Lights, camera, action! Hours upon hours of practice, blood and even a broken nose led to high-energy dance performances. Television, movie and social media influencers take the stage for “Halloween Night” on the seventh week of Dancing with the Stars, season 34, with a surprising elimination.
Season/Show Background
DWTS is a celebrity dance competition where celebrities, called “stars,” of all ages come together for the performance opportunity of a lifetime. Stars, with no prior dance experience, are paired with professional dance partners who have often been on the show for many seasons.
Each week, stars are eliminated from the competition. Eliminations are based on a combination of judges’ scoring and national voting. Voting takes place in the United States, Canada and U.S. territories. So far, Baron Davis, Corey Feldman, Lauren Jauregui, Hilaria Baldwin, Scott Hoying and most recently Jen Affleck have been eliminated. Eight couples remain.
This season has gained significant traction nationwide particularly with high school and college-age girls, partly due to the popularity of this year’s casting,. I will provide personal comments on each couple based on their most recent performances. Although I do not have a dance background, I have taken a recent interest in the show and have watched the entire season.
Alix Earle & Val Chmerkovskiy
Social media personality and TikTok star Alix Earle has captivated attention all over the world for her exquisite dance capability. Earle has showed up with great dances every week with partner Val Chmerkovskiy, but the last two or three weeks, she has really stood out from the crowd.
Her “Halloween Night” performance drew me in from the first beat. The attention to detail, from the costume to the choreography, secured the highest score of the night. At first, Earle was not a favorite of mine, but she has won me over with her dedication to the process, asking Chmerkovskiy to push her harder and harder every week to be the best she can be. Earle is a real contender.
Danielle Fishel & Pasha Pashkov
From “Boy Meets World,” Danielle Fishel and partner Pasha Pashkov created a fun murder mystery Viennese Waltz-style dance to “Die with a Smile” by Bruno Mars. I think Fishel brought proper emotion to her performance, unveiling that Pshakov was actually her murderer.
Fishel has made progress, but not as much as some of the other competitors. Carry Ann Inaba gave an interesting comment saying that sometimes she looks small on stage, and I agree. Other judges also said Fishel lacks power and stage presence. Fishel received a lower score than her previous dance on “Wicked Night.” Could this be the beginning of the end for her?
Robert Irwin & Witney Carson
Wildlife conservationist & television presenter Robert Irwin has captured the hearts of young women everywhere with his stylish moves and striking looks. Since the beginning of the competition, Irwin and partner Whitney Carson have been a standout, with their most notable performance being “Dedication Night” with his mother Kerri Irwin and “Wicked Night” dancing to “Dancing Through Life” scoring his first ten of the season.
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Robert Irwin delivered an intense Argentine Tango to “Sweet Dreams Are Made of This.” Irwin and Carson have an amazing brother-sister chemistry, which allows them to perform almost seamlessly every week. Irwin’s captivating and gory costume this week caught the attention of many fans as his face and chest were covered in fake blood. Irwin is definitely my favorite performer to watch on the dance floor.
Jordan Chiles & Ezra Sosa
Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles has been improving every week of the competition. This week, for “Halloween Night,” Chiles and partner Ezra Sosa incorporated a harness prop into their contemporary routine to “Elastic Heart” by SIA.
I agree with Carrie Ann Inaba’s post-dance commentary about how the harness prop took over the dance at times, distracting from the elegance of the performance. Chiles brings a sense of athleticism to her dancing by incorporating her gymnastics background, which is an advantage over other competitors. I loved the overall message of Chiles’ dance of not letting your demons and problems hold you back.
Dylan Efron & Daniella Karagach
Social media personality Dylan Efron may not be the most standout star but he is a come-from-behind racehorse. He has shown great improvement every single week, especially week six, with his Rumba style dance with partner Daniella Karagach.
Coming into week seven, Efron suffered an elbow to the face during practice, resulting in a broken nose, days before being on stage. Efron powered through the pain to deliver an intense and passionate performance.
Elaine Hendrix & Alan Bersten
Most known for her role in “The Parent Trap,” actress Elaine Hendrix has been tearing up the dance floor, redefining what it means to embrace confidence at any age. Hendrix has had many great dance numbers this season, but her “Dedication Night” friendship-centered dance touched many hearts.
Unfortunately, the morning of the week seven competition, Hendrix suffered an injury in the last full-out practice. She has been dealing with lameness throughout the duration of the show, most notably dancing on a titanium joint in her big toe. This injury crushed fans, but especially Elaine’s dance partner, Alan Bersten. Bersten delivered the news to fans on live television, urging fans to still vote to keep the duo in the competition.
I admire Elaine Hendrix for embracing all parts of the competition, even the bad. I am so sad she did not get to dance because her performance that was shown was so good. Thank goodness, she was saved from elimination and cleared to dance next week. I hope she can dance through the pain.
Andy Richter & Emma Slater
Oh, Andy, the man who tugs at the heartstrings of America. Andy Richter is a special performer on the show this season. While his age may be significantly higher than the rest of the contestants, he does not let that stop him from having fun on the dance floor. Every week that Andy advances, he says he is even more shocked than the rest of America that he is still in the competition.
Fans love Richter for his fun personality, and you can tell when watching him that he is out there, not to win, but to have a good time. Andy’s fans have now dubbed themselves as “Fandies.”
This week was Richter’s best dance. I felt as though he was doing more technically in the dance rather than letting Emma Slater carry him throughout the routine. Fans and judges are able to see his improvements.
Whitney Leavitt & Mark Ballas
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Whitney Leavitt has taken the world by storm with her dance moves, but has also sparked controversy. Fans say that Leavitt violates the “no prior dance background” rule of the show, as she has a degree in fine arts with an emphasis in dance from Brigham Young University.
Another notable controversy is that viewers have noticed that the producers and judges have been favoring Whitney Leavitt over other competitors. On “Wicked Night,” Leavitt and Ballas were assigned the song “Popular,” which was said to have been requested by co-star Alix Earle but given to Leavitt.
Regardless of controversy, Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas continue to put on spectacular performances, upping the difficulty and choreography every week. Judge Derek Hough described the pair’s Halloween jazz routine to a Green Day song as “no tricks and all treats.” I have to agree, but I think parts were messy. Drama aside, I think Whitney is a great dancer and I look forward to watching her every week.
Surprisingly, though Leavitt and Balas were in the bottom three before announcing eliminations. Will Leavitt be able to keep the people on her side to stay in the competition?
Jen Affleck & Jan Ravnik
Personally, Jen Affleck has always been one of my least favorite stars on the show; something is off, she never brought that “wow factor” to her dancing. I appreciate and honor her vulnerability and realness when it comes to her opening up about her mental health on DWTS and SLOMW.
While many fans were shocked by her elimination, frankly, I saw it coming. Affleck never seemed genuinely happy to be there, especially in her last episode on the show. I do think the judges were harsher with their commentary towards her, but that does not give the excuse to show utter disinterest and unappreciative looks when receiving a 32/40 score. That moment, to me, sealed her fate of elimination.
My predictions
With the season pushing on, so are eliminations, and I believe multiple stars are on the chopping block. Those stars are Andy Richter, Danielle Fishel and Whitney Leavitt.
I think Andy will be sent home this coming week; however, I could also see it being Whitney Leavitt specifically because of the online disapproval. Danielle Fishel will also most likely be eliminated in the coming weeks. She looks messy in my opinion.
My dream final four is Robert Irwin, Whitney Leavitt, Dylan Efron and Alix Earle. I also hope for Robert Irwin to win the title of “Mirrorball Champion” and DWTS Season 34 Champion.
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