Lights! Camera! Action! The hit reality dancing competition has begun.
“Dancing with the Star” season 33 is coming in hot on the dance floor and with its contestants. From Olympic champions, former contestants on “The Bachelor,” reality TV stars and even those with criminal history, this cast has them all.
The cast of season 33 includes Chandler Kinney with Brandon Armstrong, Eric Roberts with Britt Stewart, Danny Amendola with Witney Carson, Reginald VelJohnson with Emma Slater, Stephen Nedoroscik with Rylee Arnold, Brooks Nader with Gleb Savchenko, Joey Graziadei with Jenna Johnson, Tori Spelling with Pasha Pashkov, Anna “Delvey” Sorokin with Ezra Sosa, Dwight Howard with Daniella Karagach, Phaedra Parks with Val Chmerkovskiy, Jenn Tran with Sasha Farber and Ilona Maher with Alan Bersten. Now, let’s take a look at the memorable and heated moments that have unfolded so far.
Premiere week 1, Joey Graziadei, season 28’s “The Bachelor” contestant was the first to kick off the night and killed it with his performance to “Dancin’ in the Country” by Tyler Hubbard. Jenna Johnson’s choreography quickly blew up on TikTok and many users recreated the dance.
Next, supermodel and actress, Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchenko hit the dance floor and sparked romantic chemistry between the two. Soon after, the internet was quick to make predictions and speculations about the two, which would be confirmed as the weeks went on.
Ilona Maher, Olympic rugby player, made headlines for her strong advocacy for women’s empowerment and positive body image.
Dwight Howard, NBA all star with his partner Daniella Karagach show off their dance moves proving that “this is how you do it.” Also, kicked off their season with hit choreography.
US olympic pommel horse champion, Stephen Nedoroscik with his partner Rylee Arnold, took the stage with jumps of joy and bubbliness. He debuted not only his gymnastic skills, but outgoing personality.
Last, but certainly not least, Anna “Delvey” Sorokin, claimed “fashionista and entrepreneur” by host Alfonso Ribeiro even with Sorokin’s criminal background. She strutted the stage with her bedazzled ankle monitor. Hot take, some say that Sorokin should have not been a contestant while others say it was pure entertainment to see her perform. After her performance, she expressed herself by saying, “I feel happy that I don’t have to do this dance again.” Her enthusiasm was just through the roof.
Oscars Night for week 2 faced a double elimination for the contestants. Before this, predictions and speculations of Brooks and Gleb dating rumors were confirmed after they shared a kiss during rehearsal. To end the night, Tori Spelling and Anna “Delvey” Sorokin both got eliminated and were the first to go home.
Despite elimination, Anna “Delvey” Sorokin won the night, saying she took “nothing” away from the competition. Also, when asked if she had a favorite part from the show she said her’s was “getting eliminated.” The internet went crazy after Sorokin’s response, even making it a TikTok sound. What an “iconic” DWTS exit.
Soul Train Night week 3 was a two-night celebration of American music with guest judge Rosie Perez. Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchenko’s performance made Derrick Huff, one of the judges, “pregnant” according to Huff. They scored all sevens from the judges, making Savchenko furious and left confused. Savchenko went on to say “I do not agree with the judges. I think this is total f—— bull s—.” Clearly, Savchenko was upset over their scores and had lots to say.
On the bright side, Joey Graziadei with Jenna Johnson filled the stage with joy with their jive performance and made people want to shout. Their choreography was again taken to TikTok where many users recreated.
The second night celebration of heavy metal music, week 4 brought some controversial moments from guest judge, Gene Simmons and was one of the most intense nights. Brooks and Gleb continue to be the star subjects of the show with their cha-cha; the ballroom was on fire. Enough fire for Gene Simmons to give them a 10. Technically, this was the first 10 of the season, but in order for it to count, it has to be from one of the main judges.
However, Ilona and Alan didn’t have the best performance. When Ilona was asked if she was okay by Carrie Ann she said, “uh, been better, Carrie Ann.” Tears were seen from Ilona; she gave it her all.
From romantic chemistry to tears of pressure, Gene Simmons gave Phaedra Parks and Val a five. Even though the whole night he was giving couples high scores, Phaedra and Val got the lowest from him. When interviewed after the show Parks said, “we did good despite Gene Simmons’s being total ding-a-ling. I figured he didn’t like short black women.” Gene Simmons succeeded in being a guest judge, but he did indeed spark some tension. Finally, the two contestants who got eliminated were Reginald VelJohnson and Eric Roberts.
Dedication night of week 5 was with guest judge Mark Ballas, former three time mirrorball champion. Danny and Witney stole the night away with their “powerful and sincere” performance to “Unsteady.” Their signature leg lift in their performance became viral on TikTok. Many users tried to recreate the move with friends, family, or partners.
Danny and Witney might have stolen the night away with their performance, yet Brooks and Gleb’s performance ended their season as they were eliminated. Although the couple got eliminated, they left hand and hand, bound to the hip with even an alleged matching tattoo.
Disney night of week 6 brought the happiest place on earth to life with viral, iconic, and magical performances. Jenn and Sasha sparked romantic chemistry even with Derrick Huff “shipping” the two. Just like Brooks and Gleb, Jenn and Sasha are being “shipped” and viewers think there’s some sort of relationship, but these are just rumors.
Jenn and Sasha might have gotten shipped, but the real show stopper performance was Joey and Jenna’s performance of “Trashin’ the Camp” Tarzan style. Jenna didn’t come to play with her choreography. This iconic Disney performance went once again viral on social media. Viewers think that their show stopping performance should’ve won them the mirrorball right then and there.
Moving on, Ilona and Alan’s last performance almost sent them home; however they came back stronger with their Encanto performance. To many, Ilona is a prime example of not giving up. At the end of the night, Phaedra Parks got eliminated.
Finally, it’s what we’ve all been waiting for: Halloween Nightmares, week 7. The night was filled with jump scare performances and shocking results. Dwight and Daniella’s performance to “Ring Around The Rosie,” won the first 10 of the season.
However, Ilona and Alan had a rough night, scoring the lowest out of all the couples. Almost everyone received scores of 10. Couples had to face off in dance-offs and the winners received three bonus points added to their score.
Dwight and Daniella won their dance-off to Ilona and Alan, Jenn and Sasha won their dance-off to Stephan and Rylee, and Joey and Jenna won to Danny and Witney. Although the night was a scare fest, Carrie Ann got booed by the audience after giving Chandler and Brandon a nine. Previously, she had handed out 10s like candy to everyone, but when it came to Chandler, she gave a nine, causing boos from the crowd and criticism online. Many viewers called Carrie Ann “absurd” for her scoring decision. Also, viewers believe Carrie Ann has something against the female dancers. The night might have had jump scares but the biggest came from Carrie Ann’s bizarre behavior. Not only did she face criticism for her scoring, but her constant need to get on the judges’ table has left viewers irritated and fed up with her.
Despite this, the jaw-dropping moment came when Jenn Tran was eliminated. This was very unexpected, since Jenn faced Ilona in the elimination round. Viewers thought Ilona was going to get eliminated since she hasn’t been doing her best, but in a shocking twist Jenn and Sasha went home.
This season of “Dancing with the Stars” so far has made viewers want to jump off their seats and kept the audience entertained not only with their dancing skills, but heated moments. Six couples remain in the competition and will return in two weeks on ABC and live on Disney+ at 8 p.m. EST/ 7 p.m. CST.
