“Dancing With The Stars” Week 4 Recap

On the cha-cha heels of last week’s devastating elimination, audiences enter Disney night with one less couple.

Former “Fifth Harmony” member Lauren Jauregui and “Dancing With the Stars” Pro Brandon Armstrong were sent home, shockingly, for not receiving enough votes. 

Disney night has been a recurring theme throughout the series, where the couples perform classic Disney songs from any of the movies or theme park rides. 

One of the standout performances was Scott Hoying (“Pentatonix” member) and Rylee Arnold as Sharpay and Ryan Evans from “High School Musical” in the style of Salsa to “Bop to the Top”. Because Disney Night is an anticipated theme, fans on social media were crossing their fingers for this duo to portray these iconic characters.

From the start of the season, it was obvious Hoying isn’t a natural dancer, but each week, but he is putting in the work and showing improvement. He is not a newcomer when it comes to performing, and it shows.

Where he misses in technicality, he makes up for it with his showmanship and stage presence. Despite Rylee being one of the youngest and newest pros, her choreography is always a standout, and in this dance, it’s clear that both individuals were having the time of their lives. The dance received a score of 21/30.

Another dance that stood out was Alix Earle (TikTok influencer) and Val Chmerkovskiy’s Viennese Waltz to Lana del Rey’s haunting rendition of “Once Upon a Dream”. Earle portrays the titular role of Maleficent and Chmerkosky as Stefan, Aurora’s father.

The dance was their best yet, with Earle entirely embodying her fierce character. The dance was smooth with beautiful, clean lines, a key part to nailing a waltz.

Earle revealed on her TikTok as she was getting her makeup done that the pair almost went with a “Tangled” theme, but instead wanted to do something darker that showed off a different strength compared to their previous dances. It was a smart move and ended up in favor of the couple as they earned a 23/30 score, their highest yet.

Whitney Leavitt (“The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives”) and Mark Ballas were the highest-scoring couple of the night. They performed a Foxtrot to “The Room Where It Happens” from Hamilton. Leavitt has obvious dance experience, and she can perform at the closest level to her partner, more than any other star this season.

Her skill, paired with Ballas’ captivating choreography, may have them easily run away with this competition if the other couples don’t keep up. They earned a 25/30 score while also earning the first 9 of the season by judge Carrie Ann Inaba.

Judges’ scores are not the only things the couples have to worry about. Audiences at home have to vote for their favorite couple throughout the night for them to stay. Scores plus votes are what determine who goes home each week.

After the performances, the couples line up waiting for their names to be announced as safe. Finally, it was revealed that Hilaria Baldwin (entrepreneur) and Gleb Savchenko would not be returning for next week’s dedication night. Dedication night is where each star will choose a special person in their life to dedicate their dance to.

DWTS is in its 20th year and 34th season with one of the strongest performing casts ever. According to Ricky Porter from The Hollywood Reporter, this is the first time in the series’ history that the same-day audience has grown consecutively for three weeks following the premiere.

DWTS has notably earned a 1.0 rating with the 18-49 age group each week of the season, unlike any other network show, Porter said. The cast of DWTS is always made up of celebrities in varying fields, but this particular one is especially connecting to younger audiences. We will see if this trend continues with next week’s airing.