Dancing with the Stars recap: Disney Night

Dancing with the Stars recap — Disney Night
Season 25, Episode t

I know what you’re thinking. I bet you assume Dancing with the Stars Disney night is my favorite week of the show.

Well, you’re right!

I want to be and do all the things! I want to hold a scoring paddle formed out of Mickey Mouse ears. I need to OWN the Snow White costume Vanessa wears during her waltz. I would like one of those Jungle Book hammock things and can someone please tell me where one can purchase a turquoise merman tail?

Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto are in the house. All the audience members have on their colorful ears. The JV team channels their inner Mouseketeer and I will be humming “When You Wish Upon a Star” for the foreseeable future.

Let’s do this!

Victoria and Val
Jazz
“Steamboat Willie Suite” from Steamboat Willie
For those of you who don’t know, Steamboat Willie (not Steamboat Mickey as so many people assume) is the first appearance of the Big Cheese. It is a black and white short that launched a certain mouse into a household name. Unfortunately, not many people know Steamboat Willie. Therefore, they have zero emotional connection to the cartoon or the instrumental music. They do, however, connect with Mickey and Minnie.

The wardrobe department recreates the perfect black and white outfits, complete with black and white paint for Victoria and Val’s faces. It is spot on. And who doesn’t love Val in black tights? Although the dance itself is fun and quirky (read: jazz is whatever you want it to be), it’s tough to make a simple instrumental piece of music entertaining. Val does his best and Victoria commits to her role as Minnie. The result? Solid 9’s. I do wonder if Victoria’s audience appeal will keep her from landing in the bottom next week. The dance was great, but it was also forgettable. That coupled with the terrible first place position in the night’s lineup and you have a potential recipe for disaster. We shall see.
SCORE: 27

Vanessa and Maks
Waltz
“Someday My Prince Will Come” from Snow White
I have a lot to say about this performance, so buckle up.

  • Vanessa could be Snow White right now if someone needed a Snow White for a party. She embodies the princess from head to toe.
  • Maks looks more like Gaston than Prince Charming, but I’ll let it slide. He is very handsome.
  • It is CLEAR that there is something wrong with this partnership. Vanessa and Maks don’t look at each other once during the entire routine. You have to go back and watch. I understand that there are moments when the genre calls for partners to look far left over their own shoulders, but when Maks and Vanessa are face-to-face, she either looks down or at his chest. So. Weird.
  • Vanessa looked unsteady several times. Was it her shoes? The weight of the dress? Was she trying to lean as far away from Maks as possible and lost her balance?
  • Both have forced smiles.
  • There is zero chemistry and zero intimacy.
  • I thought it was weird that she ended up back asleep in the elaborate woods covering the stage. He woke her up at the beginning and then left her there? Or like the song, was this just all a dream like that terrible season of Dallas back in the 80s when we thought Bobby Ewing died, but he really didn’t. (Thirty year spoiler alert!)
    SCORE: 24

Lindsey and Mark
Foxtrot
“When You Wish Upon A Star” from Pinocchio
I have very few notes for this routine because I thought it was lovely. First of all, Mickey playing the piano? Adorable. Second, Mark and Lindsey dance and look as normal as can be. She is in a gorgeous blue gossamer gown, undoubtedly a nod to the Blue Fairy in Pinocchio. And he is in a basic, simple, classic, handsome tuxedo. There are no gimmicks. No facial expressions. Just soft, sweet, delightful foxtrotting. Of course Mark does his thing, dancing to every single tiny beat and hold in the music, because he can’t help it, but it works here too. It is so, so pretty.
SCORE: 28

Nick and Peta
Quickstep
“The Bare Necessities” from The Jungle Book
Remember Mean Girls when everyone slaps on a pair of animal ears with their sexy lingerie and call themselves a mouse or a cat? That’s what Peta did. She’s clearly a bear. Duh.

