‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 33 Disney Night Recap

Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Dancing With the Stars Season 33 Episode 6.

Disney magic filled the air on Dancing With the Stars last night, making a callback to childhood classics like The Little Mermaid and Tarzan. The dance numbers were character-driven, with stars and their pros recreating Disney film sequences. Wigs on and dressed the part, audiences couldn’t lend a hand but giggle when Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber did a swooning rumba to “Kiss the Girl” and jammed when Danny Amendola and Whitney Carson squared off in a jazz routine to NSYNC’s “Bye, Bye, Bye” a la Deadpool & Wolverine. It was an evening to root for both princesses and villains, yet, it had a bittersweet end with a reality star being sent home.

On top of reminding viewers that a dream is a wish your heart makes, DWTS offered a vivid, Aladdin-inspired opening dance with pros and hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough performing alongside Broadway star Michael James Scott, who was dressed as Genie. The choreography was crafted by Emmy-winner Mandy Moore, and it truly felt like a lively introduction to the surprises of the night. Later in the show, viewers had the chance to listen to a track from the Moana 2 soundtrack for the first time, as well as witness the first team dances of the season. Before getting into the face-off between Team Goofs and Team Roar, let’s reminisce about the ballroom highlights.

The first pair to take the dance floor were Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold with a Charleston to Hercules‘ “A Star is Born.” Although his routine wasn’t as polished as last week’s, he still earned 8s across the board. The scoring was fairly repetitive throughout the night, despite certain dance numbers having fewer critiques than others. For instance, Tran and Farber were commended for their classy and flowy performance, but still earned 8s. Phaedra Parks and Dwight Howard had similar issues in terms of synchronicity with their pros but still managed to get the same score as the aforementioned.

Under Ilona Maher’s Leadership, Team Goofs Didn’t Goof Around

Even though certain choreographies were unevenly marked, the top performances of the evening were deserving of appreciation. After the judges left Chandler Kinney discouraged during Dedication Night, the Disney star took the opportunity to channel the fierceness of her Zombies 2 character and prove that she has what it takes to stay on top. Wearing fangs and fur hanging from her neck, she reprised her role as Willa in an impressive paso doble. Amendola and Carson had the second-highest score of the night with their jazz, showing that the Super Bowl champion isn’t in the competition to play and will continue to build on the momentum he’s had since last week’s touching contemporary tribute to his delayed coach.

Although Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson took everyone back to the jungle with their vivid samba, they didn’t achieve the 10 they were hoping for. This time around they only got one 9, courtesy of Bruno Tonioli. Ilona Maher unlocked her first 9 of the season by stepping into the shoes of Encanto‘s Louisa. Although the rugby player did exploit the Disney character as fuel to continue to inspire muscular women to be bold and proud through her performance, it was when she led Team Goofs in the team dance that she truly showed her worth. As the captain, Maher uplifted her group — which consisted of Tran, Graziadei, and Kinney — to make their number filled with many moving parts look tight and professional. It really felt like Team Roar — featuring Howard, Amendola, Nedoroscik, and Parks — was all over the place in comparison to how Team Goofs maintained synchronicity and confidence throughout their number.

Phaedra Parks Is Voted Off After Embodying a Classic Disney Villain

With only eight contestants left, it’s getting harder and harder to determine who will be sent home — yet, when Parks and her pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy were announced as the duo leaving the program next, it did feel like the right call. Although the Real Housewives of Atlanta alum’s outspokenness and carefree personality will be missed, she made several mistakes during Team Roar’s performance that cost her. The duo’s spin on Cruella was entertaining, but Parks’ struggle to keep up with her peers in the team dance made the heartbreaking voting verdict understandable.

As another star bids farewell to DWTS, the stakes are about to get higher. Only seven contestants will embrace the spooky thrill of Halloween Night and deliver even more challenging routines in the hopes of remaining in the dance competition. In addition to performing with their partners, the stars will have to face off against another celebrity to earn bonus marks that could elevate their position on the leaderboard. With Week 7 swift approaching, fans can only hope that a pair will give them the treat of witnessing the first perfect score of the season.

Dancing With the Stars airs on Tuesday nights on both ABC and Disney+ and is available to stream on Hulu the next day.

Chandler Kinney’s return to the top as Willa made Disney Night magical.

Pros

• The stars enchanted audiences by incorporating Disney classics into their choreography.
• Kinney and Amendola brought the house down with their engaging numbers.
• Ilona Maher proved she is not only improving on the dance floor, but that she is notable team player.

Cons

• Judges marked several performances equally despite some being more critiqued than others.

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