Season 29, Week 7: Villains Week, aka Halloween

Dancing with the Stars always has a big, splashy night for Halloween. Well, this is it, and they are calling it (for the first time) “Villains Night.” It begins with a very lame Blair Witch takeoff as the opener.

Brandon and Jeannie, paso doble, Hannibal Lecter

Not sure if the concept of Villains is working yet, but the paso had some great shapes and lines.

Derek: “You absolutely ate up that paso. You had proper frame, the oval shapes. I loved it. That was a great paso.” Bruno: “You throw yourself with such gusto and intention, that it’s really irresistible to watch.” Carrie Ann: “That was an explosive way to start the show. Great attack. Really powerful. I want you to start adding back in some of the grace.”

JUDGES: 25 (out of 30)

Britt and Johnny, Viennese waltz, vampires

Vampires dancing to “Creep”? I’m so there for that. There really wasn’t enough in hold for a good Viennese waltz, IMHO, but it was fun to watch anyway.

Bruno: “I am bitterly disappointed, because it wasn’t bad at all. It was very, very good. What you did, that I really really liked, apart from the fact that you have wonderful sweeping motion is you really captured the Gothic romance feel. It was passionate, and it was fluid. It’s a question of balance. You balanced it extremely well. Fantastic job.” Carrie Ann: “I agree. You floated through that like a dream, like you were a rock star. There was so much interpretation of the music, more than I’ve ever seen. I felt like you became one with the bass, and the strength and the power and the story.” Derek: “One of my favorite parts about the show is redemption. Having a bad week and coming back and doing what you just did. It was so beautiful. I loved the version of that song. Rock and roll, the costume, the theme, the character, the dancing. It was like a perfect formula. Fantastic.”

We have a skull mirror ball, hanging in the ballroom!

JUDGES: 27 (out of 30)

Gleb and Chrishell, paso doble, Malefecent

Not really much of a dance there. Ugh.

Carrie Ann: “Chrishell, you are in your element. Talk about storytelling at its finest. That is what this night is all about. It was simple, the strategy was good: simple moves, executed beautifully.” Derek: “That was cinematic. You, tapping into that villain, with the horns. The simplicity of it called for that. It was sparse. There was space.” Bruno: “That was mesmerizing. Your focus, your intention, your purpose were absolutely spot on. You lost the fluidity sometimes. Overall, it was a very strong performance.”

JUDGES: 26 (out of 30)

Val and Monica, jazz, Nurse Ratched

Any dance to “Fever” is a good one, especially with Val Chemerkovskiy’s stunning choreography.

However, Monica Aldama still doesn’t seem really comfortable with all this, and she seems to be stepping rather than dancing through it all.

Derek: “First of all, that opening leg! The musicality, the transitions into the lifts, I really felt that seductive energy at the beginning. And I think that tonight more than ever, it’s really about the character. For me, that side by side moment, I lost the character in the middle, but overall, I thought it was a  really strong performance.” Bruno: “I didn’t get a fever. I got more of a mild chill. Great leg extensions. Great lifts. The thing with jazz, it has to always come from the body. Think Fosse. (And he shows us what he means.)” Carrie Ann: “I agree with Bruno. What was not lacking was the intention behind the movement. The shapes were really nice. Tonight especially, it’s about storytelling. It wasn’t your best dance. You are still improving. This is a process.”

JUDGES: 22 (out of 30)

Cheryl and AJ, tango, Norman Bates

AJ likes dressing up in women’s clothes, so he loved dressing as Norma Bates’ mom (as in the movie) for this dance (at the beginning at least). Personally, I like the old-timey ’50s feel to the dance, with costumes and hair. 

Cheryl hit her head in rehearsal, but says she’s ok.

