The happiest place on Earth! Disney week is upon us, transforming the Dancing With the Stars ballroom into a mouse house. Pairs aimed to make magic as they performed routines to beloved songs from iconic films. But while the night was a pure fairy tale for some, others didn’t fare so well — and for one couple, the proverbial clock struck midnight signaling it was time to go home.
Despite a solid performance this week, Suzanne Somers and Tony Dovolani got the bad news that their storybook adventure to the Mirrorball Trophy had come to an end. The Three’s Company alum took the disappointment in stride, though.
“I think that all women my age should go on hormones!” Somers declared before remembering to say something nice about her partner. “And I just want to say something about Tony Dovolani. He is a gentleman and he gave me everything he had. I so loved this.”
Here’s how the rest of the couples fared in week 5:
Robert Herjavec and Kym Johnson
Dance: Quickstep
Song: “Step in Time” from Mary Poppins
How they did: In case it wasn’t clear already, these two like each other — a lot. “Even if I went home tonight, it would have all been worth it, baby,” Herjavec cooed in Johnson’s ear backstage after their last performance. Rehearsals showed them equally enamored with each other, with the Shark Tank mogul referring to his dance partner at one point as a “hot” Mary Poppins. Unfortunately, their dance wasn’t as hot as Johnson’s outfit.
“You were so out of step,” Carrie Ann critiqued before admitting that Herjavec’s beaming smile did help elevate the dance despite the star’s technical difficulties. Len however, saw the performance a bit differently. “You were out there really popping,” he praised. “You’ve come out and entertained. Well done.”
Score: 24 out of 40
Grade: B-
Patti LaBelle and Artem Chigvintsev
Dance: Waltz
Song: “When You Wish Upon a Star” from Pinocchio
How they did: Patti LaBelle’s video revealed that the living legend had suffered a fairly serious knee injury, but she’s been soldiering on just the same. “I’ll never let you down,” the singing icon promised Chigvintsev during practice — and she didn’t.
Carrie Ann compared LaBelle to “the Fairy Godmother of Dancing With the Stars,” while Bruno declared, “You manage to sprinkle your own little stardust around the room. It was simple. It was effective, and yet had just a touch of Disney magic.” What impressed Julianne, however, wasn’t any of LaBelle’s fancy footwork. “The thing about this competition is that it’s a marathon and it’s all about attitude,” she chimed before adding, “Your attitude is unbelievable.”
Score: 27 out of 40
Grade: A- (bad knee; good attitude!)
Willow Shields and Mark Ballas
Dance: Foxtrot
Song: “Alice’s Theme” from Alice in Wonderland
How they did: Despite having to deal with the challenge of her father forcing “snack time” on her during training, 14-year-old Willow Shields managed to focus on the task at hand. Her hard work paid off — for the most part.
“You’re becoming a force to be reckoned with. You’re getting better and better,” Bruno said before giving the young actress one piece of advice. “Now, if you have times, do a couple of ballet classes.” Carrie Ann also felt that there was room for improvement. “This is hard because that was an epic production,” she began, “However, I felt that there was times that you lost your footing when you were in a hold during the first half, but the second half was insane.” Still, when it was time for scores, the judges showed the Hunger Games star the love.
Score: 34 out of 40
Grade: A
Chris Soules and Witney Carson
Dance: Quickstep
Song: “Zero to Hero” from Hercules
How they did: Like Somers, Chris Soules took the judges’ critiques from last week rather hard. “It’s supposed to be the happiest week of the entire season and I don’t think either of us are in that mode,” the recently engaged Bachelor star revealed during his video package. (During rehearsals the future groom was also caught on camera snapping at Carson. Yikes!) It wasn’t surprising, therefore, that this couple’s stress showed during their performance.
“We’ve been really tough on you the last few weeks,” Julianne admitted. “I think you’re getting in the way of yourself right now.” She went on to say that he was “not connecting” and “not having fun” (no kidding), before encouraging him to remember how it felt the first week when he did have fun. Carrie Ann disagreed, however. “I actually thought this was your best performance ever by a long shot. You pulled it off. You were totally in character. I feel like you were committed to your movements more than in the past.”
