Content Warning: This article contains spoilers for Dancing with the Stars season 33, episode 8.
Dancing with the Stars just celebrated their 500th episode, and they did it with style! As a longtime fan, I was excited to see all the stops they would pull out. I was especially excited when I heard they were taking inspiration from old dances for one round and doing an instant dance round for the second. The stakes were high as the couples vied for a spot in next week’s semifinals.
This season has been extremely popular due to the drama surrounding the pros and contestants. It began with the casting and all-around attitude of Anna Delvey, who seemed like she didn’t care about being there or her partner Ezra Sosa, who was just trying his best. Model Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchenko had a showmance that seemed to end pretty messily just about two weeks after they were eliminated. Now, there’s drama between The Bachelorette’s Jenn Tran and dancer Sasha Farber since Tran’s ex-fiancé Devin Strader made rude comments about the couple.
The show started as it always does, with a group number featuring all the pros and, this time, some returning faces. We saw Derek and Julianne Hough (who are now a judge and host of the show, respectively) hit the dance floor again. We also got an amazing entrance from Sharna Burgess, befitting for the queen that she is. Then, they split into sections, with one being for the new pros. This shows that Dancing with the Stars is growing with the addition of younger pros like Rylee Arnold and Sosa.
There was also a couples portion featuring married couples Jenna Johnson with Valentin Chmerkovskiy and Daniella Karagach with Pasha Pashkov. The pros danced to “Crazy in Love” by Beyoncé, which was the song that opened the first show in 2005. I was so happy to see Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli, who have been judging for all 500 episodes! It made me shed a tear thinking of Len Goodman, the show’s head judge, who passed away in 2023.
first round performances
Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson
The first dance was The Bachelor’s Joey Graziadei and his partner Jenna Johnson. They were inspired by Riker Lynch and Allison Holker, who were one of my favorite couples on the show. Graziadei’s performance was amazing. His lifts were beautiful, and you could see the strong connection between him and Johnson.
Danny Amendola and Witney Carson
The next dance was Danny Amendola and Witney Carson. I was excited to see their quickstep as he would have an advantage in this style by being a football player. The beginning was a little rough, as he was dragging his feet, but he corrected himself and blossomed. Part of their choreography included hats, which I thought was clever and well done.
Dwight Howard and Daniella Karagach
Dwight Howard and Daniella Karagach were good last week, but I was expecting much more because I loved Karagach’s Halloween choreography with Mirrorball winner Iman Shumpert. This week, they performed some amazing and inventive lifts. I love the tango for this reason, and their use of a platform to create an even height field was genius. Karagach was definitely working overtime and being thrown around like a literal puppet.
Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold
Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold had to tackle a dance previously done by Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas, who won their season. I was definitely nervous because Nedoroscik has struggled with timing this season, but I was hopeful. In my opinion, they should add Ballas as a full-time judge because he gives such good advice and would be an amazing addition to the judges’ panel. I was genuinely shocked at how much I loved it. Arnold looked absolutely ethereal, and the pair did so well. They deserved a perfect score, and their score of 29 hurt.
Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong
Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong followed. She’s been consistently good throughout the season but has struggled to stand out amongst the other contestants. Her lines and flexibility were on point. The dance was sexy and intimate, and her footwork was flawless. Hearing Hough say that he preferred this version over their inspiration, his own dance form from the previous season, was hilarious. Kinney is really starting to get the recognition she deserves by getting the first perfect score of the season.
Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten
Seeing Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten get inspiration from Jordan Fisher and Lindsay Arnold’s dance was nerve-racking. Maher has the personality but definitely has some big shoes to fill because Fisher and Arnold are in my top five favorite partnerships. Maher’s energy was great, and she looked like she was having fun, but I don’t think it was at the same level as Fisher and Arnold’s performance. This was definitely Maher’s best dance, and her partnership with Bersten has been such a fun one. She truly is an inspiration and “America’s Sweetheart.” Plus, seeing Arnold watching from the audience was a full-circle moment.
Instant dance round
Five minutes before performing, each couple got assigned a style they had previously danced to and a random song. Then, they had to quickly choreograph, pick costumes, and perform. There was a TikTok livestream hosted by Sosa and Emma Slater to show the behind-the-scenes of the couples receiving their picks and rushing to perform. I would be stressed — simply changing my outfit in five minutes would have me sweating.
Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson
Graziadei and Johnson went first. They had to rumba to “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish. Seeing the couples quickly figure out what to do was mesmerizing. Graziadei honestly looked like a pro. He’s so graceful and knows how to move.
Danny Amendola and Witney Carson
Amendola and Carson went next and chose the jive. Their song was “Good Golly Miss Molly” by Little Richard. I loved seeing Amendola sing the words while dancing. The pair struggled for a bit and froze at one point but quickly picked it back up.
Dwight Howard and Daniella Karagach
Howard and Karagach had to perform a pasodoble to “Victorious” by Panic! At The Disco. Howard has such an amazing personality, and I loved seeing him on the show. I wish he were a little bit more confident, as he looked quite nervous in his moves, but he tried his best with limited time.
Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold
Nedoroscik and Arnold drew the jive to “love is embarrasing” by Olivia Rodrigo. They were excited as this is a super high-energy dance, which is Nedoroscik’s specialty. They did quite well. They were able to come up with something fun and attention-grabbing in an instant.
Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong
Kinney and Armstrong selected the cha-cha to “Apple” by Charlie xcx. You could tell pro Sosa was giving his opinion when choosing the background, which had a pink sky with rainbows and the pygmy hippo Moo Deng flying around. Kinney and Armstrong were perfect in their cha-cha.
Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten
Maher and Bersten chose the salsa to “Da’ Dip” by Freak Nasty. They did very well except for their lifts and dips, which were messy.
Final Elimination
The show ended with the elimination of NBA All-Star Howard and his partner Karagach. Next week, we’ll see four couples do a ballroom-style dance and a Latin-style dance, which I’m so excited to see!
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