‘Dancing With the Stars’ Episode 3: A Controversial Dancer Goes Home on Disney Night (RECAP)

Nev Schulman Jenna Johnson Dancing With the Stars 2020 Disney Night
Spoiler Alert
ABC

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 29, Episode 3 of Dancing With the Stars.]

It’s time for Dancing With the Stars‘ first theme night of Season 29, the ever-popular Disney Night!

The 14 remaining pairs took on favorites from The Little MermaidThe Lion King (one guess who dances to that one), Beauty and the Beast, and Mary Poppins in hopes of winning over judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli and viewers. And Mickey Mouse welcomes host Tyra Banks to the festivities, which kicks off with the Main Street Electrical Parade in the ballroom.

Below, we’re breaking down the dances and the scores. Read on to find out who impressed and who was eliminated.

Skai Jackson’s dance to “Almost There” from The Princess and the Frog (Jive)

After a stumble last week, Skai recovers with her pro partner Alan Bersten, but she looks nervous throughout and it’s not very memorable, especially to kick off the night. As Derek notes, “your weight was a little far back, which made it look a little bit stiff.” And as Bruno articulates, the Disney Channel star’s focus made her “become tight” in her performance.

Score: With sixes across the board, Skai and Alan score 18 out of 30.

Monica Aldama’s dance to “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid (Viennese Waltz)

The Cheer coach glides across the dance floor, finishing up with a big move at the end (which is the most notable part) with Val Chmerkovskiy on a gorgeous set with beautiful costumes. It is an improvement over last week, as the judges all note.

Score: They end up with a 21 out of 30, with sevens across the board. (It’s her highest score yet.)

Justina Machado’s dance to “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” from Mary Poppins (Charleston)

The One Day at a Time star’s joy is infectious as she dances with partner Sasha Farber, but for the judges, the energy — and the footwork — isn’t exactly what it should have been.

Score: With a seven from Carrie Ann and sixes from Derek and Bruno, they score 19 out of 30.

AJ McLean’s dance to “Prince Ali” from Aladdin (Quickstep)

The Backstreet Boy once again has a memorable entrance (though not quite like the premiere jump) and bounces around the floor with pro dancer Cheryl Burke. He’s having fun (and like Derek says, he’s “fully committed”), though it’s not a standout performance. But Carrie Ann is right that he’s looking more comfortable and bringing his own style to it.

Score: AJ and Cheryl score sevens across the board, for a total of 21 out of 30.

Anne Heche’s dance to “Zero to Hero” from Hercules (Quickstep)

The actress is clearly having fun with every dance with partner Keo Motsepe, but this one is not as smooth as in previous weeks, and the judges notice. “You were off to such a great start, but I feel like you need to recalibrate the partnership,” Carrie Ann says. Derek suggests Anne learn the routine and dance it herself before joining Keo so they look like two people coming together rather than like she’s relying on him.

Score: With fives across the board, Anne and Keo score 15 out of 30.

Jeannie Mai’s dance to “Married Life” from Up (Viennese Waltz)

The Real co-host’s dance with partner Brandon Armstrong is clearly the one to beat at this point in the night. It’s smooth and sweet and has the innocent quality to it that the number requires. And it wins over the judges. “It’s like you found your pace,” Carrie Ann remarks, noting the “incredible” balance in their partnership. For Derek, it was their “best performance.” “You really have captured the essence of the film. That was dancing as acting. It was pure storytelling,” Bruno praises them.

Score: With sevens from Carrie Ann and Derek and an eight (the second of the season) from Bruno, Jeannie and Brandon have a 22 out of 30.

Nelly’s dance to “It’s Alright” from Soul (Foxtrot)

The rapper has the additional challenge of dancing to a number that’s nowhere near as well known as the others, from an upcoming movie, but he seems to really get into it, especially towards the end, with partner Daniella Karagach, and the judges take notice of his comfort growing in the ballroom. “For the first time, we saw a proper slow foxtrot, which is so hard to do,” Bruno says.

Score: All three judges give Nelly and Daniella sixes, giving them 18 out of 30.

