Dancing With the Stars celebrated its 20th birthday this last episode with the couples performing to iconic freestyle songs of former seasons. The show honored past contestants by incorporating celebrities and pros from season one, bringing former host Tom Bergeron in as a guest judge, and adding a twist to the relay dances where the celebrities danced with a previous winner of the show. Two pros also performed a memorial dance for contestants who have passed. Here are my thoughts for the seven couples:Â
Elaine Hendrix danced a Salsa to “It Takes Two”
- Her arms were not fully strong and stable tonight. I think she thrives with the ballroom dances moreÂ
- She is pushing herself to the max, and it is totally working for meÂ
- Judges’ Scores: 9,9,9,9
- My score: 9
Robert Irwin performed a Foxtrot to “Footprints in the Sand”
- His dance was so lovely
- He commands the stage, whether that be through sharp dance styles like his Paso Doble or soft ones like the FoxtrotÂ
- Him dancing to the same song as his sister made his performance even more emotional and special than normalÂ
- Judges’ Scores: 10,10,10,10 (first perfect score for an individual contestant!)
- My score: 10
Andy Richter danced a Quickstep to “Puttin’ on the Ritz”
- I won’t lie, I was nervous to see a Quickstep from him, but that was not as bad as I thoughtÂ
- His thinking face was definitely on the whole time, which took away from the vibe of the dance Â
- I LOVE the outfit shape (for Emma) and colorÂ
- Judges’ Scores: 8,7,7,7
- My score: 7
Dylan Effron performed an Argentine Tango to “Ain’t No Sunshine”Â
- This was DEFINITELY his breakthrough danceÂ
- Even though she is the one being lifted, he led her like a proÂ
- That was so mesmerizing, I wanted to watch it again (my friends and I did)
- In my opinion, he sealed a spot in the top 5 finalistsÂ
- Judges’ Scores: 10,10,10,10
- My score: 10
Jordan Chiles danced a Cha Cha to “Get Up”
- Her confidence sealed the deal on this danceÂ
- I loved seeing her perform a different side of her and dance without any tricks, honestlyÂ
- I hate to say this, but I do agree with the shoulders part. I feel like this has been happening since week one, thoughÂ
- After thinking through my thoughts more, I still agree with the fact that her shoulders rise when she turns, but I am confused as to why this has not been commented on by the judges early on Â
- I honestly think the judges are biased and have favoritism towards other contestants. It is almost like they have a prejudice against herÂ
- Judges’ Scores: 9,10,9,9
- My score: 9 because of the shoulders (but really it’s a 10)
Alix Earle performed a Foxtrot to “Singing In The Rain”
- Her dancing was great, but her Foxtrot did not capture my attention like last week’s dance did
- Judges’ Scores: 10,10,10,10
- My score: 10 (technique-wise, it did not wow me like the other dancers)
Whitney Leavitt danced an Argentine Tango to “Cell Block Tango”
- That was a beautiful dance, I won’t lieÂ
- I am glad she finally did a dance where we could see a different side to her than just smiling the entire danceÂ
- Judges’ Scores: 10,10,10,10
- My score: her technique was amazing, so 10 (but like Alix’s dance, it did not wow me like the other ones) Â
After the first round of dances, the celebrities performed a relay dance where one couple dances to the first half of a song, and the other couple does the second. Instead of dancing with their pro, the celebrities danced with a previous champion!
Jordan Chiles and Apolo Anton Ohno (season 4) vs Elaine Hendrix and Rashad Jennings (season 24)
- Both had visible mishaps, so it’s a little hard to pick which one was better
- Jordan’s partner is obviously not as great as her dance-wise, so I think he made her miss a bit instead of it being Jordan’s fault Â
- Jordan wins! FINALLY
Dylan Efron and Rumer Willis (season 20) vs. Andy Richter and Kaitlyn Bristowe (season 29)Â
- Listen, I had a feeling Dylan would win . . .Â
- Dylan and Rumer look great together, their chemistry and partner work is FABULOUS, and they look like they have been dancing for a while together Â
- ANDY’S FAKE ABS I’M CRYINGÂ
- Dylan wins!
Robert Irwin and Xochitl Gomez (season 32) vs. Alix Earle and Joey Graziadei (season 33)
- I am impressed with Xochitl because she never did a jive in her season, and she killed it!
- Xochitl’s partnership with Robert is a 10/10. Whoever put those two together needs a raiseÂ
- I think Joey did not dance to his best of his abilities and brought Alix down with himÂ
- Robert wins! I 100% agree with thisÂ
Andy Richter was the unfortunate celebrity eliminated. I think this was a great episode for him to go off on, but it was definitely his time to go. In the next episode, the six remaining contestants will battle to Prince songs in order to claim a spot in the finals. The competition this season is off the charts, and I have no idea who is going to win!