Nick is Mowgli and they quickstep around a makeshift jungle doing lots of flicks and kicks, mess-ups here and there, and cheesing it up for the camera any chance they get. I believe Peta has resorted to theater camp theatrics because she knows that Nick can’t get the job done in the eight-count department. I should point out that even though he misses steps ever so often, he does seem to be having a great time, unlike his wife. In fact, that’s where the judges praise him — he is entertaining. He just can’t dance very well.
SCORE: 22

Drew and Emma
Viennese Waltz
“Rainbow Connection” from The Muppet Movie
Okay, Drew and Emma’s puppet versions of themselves made my day. Kermit the Frog telling Drew that he’s the “better looking brother” also made my day. But the thing that sent me over the edge was Emma’s out of this world delicious rainbow skirt! Mother may I, because I need one of those to hang in my closet next to the sparkly Snow White outfit. Drew is in all white, with rainbow material lining his tuxedo jacket. He stands tall and proud, towering over Emma as he does. She executes somewhere around nineteen backbends for some reason. There were a million rainbow twirls and lots of fun chemistry. I have no idea why the judges apparently hate this property brother. I thought the score was low.
SCORE: 25

Sasha and Gleb
Rumba
“Kiss the Girl” from The Little Mermaid
Read this sentence slowly and carefully: Sasha has lost thirty-seven pound since she started on Dancing with the Stars. THIRTY-SEVEN POUNDS. When she saunters onto the stage wearing an ice blue Ariel gown, I noticed it. I also noticed that the hair people borrowed Sharna’s red dye for Sasha’s wig. And Gleb is a real-live version of Prince Eric.

Sadly, I didn’t love the routine. Is it weird for me to admit that I wanted it to be a little more sultry? I understand this is a children’s movie and there are actual children in the audience, but it felt halfway to me. There’s a way to rumba without being gross. Val does it all the time when they pair him with someone who is barely legal. If Gleb wanted to play it safe due to the subject matter and the little eyeballs watching, he should have kept that mantra the entire dance. The part where Sasha sort of rubs up and down him while frogs sing “sha-la-la-la-la-la don’t be scared” just looked dumb. You could tell in Sasha’s face that she wasn’t feeling it either.
SCORE: 24

Cheryl and Terrell
Quickstep
“I Just Can’t Wait To Be King” from The Lion King
This was hands down the best performance by Terrell. He did such a great job. I loved his face paint and the moment when the lyrics say he’s “standing in the spotlight” and there he was, standing in an actual spotlight. What I didn’t love was all of the dead trees, the JV dancers pretending to be animals, the fog, and Boy Sasha doing gymnastics all over the place. They didn’t need it! Terrell could have commanded this on his own for sure.
SCORE: 25

Witney and Frankie
Argentine Tango
“Angelica” from Pirates of the Caribbean
This is another routine that captivated me from the beginning. Witney tells Frankie that he needs to be sexy and powerful in this dance and he confesses to the camera that he’s a straight up nerd. “I wasn’t in Teen Beat or Bop. People didn’t hang me on their wall!” #lovehim

Whatever, Frankie. He definitely pulls it off. I’ll admit that I watched Witney the majority of the time because anything that is sharp and quick is definitely in her wheelhouse. The choreography is absolutely fantastic. For me, it was obvious we were watching something that was incredible hard and Witney had no problem throwing intricate steps and advanced moves in this dance. The outfits are perfect, Frankie’s face smolders, and his scruff is cool enough for me to not spend too much time wondering if it is real.
SCORE: 29

Jordan and Lindsay
Foxtrot
“You’re Welcome” from Moana
I literally didn’t write anything down for this routine. I knew within seconds of the opening sequence that unless the couple fell flat on their faces, this routine would receive a perfect score. Then we transition to the middle section where Lindsay includes a mini step routine and my assumption of a perfect score is dashed. There’s no way Len will allow such nonsense interfere with what was up until that point, a proper foxtrot.

