And then there were nine! Dancing with the stars was an emotional rollercoaster on Tuesday as participants took to the ballroom to dedicate their performances to the people who have impacted their lives.
It was especially personal for actress Chandler Kinney, who performed a contemporary routine to Lee Ann Womack’s “I Hope You Dance” with partner Brandon Armstrong.
“I dedicate tonight’s performance to my mother,” Chandler told Yahoo Entertainment before taking the floor. “She sacrificed so much for me, just like that [that] I would have a chance to pursue my dreams.”
Kinney described her dance as “the purest physical manifestation of thoughts and feelings” and said each movement reflected her deep bond with her mother.
“She is always there to catch me when I fall, pick me up and walk through life side by side,” she said.
As judge Carrie Ann Inaba said on the show, “Dance is all about communication,” and the stars took that to heart.
Brooks Nader and partner Gleb Savchenko were sent home at the end of the night, but before they did, they turned up the heat with a salsa tribute to the model’s three younger sisters — who made a fun cameo on the dance floor .
Family was the central theme of the evening, with Phaedra Parks providing a heartfelt rumba dedicated to her mother, Regina, to the tune of Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me” and NBA champion Dwight Howard honoring his children with his own rumba.
Joey Graziadei dazzled with his Viennese waltz, dedicated to his fiancée Kelsey Anderson, which earned him high praise from Bruno Tonioli, who crowned him ‘King of Ballroom’.
Super Bowl champion Danny Amendola delivered a moving contemporary performance dedicated to his late college football coach and mentor, Mike Leach.
Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik and partner Rylee Arnold scored their first “nine” with a powerful Argentine tango, a tribute to the U.S. men’s gymnastics team of the pommel horse king. Similarly, Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher performed a rumba dedicated to the US women’s rugby team.
Perhaps the most emotional moment of the evening was when judge Derek Hough and his wife, Hayley Erbert Hough, performed a dance to Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things.” The performance marked Erbert Hough’s triumphant return to the ballroom after she was diagnosed with a brain hematoma in December 2023.
“You only know what you are capable of when you experience something like that,” she said after the performance.
Dancer and choreographer Jenny Oehlwein told Yahoo Entertainment that dance has the ability to release emotions that people often bury deep inside.
“There’s no emotion you can’t release through movement and song,” she said. “What we don’t release energetically, we store, and that manifests itself physically in your body.”
For Oehlwein, Hayley’s comeback was a testament to how dance often says what words cannot.
“Music lets you escape into a memory, whether it’s love, joy or anger,” Oehlwein said. “Finding that truth makes it the most authentic performance.”
Dancing with the stars returns for the Disney-themed episode on Tuesday, October 22 on ABC at 8pm ET.
How did the stars perform?
Judges: Carrie Ann Inaba, Mark Ballas (guest), Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli
Brooks Nader and pro Gleb Savchenko: ELIMINATED
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Dance: Salsa
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Song: “Mi Gente” by J Balvin and Willy William
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Dedication: Her 3 younger sisters
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Score: Carrie Ann 8, Mark 8, Derek 8, Bruno 8
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Total: 32/40
Joey Graziadei and pro Jenna Johnson: SAFE
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Dance: Viennese waltz
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Song: “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims
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Dedication: His fiancée Kelsey Anderson.
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Score: Carrie Ann 9, Mark 9, Derek 9, Bruno 9
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Total: 36/40
Danny Amendola and pro Witney Carson: SAFE
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Dance: Modern
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Song: “Unsteady (Erich Lee Gravity Remix)” by X Ambassadors
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Dedication: His late NCAA head football coach Mike Leach.
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Score: Carrie Ann 9, Mark 9, Derek 9, Bruno 9
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Total: 36/40
Stephen Nedoroscik and professional Rylee Arnold
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Dance: Argentine tango
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Song: Song: ‘Seven Nation Army’ by the White Stripes
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Dedication: USA Men’s Gymnastics Team
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Score: Carrie Ann 8, Mark 9, Derek 8, Bruno 8
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Total: 33/40
Chandler Kinney and pro Brandon Armstrong: SAFE
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Dance: Modern
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Song: “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack
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Dedication: Her mother
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Score: Carrie Ann 8, Mark 8, Derek 8, Bruno 8
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Total: 32/40
Ilona Maher and pro Alan Bersten: SAFE
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Dance: Rumba
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Song: “My Way” by Yseult
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Dedication: US national rugby sevens team
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Score: Carrie Ann 8, Mark 8, Derek 8, Bruno 8
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Total: 32/40
Jenn Tran and pro Sasha Farber: SAFE
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Dance: Foxtrot
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Song: “The Sagittarius” by Taylor Swift
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Dedication: Taylor Swift
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Score: Carrie Ann 8, Mark 8, Derek 8, Bruno 8
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Total: 32/40
Phaedra Parks and pro Val Chmerkovskiy: SAFE
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Dance: Rumba
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Song: ‘Because You Loved Me’ by Celine Dion
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Dedication: Her mother
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Score: Carrie Ann 8, Mark 8, Derek 8, Bruno 8
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Total: 32/40
Dwight Howard and pro Daniella Karagach: SAFE
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Dance: Rumba
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Song: “Shoot for the Stars” by Dwight Howard
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Dedication: His children
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Score: Carrie Ann 7, Mark 7, Derek 8, Bruno 7
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Total: 29/40
Who has been eliminated so far?
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Week 2: Anna Delvey and Tori Spelling
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Week 4: Reginald VelJohnson and Eric Roberts
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Week 5: Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchenko
