This column contains spoilers for “Dancing with the Stars,” Season 34, Episode 6.
After finishing “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” my roommates and I wondered which show we would spend our nights binging next. Luckily, the new “Dancing with the Stars” season premiered Sept. 16 and has truly kicked into high gear.
Because two of my roommates are dancers, it has been especially interesting to hear their scathing opinions about the choreography, the pros and the dance skills of the celebrities.
It’s now the halfway point of the season, so I want to offer my two cents, as well.
For the unenlightened, “Dancing with the Stars” is a reality competition show that pairs celebrities with professional dancers. Each week, the “pros” choreograph a dance, and a panel of judges gives them scores. The scoring also includes voting done by viewers. The couple with the lowest combined voting and judging score is eliminated at the end of each episode.
The theme of this episode was Wicked Night in anticipation of “Wicked: For Good” releasing in theaters Nov. 21.
Scott Hoying and Rylee Arnold — Contemporary to “The Wizard and I”
This dance set the tone for the whole episode. While the beginning and the middle were a little slow and shaky, Scott, a singer from the a capella group “Pentatonix,” and his pro partner Rylee picked it up at the end and increased the tempo. I agree with judge Derek Hough on the imperfect transitions, but this was definitely an improvement from Scott’s performance last week.
Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy — Jazz to “What Is This Feeling?”
The storytelling of the dance was great, but the choreography lacked something. I enjoyed the nod to the movie choreography, but it was too similar. As judge Carrie Ann Inaba said, this wasn’t TikTok star Alix’s best dance technically, but I disagree with this being her best performance overall. However, she really embodied Glinda’s personality and told the story of the song well.
Robert Irwin and Witney Carson — Jazz to “Dancing Through Life”
As per usual, wildlife conservationist Robert’s enthusiasm shone through his dancing to create the perfect homage to “Dancing Through Life.” He played the part of Prince Fiyero perfectly and nailed the choreography that was given to him. He also did excellently with props and did not let them affect his performance. In our apartment and across America, he continues to be a charming fan favorite.
Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas — Quickstep to “Popular”
While not one of my favorites, I have to admit Whitney, a reality TV personality known from “The Secret Life of Mormon Wives,” performed spectacularly tonight. Similar to Alix, she let Glinda’s sass shine through, and her dancing was vivacious. I much preferred this dance to last week’s and feel as though she truly enjoyed herself, too. Those three 10s from the judges were well deserved.
Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach — Rumba to “I’m Not That Girl”
Another reality TV personality, and brother to Zac Efron, Dylan has improved greatly since the beginning of the season, and this dance felt very similar to his dedication night piece. He has good control over his body and has great chemistry with Daniella, which really contributed to the story of the song. Overall, his performance has been consistent.
Andy Richter and Emma Slater — Jazz to “One Short Day”
This is the most choreography we have seen for comedian Andy this season, and it displayed his improvement. From the first episode to now, Andy’s heart has shown in all his performances, despite his lack of technicality. He has truly improved throughout the season and remains a testament to the true purpose of this show: to showcase the improvement of the celebrities, no matter their previous dance experience.
Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten — Contemporary to “Defying Gravity”
“The Parent Trap” actress Elaine and her pro partner Alan gave such a dynamic performance that I would consider it my favorite dance of the night. While Elaine rising to the air as Elphaba was a little distracting from her actual dance time, the dance was a testament to overcoming a difficult injury, which made the dance all the more sentimental.
Jen Affleck and Jan Ravnik — Foxtrot to “As Long as You’re Mine”
It makes me sad to say this was my least favorite performance of the night. While I enjoy Jen’s personality, I didn’t see much of it come through in this dance and thought it was boring. The choreography was not as complex as the other dancers, and I feel the fellow “Mormon Wives” reality TV star could show more intention in her movements.
Danielle Fishel and Pasha Pashkov — Argentine Tango to “No Good Deed”
This dance is a huge improvement for Danielle. It was powerful and really showed off the new dance skills she’s acquired. The “Boy Meets World” actress really took Inaba’s critique about the similarity of her dances to heart, as this dance was unlike anything we’ve ever seen from her. I hope she keeps the energy up.
Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa — Rumba to “For Good”
My roommates and I all agreed that we got chills watching this performance. It was tender, yet strong. Jordan, an Olympic gymnast, and her pro partner Ezra really hit it home with the storytelling, and their costumes were phenomenal. This marks another consistent performance from Jordan.
While my roommates and I were mostly glad to see Andy saved from elimination, a part of us felt he should have been eliminated over Scott. Scott had truly taken the judge’s critiques to heart and had attempted to get just a little better every week.
For now, we wait in giddy anticipation for the Halloween-themed episode next Tuesday at 8 p.m.
Isabella Cabrera is an 18-year-old UF political science freshman.
Isabella Cabrera is an 18-year-old UF political science freshman.
