Jenna Dewan Earns First Perfect Score on Disney Night of Dancing with the Stars
The competition heated up as celebrity contestants delivered Broadway-inspired performances and team routines during the latest episode.
The Dancing with the Stars ballroom transformed into Broadway on a special night of competition that featured Disney-inspired performances, bringing together showstopping routines and theatrical choreography from the remaining eight celebrity and professional partner pairs. Co-hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough, the evening welcomed back the contestants for their eighth week of competition alongside a traditional team-dance round.
Among the standout performances of the night, Jenna Dewan and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy earned their first perfect score of the season. The duo performed a Quickstep that impressed the judges, with Carrie Ann Inaba describing them as quick, light, and completely in sync. Bruno Tonioli praised the routine as a feast and noted that it showcased the show at its absolute best.
Dewan shared the top of the individual leaderboard with Harry Shum Jr. and his partner Jenna Johnson, who also secured a perfect score of 40 for the second consecutive week with a jazz routine. Guest judge Cynthia Erivo, a Tony Award winner and Academy Award nominee connected to Disney through her role in the live-action Pinocchio, joined regular judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough on the scoring panel.
The evening also featured a competitive team-dance round that split the remaining contestants into two distinct groups. Team Wildcats, consisting of Connor Wood, Ezra Frech, Harry Shum Jr., and Jenna Dewan alongside Julianne Hough, delivered a freestyle routine to High School Musical that earned a perfect score of 40 points. Their performance helped boost cumulative scores across the board.
Meanwhile, Team Slaytopia featured Tatyana Ali, Maura Higgins, Amber Glenn, and Julia Stiles alongside Alfonso Ribeiro, performing a routine to music from Zootopia 2 that earned 36 points from the judges. The team points were added directly to each individual couple's nightly total, reshaping the final standings before the elimination announcement.
Despite placing higher on the judges' leaderboard, Julia Stiles and her partner Ezra Sosa found themselves in the bottom two alongside Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas. Stiles ultimately became the latest celebrity eliminated from Season 35, highlighting how audience voting combines with judges' scores to determine advancement in the competition.
With seven couples now remaining in the competition, the contestants are preparing for the upcoming semifinals. Dancing with the Stars will return for Grammy Night, featuring live musical performances and continuing the race toward the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.