But what do I know? Len loves it. Bruno appreciates the syncopation. And Carrie Ann can’t take off points because Jordan hit every step, while dancing to his own song. The result is a perfect score. Do I think it deserved a perfect score? Yes. Did I like it better than Witney and Frankie? No.
SCORE: 30

Nikki and Artem
Jazz
“Remember Me” from Coco
I’m all over the map on this one. I think it’s clear that Disney wanted a huge marketing push for their newest Pixar film, Coco, which comes out later this year. I also believe that it’s unfair that Nikki and Artem had to dance to a song that no one knows, depicting a movie that no one has seen. We have zero emotional connection to anything going on in this dance, other than the fact that jazz is now interpreted as Latin Night. Nikki’s gorgeous turquoise dress is divine. Artem’s sombrero is distracting. The JV dancers and their skirts are lovely, but unnecessary. The rose petals falling from the ceiling are trip hazards. I think the pros and the JV dancers should have blown this out of the water as an opening number (choreographed by Mandy Moore, of course) and promoted the movie that way. It was vibrant and celebratory, but in no way a jazz routine.
SCORE: 27

As Tom and Erin gather everyone onto the stage, a gasp issues forth from the audience and my couch as Frankie and Sasha are announced as the bottom two contestants. I immediately spend all eleven of my votes on Frankie and watch as Sasha is sent home thirty-seven pounds lighter. THIRTY-SEVEN POUNDS.

Do you think the right person went home? More importantly, did Frankie and Sasha both deserve to be in the bottom this week? How many hours a week do you think Vanessa and Maks rehearse? My guess is two.

Photo By: abc.com
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Kelli
Kelli
October 17, 2017 1:16 pm

I wish they would send Nick and Vanessa home. It’s quite obvious that Vanessa and Maks have an issue and when you can just look at them and tell (no eye contact), it’s time.

There was a clip of Frankie and Witney saying that she caught her heel in her dress and I watched in 10 times and couldn’t see it.

I need to rewatch the show later–with Kevin since I was traveling and see what he thought about Disney night (LOL!)

Christine
Christine
October 18, 2017 2:33 pm
Reply to  Kelli

So is Kevin a Disney night fan? I always get a kick out of his reactions to DWTS and The Bachelor shows.

Kelli
Kelli
October 23, 2017 11:33 am
Reply to  Christine

Kevin likes Disney night! Kevin also likes the song Beach Baby for some odd reason.

Dee
Dee
October 23, 2017 12:27 pm
Reply to  Kelli

I vote KEVIN for the win!!! He’s so amusing.

Kelli
Kelli
October 24, 2017 11:23 am
Reply to  Dee

Kevin is working on something special for the new Bachelor season

Shannon M
Shannon M
October 17, 2017 1:18 pm

First of all, I think the judges got themselves into a bind when they started off the night by giving Victoria and Val all 9’s. I personally didn’t think they deserved scores that high and I believe there have to be better guidelines when it comes to Jazz. Right now it’s a free for all in my opinion.

I think Lindsey and Mark got robbed! Only 28? There is definitely something wrong with that picture. I absolutely love to watch the pure joy that comes over her face while she’s dancing!

Frankie and Witney got robbed, too! He was incredible and totally embodied his part. Oh, and she rocked it!

Drew has come so far since the beginning of the show and you can totally tell that he’s having a blast on the dance floor. I’m not sure his smile can get any bigger! Emma has done wonders with him.

Jordan was perfection and I love watching him dance. He and Lindsay are a fantastic pairing!

As for the rest, Terrell actually impressed me, Nick just looked awkward, Nikki didn’t look like she enjoyed herself at all and the whole Vanessa/Maks partnership isn’t working. She really did look like Snow White, though!

Norma
Norma
October 17, 2017 2:11 pm

First of all, I absolutely LOVE the Argentine Tango. It is my absolute favorite dance (along with Salsa, Samba, Cha Cha). Whitney choreographed an absolute flawless A.T. and she and Frankie were my winners of the evening. They should have received perfect scores!!!!!

Loved Lindsay and Jordan as well. Cheryl and Terrell did very well.

I wanted Nick and Peta to go home. I’m done with Vanessa and Max. Lindsay and Mark should have scored higher than an 28.

Sha
Sha
October 17, 2017 4:10 pm
Reply to  Norma

I completely agree with you about Lindsey’s score especially when Victoria scored only one point less. I don’t think you can compare the two dances.

Ann
Ann
October 17, 2017 7:20 pm
Reply to  Norma

Agree with you 100%! Love, love, love the Argentine tango. That and a “proper” Viennese waltz are my favorites. I find myself becoming grumpy like Len and disliking any “mucking about.” I don’t like a lot of props and back-up dancers.

