Disney Night has been a fan-favorite Dancing With the Stars theme for years, and the season 33 episode did not disappoint.
Celebrity contestants and their pro partners danced to songs from the Disney songbook during the Tuesday, October 22, episode. At the end of the evening, Dwight Howard and Daniella Karagach, Phaedra Parks and Val Chmerkovskiy, and Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold were tied at the bottom of the leaderboard.
After the votes were tallied, Parks, 50, and Chmkerkovskiy, 38, were sent home. Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong also earned immunity from next week’s dance-off due to having the highest number of points from the judges throughout the entire season.
Prior to the elimination results, Nedoroscik, 25, and Arnold, 19, kicked things off with a Charleston to “A Star Is Born” from Hercules. Just like the titular demigod, the Olympian knows something about feats of strength and got to show off his athleticism with some impressive tricks during the routine. Nedoroscik also got a spray tan to better emulate the Greek hero.
The judges told the gymnast that he still needs to work on timing, with Bruno Tonioli noting that Nedoroscik was rushing “quite a lot.”
While Nedoroscik has a habit of moving too fast, Jenn Tran and her partner, Sasha Farber, are taking it slow, even though some of their fellow contestants chanted for them to kiss after their rumba to “Kiss the Girl” from The Little Mermaid.
Instead of locking lips, Farber, 40, planted a sweet kiss on Tran’s forehead at the end of the routine. The duo did enjoy a romantic boat ride though, as seen in the video played before their performance.
“This is our first date. … Are you gonna try and kiss the girl today?” Tran, 26, joked.
Farber insisted “it’s not a date,” but shared that he’s felt like he’s known Tran “for a long, long time” since “the first day I met you.”
Just like any good Disney movie, the episode had some moments of triumph after struggle. Kinney, 24, earned three nines after Carrie Ann Inaba urged her to “dig deeper” during Dedication Night last week.
“The dig deeper comment did bug me a little bit, because I did dig deep, but I just don’t think I externalized it,” Kinney told cameras before her and Armstrong’s Paso Doble to “We Own the Night” from her film Zombies 2.
After a visit from her Zombies 2 costars Meg Donnelly and DWTS season 27 runner-up Milo Manheim, Kinney was ready to nail the performance. Inaba, 56, praised the “passionate [and] powerful” routine while Derek Hough reminded Kinney that dance instructors “picking on you” means “you’re doing something right.”
After each duo performed, the contestants paired off into teams for a group dance. Team Roar — comprised of Howard, Danny Amendola, Nedoroscik, Parks and their respective pro partners — earned three eights after dancing to “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” from The Lion King, while Team Goofs — comprised of Ilona Maher, Kinney, Tran, Joey Graziadei and their pro counterparts — earned three nines after dancing to “I2I” from A Goofy Movie.
The scores from the group dance were added to each duo’s score from their duet performances.
Keep scrolling to see all the performers’ scores from Dancing With the Stars’ Disney Night:
Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold
Dance: Charleston
Song: “A Star Is Born” from Hercules
Score: 32
Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber
Dance: Rumba
Song: “Kiss the Girl” from The Little Mermaid
Score: 33
Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson
Song: “Trashin’ the Camp” from Tarzan
Dance: Samba
Score: 34
Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong
Dance: Paso Doble
Song: “We Own the Night” from Zombies 2
Score: 36
Phaedra Parks and Val Chmerkovskiy
Dance: Jazz
Song: “Cruella de Vil” from 101 Dalmations
Score: 32
Danny Amendola and Witney Carson
Dance: Jazz
Song: “Bye Bye Bye” from Deadpool & Wolverine
Score: 35
Dwight Howard and Daniella Karagacha
Dance: Tango
Song: “When Can I See You Again?” from Wreck It Ralph
Score: 32
Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten
Dance: Jazz
Song: “Surface Pressure” from Encanto
Score: 34
Dancing With the Stars airs simultaneously on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET. You can stream episodes the next day on Disney+.