Four weeks into Dancing With the Stars Season 35, the competition is finally starting to feel like a competition. With the remaining couples becoming more comfortable in the ballroom, Mariah Carey Night brings some of the season’s best performances yet, and unfortunately, one of its most frustrating eliminations.
The night starts with Ciara Miller and her partner Brandon Armstrong. The pair opens with a jazz number to “Emotions,” filled with fun and entertainment, and definitely displays Miller’s improvement as a dancer. The dance results in a score of 21/30, tying them with Jackson Olson and Emma Slater and Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa on the leaderboard. Carrie Ann Inaba even calls it Miller’s best dance of the season so far.
The night’s highest score goes to Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas, resulting in a 25/30 and unveiling the season’s first 9 from Inaba. The two danced a waltz to “If It’s Over,” and it delivered one of the most elegant performances of the night. During the couple’s rehearsal package, Ballas explains that Higgins has a natural talent for dancing and that, had she been given the opportunity to train when she was younger, she could have potentially pursued dance professionally. Considering Higgins grew up in rural Ireland without access to formal dance training, her progress throughout the competition has been even more impressive.
Higgins leads the leaderboard, followed by Jenna Dewan with Val Chmerkovskiy, Ezra Frech with Daniella Karagach and Harry Shum Jr. with Jenna Johnson, who all earn 24/30. Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov follow closely behind with 23/30.
While Shum Jr. and Dewan give the predictable, incredible performances we have come to expect from them, the night’s standout performance, yet again, goes to Frech and Karagach. The pair performs a rumba to “Anytime You Need a Friend,” earning a 24/30.
The two always create such a compelling duo and balance each other so well on the dance floor. Each week, Frech’s talent continues to grow, and he is demonstrating more and more that he has the skills to take home the Mirrorball Trophy. His performance this week combines grace and charisma, proving that he can hold his own among some of the season’s most experienced performers.
The bottom of the leaderboard belongs to Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik (20/30), Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold (19/30) and Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson (13/30). Ali’s performance is a surprising drop from the previous week, when she earned one of the night’s higher scores. This week, she performed a jazz routine to “Fantasy,” earning 20/30. Despite the lower score, Ali is truly one to watch, and hopefully she can come back stronger next week.
Despite having the lowest score on the leaderboard, Rodriguez and Carson shockingly still make it to next week. At this point, Rodriguez is receiving the “Andy treatment,” where the audience’s love for a contestant seems to outweigh the judges’ scores. His 13/30 is by far the lowest score of the night, but his personality and popularity continue to carry him through the competition.
The end of the night brings a shocking elimination for Miller and Armstrong. Despite placing toward the higher end of the leaderboard, the pair does not receive enough fan votes to carry them into the next week. Their elimination is especially heartbreaking for fans to see Armstrong go, as the newer pro has yet to make it particularly far in the competition.
Next week, the stars take on Super Bowl Night, where they will perform to songs from some of the most memorable Super Bowl Halftime Shows of years past. With 11 couples remaining, the competition is starting to heat up, and this week’s shocking elimination proves that no couple is truly safe. As the dances get stronger and the field gets smaller, you really never know who will be going home next.
