On Disney Night on “Dancing with the Stars,” four couples stayed out of the 24 zone. That meant the judges were overrating some mediocre performances (Phaedra Parks, we’re looking at you) or just avoiding fan backlash.
Jenna Johnson was the week's MVP. She's partnered with former "Bachelor" Joey Graziadei.
Chandler Kinney, recreating her character from “Zombies 2,” and Danny Amendola, stunt channeling Deadpool, got 27s. Ilona Maher, doing a perfectly adept Luisa from Encanto and Joey Graziadei, playing the shirtless Tarzan, got 25s. That put Stephen Nedoroscik, as Hercules, Jenn Tran as “The Little Mermaid,” Dwight Howard as Wreck-it Ralph, and Parks as Cruella de Vil in the 24 zone.
Evenly matched? Not really.
Graziadei, Amendola and Kinney are at least a step above the others. Howard and Parks are a step below.
Tuesday’s lowest-scoring couple: Parks and Val Chmerkovskiy.
What made this week's show stand out (other than a lot of promotion for upcoming Disney ventures and a mirror-ball with Mickey ears) were the team dances. Team Roar offered “Just Can’t Wait to Be King” from “The Lion King” and got a 24. It was notable for the way it used Howard as a centerpiece and tried to make the others look like gypsies in a Broadway show. Interestingly, no one stood out.
Phaedra Parks was sent home Tuesday night on "Dancing with the Stars."
Team Goofs, offering up a clean production number from “The Goofy Movie,” had what must have been a first – Maher lifting Jenna Johnson over her head and upside down. It was spectacular.
At this juncture, it looks like any of the top three could win it. Graziadei is still our choice, but Amendola shows the most growth. Kinney has the built-in Disney dance training. That hurts her chances and puts her in third, even though she got bonus points when they added in the team scores.
What seems disingenuous about the voting is the final three aren’t necessarily the final three. So someone like Nedoroscik, who’s a fan fave, looks like he’s in danger. Howard will go home before he does, but that’s just one of the tricks “Dancing” plays.
Jenna Johnson? She scored in the group dance and is Graziadei’s partner. That makes her the nights MVP.