The Lachey family just needs to go home. Nick isn’t very good and she’s annoying! I hate to see likable people go home while they stay.

Christine
Christine
October 18, 2017 2:30 pm
Reply to  Norma

The Argentine Tango is my favorite dance too. Witney and Frankie were soooooo good! That dance deserved a perfect score.
Lindsay and Jordan were wonderful, as always. They are a pleasure to watch together.

Haleyalexis
Haleyalexis
October 17, 2017 4:06 pm

I have always maintained that I’m a Whitney fan. Girl can choreograph and I think Frankie is very lucky to have been paired with her. We definitely had to rewatch that particular routine, it was So. Good. I’ll probably watch it a third time.

Terrell and Drew have improved so much. I’d be okay with Terrell or Nick going home at this point, and part of me wants to watch the further interactions between Max/Vanessa because I honestly couldn’t tell there was something happening, interesting. I had heard about the rumor they didn’t get along when he missed a week, but I couldn’t tell during the show.

Love me some Disney
Love me some Disney
October 19, 2017 1:00 am
Reply to  Haleyalexis

I actually think Whitney was lucky to be paired with Frankie. He is such a nice, funny, unassuming guy who’s clearly working his butt off, that he seems to have mellowed her often sour, condescending attitude toward her partners. She does amazing things in designing the dances, but she can thank Frankie for humanizing her.

Lizzie
Lizzie
October 17, 2017 6:12 pm

First of all, way to go Sasha on dropping THIRTY SEVEN POUNDS!! Seriously impressive. I enjoyed her routine (love the song), and felt like she was really improving as a dancer, so I’m sorry to see her go.
Frankie and Witney’s Pirate Tango is one of my favourite routines ever! I adore the Pirate movies, and was wonderfully surprised how well that all came together. Best routine of the night, in my opinion.
I also love Drew, and it’s so nice to see someone enjoying the experience, and improving at the same time. It’s supposed to be what the show is about, after all. Not sure why the judges don’t seem to appreciate that, but they’re the experts I guess…
Vanessa needs to go home. The relationship between her and Maks is beyond awkward, and really getting painful to watch. How many more weeks can they use a gimmick in the intro package!?

Amber
October 17, 2017 9:16 pm

Okay, the tension between Maks and Vanessa was PALPABLE through my tv screen. After I watched, I spent 30 minutes trying to find other DWTS fans who had noticed it and talked about it online (Twitter/Reddit/ANYTHING) and I didn’t find much. So I’ve literally been chomping at the bit for your recap to see if you noticed and would talk about it. You scratched my itch!!! 😀

I didn’t love Frankie at the beginning of this competition but I can’t help but love him!! I wish he would have gotten a perfect score last night, which he deserved. Jordan and Lindsay are simply amazing and I would watch them dance alllllllll day. I am SO happy that Sasha went home, simply because I found her so uninteresting. She didn’t show much personality (maybe too self conscious??) and I never connected with her. I’d much rather watch Nick dance for a couple more weeks than Sasha – at least Nick is entertaining and has personality, even with his bad dancing. Haha!

Love me some Disney
Love me some Disney
October 19, 2017 12:28 am

Thank you thank you thank you, Lincee, for posting Lindsey & Mark’s foxtrot. I have a crappy standard-def television, so being able to watch (and rewatch) their dance on my super-high-def 27″ iMac was such a gift. My favorite moment came 54 seconds in, when Lindsey gave such a sexy millisecond glance directly at the camera (okay, at me). Perfect.

I know Jordan’s supposed to win, but I really hope Lindsey or Frankie end up with the bedazzled paperweight.

Helen
Helen
October 19, 2017 5:42 pm

I am so done with the Lacheys too. He seems ok personality wise, but is the worst dancer there. PEta seems like she wants to put a fork in this season, probably because of Maks and Vanessa not getting along which must surely spill over into her home life. Jordan is definitely the best dancer there but I’m really hoping Frankie wins. Have always found him endearing as a child actor and it’s so nice to see how humble and hard working he is! Was very shocked he almost went home!

Side note, my God is Gleb hot as a merman or what!!

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