A “Deadpool & Wolverine”-inspired dance routine that copied the key fight scene from the hit superhero movie stole the show on Tuesday night’s “Dancing With the Stars,” all set to NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye.”
NFL star Danny Amendola and par Witney Carson performed the energetic Jazz routine dressed, as, respectively the red-suited Deadpool and yellow-clad Wolverine. Judge Derek Hough called it “martial arts with the stars” and predicted the number would be a viral hit. The action-packed routine earned three 9s for a score of 27.
The remaining eight couples paid tribute to iconic Disney characters, including Ariel, Hercules, Tarzan and Cruella de Vil. Week 6 also brought the first group dances of the season, set to songs from “The Goofy Movie” and “The Lion King.”
After the solo and group dances, the three celebs tied at the bottom of the leaderboard were NBA champ Dwight Howard, “Real Housewives” star Phaedra Parks and Olympian Stephen Nedoroscik, with 48 points each.
After viewer voting was tallied, the celebrity sent home Tuesday night was Parks. She thanked her partner Val Chmerkovskiy for being so patient with her and “allowing me to explore dance.”
“Pretty Little Liars”star Chandler Kinney was back at the top of the leaderboard with her Paso Doble, complete with cape twirling, as her “Zombies 2” werewolf character Willa. The performance was set to the song “We Own the Night” and matched Amendola’s score of 27. Given her overall points from the season so far, Kinney earned immunity from next week’s group dances.
Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson performed a jungle-themed Samba to “Trashin’ the Camp” from “Tarzan.” Inaba liked how “The Bachelor” star brought the Disney character to life but thought some of his steps were too big. Meanwhile, Hough told Graziadei he could be a “top contender,” if he worked on his arm movements. The judges gave them 25 points.
Howard and Daniella Karagach performed a Tango to “When Can I See You Again?” from “Wreck-It Ralph.” Carrie Anna Inaba told Howard he made a lot of mistakes and he reacted with, “Whoa, take it slow.” Meanwhile, Bruno Tonioli told him he “did not wreck” the dance. All three judges gave the athlete an 8, for a total score of 24.
Olympian rugby player Ilona Maher became the mighty Luisa Madrigal from “Encanto” and partner Alan Bersten was the donkey who she lifted in a Jazz routine set to the character’s song “Surface Pressure.” “I really resonate with Luisa,” Maher said. “She doesn’t ever try to shrink herself or make herself smaller for the world.” The routine ended with Bersten sitting on Maher’s right shoulder.
Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold performed a Charleston to “A Star Is Born” from “Hercules,” with the gymnast dressed as the Greek hero and Arnold as Meg. Despite their trademark enthusiasm, the dance earned only 24 points.
Reality star Parks rocked a black-and-white wig, cigarette holder and faux fur coat as “101 Dalmatians” villain Cruella de Vil, while Chmerkovskiy was dressed like one of the film’s spotted puppies. “She’s definitely sassy, just like myself,” Parks said of the classic character. Hough quipped, “Phaedra, you can abduct anytime” and praised the choreography as “devilishly delightful.” The dance earned 24 out of 40 points.
“The Bachelorette”star Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber performed a “Little Mermaid”- inspired Rumba to “Kiss the Girl” for a score of 24 points.
The dancers were then divided into two teams of eight for the first group dance of the season as they competed for extra points.
Team Captain Maher headed up “Team Goofs”: with Kinney and “Bachelor” albums Tran and Graziadei dancing to “I2I” from “A Goofy Movie.” Tonioli pronounced it “slick, in-synch and very, very bright.” Judges rewarded them with 27 points.
Team Roar, led by NBA star Howard, performed “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” from “The Lion King,” which ended with the 6’10” athlete spinning Olympian Nedoroscik high above the dance floor. Amendola and Parks rounded out the team, which saw the celebrities doing solo moments for the first time. The group earned a total of 24 out of 30
Dancing with the Stars airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+. New episodes are available to stream on ABC.com and Hulu the next day.
Leave a Reply