Disney Night on “Dancing with the Stars” brought a new vocabulary.
Derek Hough coined the term “matadorable” after Mauricio Umansky did a paso doble to a music from “Fantasia.”
Bruno Tonioli said Adrian Peterson "found his wings and took flight" after a “Dumbo” waltz.
And Julianne Hough said, “Mira, Mira on the wall” after Mira Sorvino completed her waltz as Cinderella.
Obviously, the writers strike is over.
Considering past Disney nights were spectaculars, Tuesday’s was a little underwhelming. The contestants danced to the usual songs (“Whole New World,” “Be Our Guest,” “Part of Your World,” “Friend Like Me”) and didn’t exactly wow.
The one who was good – Peterson – was eliminated from the competition. Truthfully, he was not the worst. Barry Williams, who did a “Lady and the Tramp” jazz dance, was all over the place. He even had the nerve to invoke Bob Fosse’s name. He got an 18, which was the bottom, but nothing really broke the bank.
The best score – a 27 – went to Xochitl Gomez for her paso to “Coco.” It was clean, but not inspiring.
Harry Jowsey won the heart-tugger prize before doing his “Toy Story” routine. He talked about a a friend who had committed suicide and how much he missed him. After he got a 21 for “Friend Like Me,” Jowsey said, “I guess he’s watching.”
The traditional leaders – Charity Lawson, Jason Mraz and Ariana Madix – were in the 20s but didn’t really make a big move. Mraz was out of his comfort zone (doing a foxtrot to “Aladdin”) but he still has the musicality that can help him make big moves. Alyson Hannigan struggled even though she had the nebulous “jazz” category and the support of friend Selma Blair. She played Lumiere in a “Beauty and Beast” number and eked out an 18.
Likely, she and Williams are the next to go.
Lele Pons, Sorvino and Jowsey are in the middle of the pack.
While Gomez has momentum, she could slip if the big three bounce back. Considering it’s early in the run, any of the top four could clear space for the mirror-ball trophy.
Currently, Mickey and Minnie Mouse are the biggest stars.
