This week’s episode of Dancing with the Stars brought plenty of surprises from underscored routines to unexpected eliminations. Fans were left with mixed emotions as technical dances were left with controversial scores.
Scores stir controversy:
For Week 7, the pros and stars faced a wide range of challenges, with scores ranging from 28-39 out of 40. The episode began with Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa performing a contemporary routine to “Elastic Heart” by Sia. The dance featured a harness symbolizing fighting your inner demons, and Jordan later shared how personal the dance was for her, representing her battle with depression.
Coming off a 39/40 last week, Jordan’s performance had a great story and executed a great amount of difficulty. They were severely underscored with a 34/40, however I think that was one of their best performances yet, deserving at least all 9s. Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas performed jazz to “Brain Stew” by Green Day.
The routine truly leaned into the Halloween theme of Tuesday nights episode. They received a 37/40, with Bruno scoring it a 10 out of 10. Frankly, I don’t think the routine was THAT good. All the compliments they receive only go to Mark, and Whitney is still struggling with timing. It feels like favoritism towards Mark Ballas because he is one of the most talented pros, and Whitney just reaped the benefits.
Standout Performances:
Out of eight dances performed, three of them truly stood out to me. One of them was, no doubt, Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy dancing a tango to “Bury a friend” by Billie Eilish. The dance illuminated darkness while being fast paced and intricate. Throughout the week Alix asked Val to give her tough love, and it definitely paid off. Scoring their first 10s of the season, they received a 39/40, leaving them at the top of the leader board.
Next, Robert Irwin and Witney Carson performed an Argentine tango to “Sweet Dreams Are Made of This.” The routine showcased Robert’s newfound confidence and his improvement throughout the past seven weeks. They received a 38/40 which I believe was fairly scored. It being Halloween night, fans expected a lot out of Daniella Karagach’s advanced choreography and great storytelling. Her and Dylan Efron performed a Viennese Waltz to “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Tommee Proffit. While it was a good story and the couple has shown a lot of improvement, the piece did not have enough intensity as fans were expecting. For Dylan breaking his nose during rehearsals, receiving a 35/40 is pretty impressive.
Elimination Thoughts:
Tuesday night’s elimination was unexpected and caused a lot of chaos among fans. Most fans expected Andy Richter and Emma Slater to go home as they have been constantly at the bottom of the leader board every week. They danced a Paso Doble to “Symphony,” scoring a 28/40.
However, Andy fans would not let him go just yet. Jen Affleck and Jan Ravnik were eliminated after dancing a contemporary routine to “Look What You Made Me Do,” scoring a 32/40. I think it was unfair Jen and Jan had to be eliminated when Andy has been at the bottom each week. Jen has been improving and she should’ve had one last chance to redeem herself. After all the hate Jan Ravnik has been receiving online as a new pro this season, it’s upsetting that he had to be eliminated from the competition before Andy.