Score: 27 out of 40
Grade: B (lighten up!)
Noah Galloway and Sharna Burgess
Dance: Foxtrot
Song: “A Whole New World” from Aladdin
How they did: This week’s video showed the army vet struggling with his limitations — until his dance partner poetically reminded him that, at the beginning, they decided to focus not on what they can’t do, but what they can. Galloway got on board and delivered a solid performance.
“The thing that I love so much is that you have this clear and assertive direction. When you take a step or make a move, you know what you’re doing,” Julianne praised. Bruno noted, “Looking at you makes us all believe in magic.” While chatting with Erin Andrews post-dance, Galloway admitted that he turned a corner when Burgess told him to “quit acting like a baby.” (You go girl!)
Score: 28 out of 40
Grade: B+
Riker Lynch and Allison Holker
Dance: Paso Doble
Song: “He’s a Pirate” from Pirates of the Caribbean
How they did: Riker Lynch’s video revealed how disappointed the R5 frontman was with last week’s fourth place finish. Determined to move up, Lynch and Holker buckled down on the dance moves and turned up the technical aspects of their dance.
“You’ve got another blockbuster in your hands! That was mad and wonderful! You stuck everything you had into that!” Bruno cheered. “A super production for a super talent!” Carrie Ann added, “That was a beast of a paso and you slayed it.” She also noted that she thought it was Lynch’s best performance to date — and we don’t disagree.
Score: 38 out of 40
Grade: A
Rumer Willis and Valentin Chmerkovskiy
Dance: Samba
Song: “Poor Unfortunate Souls” from The Little Mermaid
How they did: During practice, Chmerkovskiy told Rumer Willis point-blank that Len is a “purist,” which, he quickly explained, means Len is “old.” Chmerkovskiy reiterated that Len wanted to see the proper steps and so that’s what they were going to do. For her part, the actress seemed satisfied with the fact that she was getting to play a proper villain. Still, it was her dancing that captured the judges’ hearts.
“You are a fantastic dancer,” Len said. “You just made Ursula like the sexiest animated character on the planet. To me that was the best dance of the night.” Bruno described the dance as “deliciously wicked.” For her part, Demi Moore‘s daughter reiterated how much fun she had on the dance floor. “It was so awesome. I don’t think there are many times in your life that you just get to be evil and fierce and just have an awesome eel next to you.”
Score: 39 out of 40 (with three perfect 10s!)
Grade: A+ (She made Ursula sexy!)
Nastia Liukin and Derek Hough
Dance: Jazz
Song: “Love Is an Open Door” from Frozen
How they did: Liukin got the first perfect 10 last week, but Willow Shields got three perfect 10s — a fact that was not lost on the former Olympic gymnast. “Game on,” Liukin declared during practice. She and Hough did their best to deliver a technically flawless, but still heartfelt, performance, and they largely succeeded.
“There was nothing Frozen about that. That was like a warm hug on a cold evening. You showed us your sunny side and I loved it,” Len cheered while Bruno coined the dance, “practically perfect in every way.” Carrie Ann said Liukin and Hough’s inconsistent lip-syncing threw her off a bit, but still admitted the performance was “like a Disney dream come true.”
Score: 38 out of 40
Grade: A-
Suzanne Somers and Tony Dovolani
Dance: Jazz
Song: “He’s a Tramp” from Lady and the Tramp
How they did: A large portion of Somers’s video package showed the former TV star complaining about their low scores the week before and looking as if she was about to buckle under the pressure of the competition. When it was time to deliver, however, the 68-year-old blonde pulled out a great performance, which earned raves from the judges, despite one small misstep.
“That was, without a doubt, the best dance you’ve done,” Len praised while Julianne echoed, “That was definitely your best dance.” Somers seemed bolstered by the positive feedback and determined to come back next week; unfortunately, she won’t get that chance.
Score: 28 out of 40
Grade: B (Stop whining about your scores!)
Tell Us: Did the right couple go home?