It’s the most memorable night of the year Dancing with the stars! It’s also halfway through season 31, which means that if you haven’t yet subscribed to Disney+ to watch your favorite Pros, you probably never will. And that’s it! We monitor so you don’t have to.
Bring those unforgettable moments from the past!
Selma Blair and Sasha Farber. Once she was finally diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018, Blair felt the “start of my recovery as a person.” But like a record scratch, Blair followed his most memorable year with very bad news. After undergoing a recent MRI, doctors told Blair that she could not continue the competition. “I went as far as I could,” she told Farber during the rehearsal package. She went on to explain how the dance caused “significant damage” to her bones, so she had no choice; his time in the ballroom was over. She then performed her last number – a waltz to “What The World Needs Now is Love”. “This competition is tough on everyone, but if the other has climbed hills, you’ve climbed mountains,” Len Goodman said. “Congratulations.” Almost everyone cried after that. Score: A perfect 40!
Jessie James Decker and Alan Bersten. The singer’s big year came in 2014 when she became a mom. cool cool. She then performed a fierce tango to her track “Blue Jeans” before giving her daughter a big hug in the audience. (Her grandson, however, had to settle for cuddling her leg). “There was a fair amount of tango,” Goodman said. “It was sharp, there was attack. Every once in a while you get a little on Alan’s right side. He had a purpose and there was determination. Well done.” Score: 29 out of 40
Trevor Donovan and Emma Slater. The actor thought his acting days were numbered in 2007 after losing his gig on days of our lives. Thinking he should return to Mammoth and start a new career building homes, Donovan got a last-minute reprieve from Hollywood when 90210 came to call. Nothing about this experience screams let’s dance the jazz on Coldplay but Donovan sure performed the hell out of his number. “You didn’t force this dance, you didn’t try too hard to shove it in my face,” Goodman said. “It gave him so much more control. Without a dance, it was your best dance so far. Score: 32 out of 40
Vinny Guadagnino and Koko Iwasaki. Guadagnino was a college graduate delivering pizza when he filled out an application in 2009 to join the cast of jerseyshore. Almost overnight, he was treated like a member of the Beatles and was able to buy his parents a house. And watch it now! He dances to jazz in a pastel tracksuit and Chucks on DWTS. Enjoy it while it lasts, mate; the competition is just too fierce this season. “I thought it was a great dance, it was clean. It was clear. You were tight and together, full of energy,” Goodman said. “Well done.” Score: 32 out of 40
Shangela and Gleb Savchenko. The drag queen recalled a hellish accident in 2013 during a sort of death fall during a performance. Shangela broke a leg and doctors said more dancing was out of the question. The rest, of course, is history: Cut to Shangela performing a dignified foxtrot that brought the queen to tears at the end. “Sometimes getting hurt is a blessing in disguise,” Derek Hough said. “It makes you stop and appreciate what you have. It was so wonderful to see this side of Shangela. Score: 32 out of 40
Jordan Sparks and Brandon Armstrong. The singer sweetly recalled the year 2017, when she met a man who was just looking for advice to break into the business. Five years later, he inspired a salsa like her husband on DWTS. Isn’t love great? “Speak spicy,” said Bruno Tonioli. “You have to make it look easy and spontaneous [in the salsa]. It’s the hardest thing to do. You did it.” Score: 33 out of 40
Daniel Durant and Britt Stewart. Unsurprisingly, the actor picked 2019 as his momentous year because that’s when he was cast CODA – a small independent film that exploded into an Oscar-winning hit. He paid tribute with a cheerful, barefoot contemporary dance that left the judges all gooey inside. “You are so real, so honest, you have the ability to make me feel like I’m dancing with you even as I watch you,” Tonioli said. “It’s something very unique and special that you have.” Score: 34 out of 40
Joseph Brothers and Daniella Karagach. The fitness model didn’t go deep into her memory bank to find a big year; he just left with 2022 and how he finally decided this year to “listen to myself and not listen to outside voices… I have to separate myself from the expectations that I am like my father. This year, I know who I am. And with that, he performed on “My Way” and gave what Goodman described as “his best dance so far this season.” (Carrie Ann Inaba also called her one of the best male rumbas on the show). Hey, that made Baena cry! Score: 34 out of 40
Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovsky. Before becoming single, Windey worked as an intensive care nurse during the pandemic. “I felt the world was ending,” she recalled of 2020, her most difficult year when she “saw a lot of death, isolation.” She dedicated her twirling, agile foxtrot to families and healthcare workers. “Everything you’ve been through, I can’t even imagine,” Inaba said. “I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I feel like I understood you and how you dance more after seeing this. You are gorgeous and dazzling there. I want to encourage you to let go. Score: 36 out of 40
Heidi D’Amelio and Artem Chigvintsev. She must know her daughter is going to beat her, right? Yes, in fact, she does: Mom D’Amelio opened her rehearsal file saying she didn’t think she’d get this far in the competition. She then recalled the year 1997 and how she moved from Louisiana to New York to work as a model. Hey, that took a lot of courage! So she tried to channel that into her tense rumba. “You’ve improved so much, it’s crazy,” Hough said. “Your arms, the joint in your feet. It was so clean and beautiful. I think you have some 10s in you. I need a little more emotion. But girl, it was solid. Score: 36 out of 40
Wayne Brady and Witney Carson. The TV host looked back to 2003 when her daughter Maile was born. He then dedicated his foxtrot to his now 19-year-old “little buddy” whom he wants to make proud. She was there too, to give him a big hug. “What you did for me, you captured the essence of love at first sight,” said Bruno Tonioli. “It was so beautiful.” Score: 37 out of 40
Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas. Like Baena, D’Amelio also chose 2022 because it was the year when anxiety stopped controlling his life. Despite her strong social media presence, she said it wasn’t much fun having all those eyes on her, so “I started going to therapy to find out why I felt like this.” What followed was a chilling contemporary dance that not only showcased Ballas’ incredible choreography, but proved just how much D’Amelia has this competition. in the bag. “First of all, Charlie, I just want to thank you for being such a responsible sole and telling this story,” Inaba said. “So many young kids look up to you…talking about the cost of your fame.” Score: 39 out of 40
Because Blair retired, there was no elimination Monday. DWTS is back on Tuesday.