good.”
Tonioli and Inaba both told Higgins to work on her shoulders, but overall, loved the performance. Inaba scored the dance with an 8, due to the docked point for the lift, while the other three judges gave Higgins 9s, for a total score of 35/40.
Jackson Olson & Emma Slater — 32/40
Jackson Olson and Emma Slater dedicated their dance to the Savannah Bananas star’s mom. They did a quickstep to “L-O-V-E” by Nat King Cole, and Olson’s mother was on the ballroom floor with them.
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“What a great quickstep, in the right direction. I love that you were traveling around that floor. Great footwork, great performance,” Hough said, while also noting that Olson needs to “maintain that frame” in the dance.
Johnson called Olson “so entertaining,” but agreed with Hough that Olson needs to “lock it in” when it comes to frame. Tonioli added, “You were twinkling with pleasure tonight. I loved all the theatrical touches. … You were expressing yourself better than ever tonight.”
Inaba applauded Olson for how his confidence has built over the weeks and told him, “You are top-notch performing.” All four judges scored the dance with 8s for a total of 32/40.
Amber Glenn & Pasha Pashkov — 38/40
Amber Glenn dedicated her contemporary to her sister, Brooke. She and Pasha Pashkov danced to “Breathe Me” by Sia, and Brooke was with them on the dance floor. They told the story of Glenn’s mental health struggles and how Brooke supported her at that time.
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Johnson gushed over the emotion, athleticism, and vulnerability in the routine. Tonioli said, “This was really an emotional tour de force, I could hardly breathe. But what’s absolutely brilliant is how you set the drama with choreography. The structure and dramatic tension was incredible.”
Inaba thanked Glenn for tackling such an important topic and said she “delivered it with precision and raw, powerful vulnerability.” Inaba and Johnson scored the dance with 10s, while Hough and Tonioli gave her 9s, for a total score of 38/40, the highest of the night so far.
Jenna Dewan & Alan Bersten — 37/40
Next up was a Viennese waltz from Jenna Dewan and Alan Bersten, who filled in for Val Chmerkovskiy amid his suspension. They danced with Dewan’s mom to “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers.
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“I love it when you get lyrical,” Tonioli said, calling the routine “absolutely on the dot” and telling Dewan to “retain” the quality of tonight’s dance. Inaba jumped in to add, “I know this journey has been a lot. You continue to come out here giving us all your heart, all your soul. That dance, to me, was the ultimate breakthrough. Your heart was open. You felt free, you felt light.”
Hough said the dance was “gentle, gorgeous, [and] graceful,” while also letting Dewan know she is a “class act.” Inaba pulled out a 10 paddle, while the other three judges gave the dance 9s, for a total of 37/40.
Harry Shum Jr. & Jenna Johnson — 36/40
Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson were joined by his wife, Shelby, for a foxtrot to “Stop This Train” by John Mayer. The dance told the story of Shum’s parents leaving him at a train station to go meet the love of his life.
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“What a beautiful way to tell your story to the world and show us what representation as an Asian American looks like,” Inaba gushed. She also praised Johnson’s choreography and how it wove the story into the foxtrot.
“This is what Dancing With the Stars is all about!” Hough promised. “Your control, you were just skating across that floor like glass. It’s a very difficult dance and you made it look easy, you made it look effortless.” Johnson called the foxtrot “beautiful” and applauded Shum’s “technique,” noting that the dance was “just gorgeous.”
With 9s from the four judges, Shum received a 36/40 for the dance.
Connor Wood & Rylee Arnold — 32/40
For his dedication, Connor Wood performed a Viennese waltz to “Piano Man” by Billy Joel with Rylee Arnold. It was dedicated to his dad, who is battling lymphoma, but was out there on the dance floor for his son.
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Hough raved over how Wood has come “such a long way” since Week 1. “You should be very proud of this dance tonight, well done,” he assured the podcaster. Johnson loved how Wood glided across the floor, but gave him some advice for how he could improve with “consistency” in his dancing.
Tonioli told Wood’s father how he raised a great young man. “He listens, he applies what we say, and he gets better. That was a proper, real, well-executed Viennese waltz,” Tonioli promised, while Inaba called Wood the “most improved” of the week. The dance earned four 8s from the judges, which is Wood’s highest score yet.
Tyler Cameron & Sharna Burgess — 32/40
Tyler Cameron honored his late mom with a dance dedicated to moms everywhere. He and Sharna Burgess were joined by his future wife, Tate Madden, for a contemporary to “Supermarket Flowers” by Ed Sheeran.
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During the dance, Cameron and Madden confirmed they are expecting their first child, adding an extra sweet moment in the routine. Afterwards, they did a gender reveal and found out they’re having a baby girl.
“What you did is you turned it into a celebration of a new life. You were dancing with three hearts beating as one,” Tonioli said. Inaba reflected on Cameron’s journey on the show so far and noted, “What I’m really noticing is you are opening up your expression and your heart. You are dancing with your whole heart.”
The dance earned four 8s from the judges for a total of 32/40.
Julia Stiles & Ezra Sosa — 36/40
The final dance of the night was Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa’s contemporary to “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” by Frankie Valli. They dedicated it to her late 10 Things I Hate About You costar, Heath Ledger, who died in 2008.
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In a surprise finish, Stiles and Sosa were joined by several 10 Things I Hate About You costars on the dance floor, too. “It was a wonderful, wonderful tribute to an outstanding talent by an equally talented performer,” Tonioli said, while Inaba told Stiles she is “so proud” of her for coming out of her shell.
“How cool is it to have created something that will last forever? And tonight, this performance will last forever as well,” Hough raved. Johnson called it a “gorgeous dedication,” which she said hit home since she’s Australian like Ledger. Stiles earned four 9s for a 36/40 total.
Who was eliminated?
Nobody was eliminated on Dedication Night! It was revealed that no couples will be going home tonight.
“On such a special night, we didn’t want anybody to be sent home,” Julianne Hough explained, noting that tonight’s scores and viewer votes will carry over to next week … where there will be a double elimination.
Dancing With the Stars, Season 35, Tuesdays, 8/7c, ABC and Disney+
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