Tuesday’s edition of “Dancing with the Stars” was the best of the season, maybe the best ever.
That’s because producers brought back past winners to pair with contestants in a relay dance. Seeing Apolo Ono, Rumer Willis and Xochitl Gomez back on the dance floor (and a herd of others in the audience) was like the ultimate class reunion.
Even better? Former host Tom Bergeron returned as a guest judge, and the opening number — choreographed by Derek Hough — featured a bunch of professionals. If you’ve been a fan during the show’s 20 years, you know how embedded the contestants and pros have become in our lives.
“Dancing with the Stars” celebrated its 20th anniversary with former host Tom Bergeron returning to the ballroom as a guest judge, Nov. 11 on ABC.
Tuesday’s birthday party also featured a ton of confetti, even after Robert Irwin almost choked on it several weeks ago, and lots of perfect scores.
Robert Irwin, Alix Earle, Whitney Leavitt and Dylan Efron all got 40s, which suggests they’re in the finals.
Andy Richter was sent home, but it was time, considering he had been at the bottom of the leaderboard most weeks. Elaine Hendrix appears marked, too. Jordan Chiles is on the bubble.
So, who’s likely to win? Even though he was tagged as one to watch from the first week, Robert Irwin appears too likely to win, particularly since his sister, Bindi, already has one of the trophies. What hurt his bid was a Zoom appearance from Prince William (they’re apparently friends), which suggests he has too much.
Earle had dance training throughout her life and seems too much like a professional. On Tuesday, she complained that Joey Graziadei had apparently hit her during rehearsals. That could doom her.
Daniella Karagach and Dylan Efron are shown during the 20th anniversary episode of “Dancing with the Stars” Nov. 11 on ABC.
That leaves Efron, who has grown the most of anyone on the show — and doesn’t seem to invite brother Zac to the show — and Leavitt, who is very, very, very good. While she’s on “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” that may not be enough to land in the top two.
Depending on how those finale dances land, it’s anyone’s to win. Irwin, Earle and Leavitt are in the mix. We’ll see how the ball bounces during the tribute to Prince Week.
In addition to the surprise cameos, the show featured an “in memoriam” segment that reminded us who tripped the light years ago.
Bringing back past winners to dance was a great idea and should be incorporated into next season’s shows. Past pros as judges work, too. And celebs dancing with celebs? Yes!
The best might have been saved for the 20th, but we’re here for it. Tuesday’s show was great.
