Happy Birthday, Dancing with the Stars! This week, the ballroom celebrated the 20-year anniversary of the show, and it was one to remember. There were many familiar faces from the past, including contestants and former pros. It was truly a fun night that was full of legacy. With that being said, I want to tell you guys about some of my favorite moments of the night and my thoughts on the elimination.
Top Moments
My favorite part of the night outside of the couples was most definitely the opening number. I mean, having the original cast start it off was the greatest way to honor and thank them. Then, having the different versions of the theme song strung together for the music was such a genius idea on Derek’s part. It was just sensational! I loved every second of it, especially Daniella and Derek’s dance and the Len tribute (it truly gets me every time) into Tom’s return. Boy it was good to see Tom again! I can’t just not touch on the in-memoriam tribute. It was so beautiful and actually made me emotional. I loved the pairing of the song and the fluidity of Ezra and Rylee’s movements. It was graceful, yet raw and vulnerable. They did a phenomenal job.Â
Favorite Dance: Whitney and MarkÂ
Now, this was a hard one for me to choose because there were so many good ones this week! If you guys could’ve seen the internal battle I had trying to make this decision, you would crash out. It was like the judges trying to decide the winner of the “dance-a-thon” on Halloween night. It ultimately came down between Dylan and Whitney. Now funny enough, they both had the same dance style and two of the strongest pros in my opinion. Ultimately, I had to go with Whitney and Mark. I mean it just was top tier! What put them a bit ahead of Dylan and Daniella was purely just my admiration for the amount of leg action happening. It felt very traditional, sharp, and spicy. I mean every flick, kick, and lift just blew my mind. I loved the little lip-syncing bit added in there too. This felt like I was watching a professional dance. However, from the show Dylan and Daniella put on, Whitney and Mark better keep giving the people this level of performance to remain at the top.Â
Favorite Relay Dance: Jordan and ApolloÂ
Now again, the dances were on point for this round too. I felt the matchups were pretty fair for the most part, and the partnerships were good. These two took the cake (again an honorable mention for Dylan) with their quickstep. They exuded grace and it made me feel like I was watching a scene from a movie. Their heights were paired almost perfectly, and they looked like royalty. There was such fluidity in their dance, and they looked very confident and comfortable with each other.Â
Elimination: Andy and EmmaÂ
Well, the day has come guys. Andy has left the building. I’m not going to lie; I was a little sad because he truly was a sweet guy and was genuinely showing improvement. But at the end of the day, it was just his time. His time was actually long overdue in my opinion. However, for those who are still coping with this week’s elimination, hopefully we can bring back having the eliminated contestants perform a dance during the finale. They truly need to bring back the two-night finales, and honestly the results show too (as Tom so boldly stated).Â
Sadly, that’s all I have for you guys this week. If you’re looking for more recaps on Dancing with the Stars, check out last week’s on Rock and Roll Hall and Fame night here. I will see you guys next week for Prince night! Judging from the song choices, it should be interesting.Â