On September 26th, ABC and Disney Plus brought to us the 32nd season of Dancing with the Stars! Hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough, this season brought a new set of both celebrities and pros. Some of the couples this year are: singer Jason Mraz and Daniella, actress Alyson Hannigan and Sasha, Mauricio Umansky and Emma along with model Tyson Beckford and Jenna. The rest are: influencer Lele Pons and Brandon, athlete Adrian Peterson and Britt, actress Mira Sorvino and Gleb, actress Jamie Lynn Spears and Alan, bachelorette Charity Larson and Artem and actress Ariana Madix and Pasha. Some fan favorites this year are Brady Bunch actor Barry Williams and Peta, first time pro and younger sister of former pro dancer Lindsey Arnold, Rylee Arnold with Harry Jowsey and Marvel actress Xochitl Gomez and Val.
The beginning of this season gave us a premier episode followed by a Latin themed night and Motown themed night. Xochitl and Jason became strong competitors from the get go and consistently earned some of the highest scores. By week 3, Ariana and Jason were earning the first 9’s of the season. Disney’s 100th anniversary was celebrated by week 4 as Disney night! This week gave us dances and characters from Cinderella, Coco, Toy Story, The Lion King and many other classic Disney films. With 8 out 11 teams earning over 20/30, competition was only getting tougher from this point on.
Week 5 covered each celebrity’s most memorable year but also served as a tribute to Len Goodman. A long-time host of the show, this episode began with a montage of pros and judges sharing their favorite memories of Len. This episode also had an amazing tribute routine performed by returning and present pros of the show. The dances in this episode covered contestants’ most memorable years such as first big roles, starting families, finding love or living a normal life before being famous. Charity and Xochitl both earned the first 10’s of this season for their waltzes and contemporary routines. This episode reminded everyone most of all why it was so important to rename: the Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy.
Week 6 aired on Halloween night and gave us monster week! This week had everything from zombies and vampires to aliens and skeletons. The competition this week was heated and Xochitl was even slightly injured during her performance. The individual routines were followed by a dance monster-thon, a competition between all of the remaining pairs. The pairs performed different styles on the floor and competed to see who could stay dancing the longest without being eliminated. This competition awarded winning teams with extra points and boosted Xochitl and Val into the top spot. Spoiler warning! By the end of this week, only 8 couples remain: Jason and Daniella, Alyson Hannigan and Sasha, Lele Pons and Brandon, Charity Larson and Artem, Ariana Madix and Pasha, Barry Williams and Peta, Rylee Arnold with Harry Jowsey and Xochitl Gomez and Val.
Make sure to tune in Tuesdays at 8 p.m.to catch the rest of season 32!