Carole Baskin’s dance to “Circle of Life” from The Lion King (Samba)

After being in the bottom two in Episode 2, the animal activist and Pasha Pashkov do not come back and impress unfortunately. The dance itself is OK, but not really fitting of DWTS, and their costumes (with tails!) are much too distracting. For Bruno, it looked like she “just walked through it,” and for Carrie Ann, the only real positive of the dance was her work with her hands.

Score: With a five from Carrie Ann, a four from Derek, and a three from Bruno, Carole and Pasha receive a score of 12 out of 30.

Kaitlyn Bristowe’s dance to “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana (Rumba)

The former Bachelorette remains a strong contender with pro partner Artem Chigvintsev. Her smooth, beautiful rumba is a bright spot after Carole’s dance (and a great way to kick off the second hour of the night). Carrie Ann calls it the “best dance of the night by miles.” (After her injury, she’s doing much better and has tendonitis and shin splints, but fortunately nothing’s broken.)

Score: With eights from Carrie Ann and Bruno and a seven from Derek, Kaitlyn and Artem score 23 out of 30.

Vernon Davis’ dance to “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast (Quickstep)

The Super Bowl champion jumps into action from the beginning, and he and Peta Murgatroyd are dancing well together, though at times the smile on Vernon’s face looks a bit more nervous than complete joy. (But they have the best use of props since they eat the cupcakes on the table.) Both Bruno and Carrie Ann note the partners’ connection. “You guys have found your balance. You slowed down your energy to meet Peta perfectly,” she says, calling it “one of my favorite dances of the night.”

Score: With an eight from Carrie Ann and sevens from Derek and Bruno, they score 22 out of 30.

Nev Schulman’s dance to “Angelica” from Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (Argentine Tango)

The Catfish host and Jenna Johnson’s dance is the most theatrical of the night, and oh so very entertaining. Nev pretty much transforms into Captain Jack Sparrow, and that stands out for all the judges. “You manage to retain that camp, inebriated mannerism and yet you maintain the Argentine tango all the way through,” Bruno says.

Score: With eights across the board, Nev and Jenna get a score of 24 out of 30.

Johnny Weir’s dance to “Reflection” from Mulan (Rumba)

The ice skater, with his pro partner Britt Stewart, shows real improvement from previous weeks, and the judges take note. “I saw you make the transition from being an ice-skater to being a ballroom Latin dancer.,” Carrie Ann says, calling the dance “epic.” Adds Bruno, “you started to project emotion. I could read that you were actually playing a character. … Keep on that way.”

Score: Johnny and Britt also receive eights across the board, giving them 24 out of 30.

Jesse Metcalfe’s dance to “King of New York” from Newsies (Jive)

With partner Sharna Burgess, the Chesapeake Shores star clearly gets into the dance, which may be the one most like to get you moving in your seat at home. But it divides the judges. Derek doesn’t think Jesse felt “as comfortable with this routine timing-wise” as past ones, while Bruno disagrees. “I thought your footwork was very, very, light, very nimble,” he says, adding the actor’s “moving much, much better than you ever had.” Carrie Ann is in the middle, agreeing with both.

Score: With sevens from Carrie Ann and Bruno and a six from Derek, Jesse and Sharna walk away with a score of 20 out of 30.

Chrishell Stause’s dance to “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes” from Cinderella (Waltz)

The Selling Sunset star and Gleb Savchenko continue to improve as partners, but it’s not the standout we would’ve liked to see to end the night (especially with some of the others). It is, however, beautiful, and the judges like it, with Bruno calling Chrishell “the ultimate Disney princess.”

Score: With sevens from Carrie Ann and Derek and an eight from Bruno, they walk away with a 22 out of 30.

Results

After combining the scores and fans’ votes, the celebrities in the bottom two are Anne Heche and Carole Baskin. Derek chooses to save Anne (because he sees potential). Bruno picks Anne as well. (Even though Carrie Ann doesn’t need to vote, she, too, would have saved Anne.) Carole Baskin is going home.

Do you agree with their picks? Is your favorite still competing?

Dancing With the Stars, Mondays, 8/7c, ABC