“DWTS” Season 35, Episode 9: Disney, Ballroom, and Broadway Collide

With guest performances by Tony-winning vocalists and an opening number spotlighting The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Newsies, and The Greatest Showman, last night’s episode really should have been called “Disney on Broadway Night.” And was it ever a treat! This season’s competitors delivered on both magic and showmanship, performing for a very special guest judge: Grammy and Tony Award–winning actress and singer Cynthia Erivo.

“Dancing with the Stars” has enjoyed a long history with Disney, which has owned the show’s original network, ABC, since the mid-1990s. In April of 2022, the Mouse announced that “DWTS” would be moving to Disney+ as the first live series to stream on the platform. Disney has also had a longtime relationship with Broadway, and so has “DWTS,” with many of its celebrities and pro dancers joining shows like Chicago, & Juliet, and—as Julianne Hough announced earlier this season—Damn Yankees. The “DWTS”-to-Roxie-Hart pipeline has grown to particular fame, with last year’s sixth-place contestant Whitney Leavitt as its most recent inductee.

There’s plenty of talent among the Season 35 cohort, so will the trend continue? We’ll just have to see. In the meantime, here are some of the most magical moments from last night’s Disney-themed episode:

• Our own personal Hercules, Amber Glenn, making history as the first woman to lead her pro partner on “DWTS” (quickstep with pro Pasha Paskov to “A Star Is Born,” from Hercules)
• Maura Higgins, queen of “tink,” dressed as Tinker Bell in her jive with pro Mark Ballas to Peter Pan’s “You Can Fly!”
• Tatyana Ali’s acting master class in her emotional contemporary number to Broadway’s Aida’s “Easy as Life” with pro Jan Ravnik, which earned them their highest score so far
• Harry Shum Jr. and pro Jenna Johnson earning their second consecutive perfect score with a Broadway-ready jazz dance to Mary Poppins’ “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”
• Ezra Frech and pro Daniella Karagach’s “high-risk, high-reward” samba, as Frech described it, that showcased his bounce and hip mobility even with the challenge of his prosthesis’ inability to hinge (“Under the Sea,” from The Little Mermaid)
• Julia Stiles overcoming rib pain to make a “comeback,” as judge Derek Hough put it, in her paso doble with pro Ezra Sosa (“Satisfied,” from Hamilton)
• Jenna Dewan and pro Val Chmerkovskiy’s picture-perfect, no-crumbs quickstep to “Be Our Guest,” from Beauty and the Beast
• Connor Wood and pro Rylee Arnold’s “honest” connection, in judge Bruno Tonioli’s words, in their slow waltz to Tangled’s “I See the Light”
• The return of team dances led by hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough, with Team Wildcat clinching the win (“We’re All in This Together,” from High School Musical)

Last night also brought some fun surprises, including ballet influencer Luna Montana’s appearance in the audience and our new favorite bestie couple, Erivo and Tonioli. (We’re holding space for this one.) And because there was a tie at the top of the leaderboard—Shum Jr. and Johnson, and Dewan and Chmerkovskiy, who each had 40—the prize of immunity from next week’s dance-off went to the couple with the highest cumulative score from the season thus far. Ahead by a single point, Shum Jr. and Johnson took the win.

Sadly, our beloved Save the Last Dance and 10 Things I Hate About You star gave her last dance as a competitor after fulfilling a longtime dream of being on the show. Hats off, Julia. Juilliard trained you well. 😉

With Erivo at the judges’ table and the addition of team dances, the highest possible score remained at 80. Here are the official standings from Episode 9, along with some quotes of the week:

• Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson: 80/80
• Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy: 80/80
• Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach: 77/80
• Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold: 72/80
• Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov: 70/80
• Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa: 69/80 (ELIMINATED)
• Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik: 69/80
• Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas: 68/80

“DWTS” Quotes of the Week

“I love everything about this show—apart from the jive…I was in Tinker Hell this week.” —TV personality Maura Higgins on grappling with the stamina-intensive jive

“My feet are harder than I thought they were.” —Actress Tatyana Ali on dancing barefoot

“I think there’s some beauty in trying the impossible.” —Track and field Paralympian Ezra Frech on learning to samba with his hinge-averse prosthesis

“A setback is just a setup for a comeback.” —Judge Derek Hough, to actress Julia Stiles, after she nailed her paso doble with pro Ezra Sosa following last week’s dip in scores

“To not look like what you’re going through is a real strength.” —Guest judge Cynthia Erivo to Stiles, praising her ability to bounce back from a tough week without showing it

Honorable mention: The way pro Jan Ravnik pronounced “leopards.” (Lee-oh-pards)

See you all for next week’s episode! (The show will be back to its regular Tuesday night schedule.)