Carrie Ann: “AJ! Wow. I’m truly impressed. That was a really difficult routine, and you did… every movement was great. The power, the dramatic shifts. This is kind of what we’ve been looking for all night: the light and shade.My God! Well done.” Derek: “AJ, I loved the intro, with you dressed up as Normal Bates’ mother. That was so creepy and wonderful. I was watching your footwork a lot in that. Well done.” Bruno: “Thrilling. You managed to translate the neurosis of the character into the steps.”

JUDGES: 26 (out of 30)

Daniella and Nelly, Argentine tango, Freddie Kruger

They dance to “I Can’t Feel My Face,” which is hilarious. Daniella, as always, was fantastic. Her choreography is just amazing. Nelly is, um, Nelly.

Carrie Ann: “Nelly! What is going on? That was by far your best dance. Everything you were doing was so dramatic. There was a sense of urgency to your moves. The dynamics in that: the push the pull, the hold, the footwork, everything. Booyah!” Derek: “That was definitely not a nightmare on that dance floor. You were such a great partner to Daniella.” Bruno: “You killed that Argentine tango. I don’t know how it happened, but your whole stance was completely different today.”

JUDGES: 27 (out of 30)

Sasha and Justina, tango, Carrie

Well, this is funny. Justina hates Halloween, and she’s paired with the King of Halloween, Sasha Farber. 

Now, that’s a tango! Wow. Great dance.

Justina screams a few times during the dance. Chilling.

Derek: “You literally set this place on fire. That was awesome. First of all, your screams. I loved it. Your frame is exquisite. Also what I love: you travel across that floor. You move so much. And that means that you’re in the correct position.” Bruno: “Blood-curdlingly good. She stormed through it like a woman possessed. So powerful.” Carrie Ann: “You, to me, are one of the best dancers here. You have such a shot at winning this. I love the way you use the space. When you come out in the ballroom, it is yours. You own everything that you do, and I love that.”

JUDGES: 26 (out of 30)

Jenna and Nev, paso doble, Black Swan

Jenna gets big points for creativity for this whole concept and choreography. Just wow. Nev gets big points for all the manscaping he had to do for this.

Bruno: “It has to be perfect. And it was! I loved this piece and you lived up to the expectation.” Carrie Ann: “There were high expectations coming into this performance, and you met them, and you exceeded them. I want to thank your dad for exposing you to ballet at such a young age. Look, it’s paid off. Your lines, your negative space, the way you change character, all of it. Wonderful job. Breathtaking.” Derek: “From beginning to end. The opening moment, when Jenna’s spread out like that. Gorgeous. Oh my gosh! It’s so good. The light. The shapes. The way you stretched. Just beautiful.”

JUDGES: 30 (out of 30, first perfect score of the season)

Alan and Skai, Argentine tango, Bride of Chucky

Interesting Argentine tango to a Billie Eilish song. Lotsa lifts. Still felt awkward to me.

Carrie Ann: “I am so proud of you. You’ve had the roughest road of this competition this season. And you came back stronger this week than ever. The power that you exuded in that dance was mesmerizing.” Derek: “Last week, I felt for you. This week, I feel you. You are on a mission. You were focused. So good. You actually killed that routine. Amazing lifts.” Bruno: “There isn’t a bad bone in your body, and not a bad step in that tango. What was fabulous tonight: the way you extended the shapes.”

JUDGES: 27 (out of 30)

Artem and Kaitlyn, paso doble, Cruella DeVille

Yes, it is hilarious for anyone who follows Kaitlyn’s social media to see her playing someone who hates dogs. Her dogs are so loved!

Really great paso doble.

Derek: “Artem, I want to adopt you. Kaitlyn, you are dancing your butt off every single week, with so much content. I just have to thank you for that. The shapes! Great way to end the show.” Bruno: “You had the right intention. For me, it felt slightly rushed. It wasn’t as crisp and defined as a paso doble should be. But at this stage, you have to get the finish absolutely right.” Carrie Ann: “What’s so hard, Kaitlyn, is that you are a good dancer. I saw you trying really hard tonight. I don’t wanna discourage you, but this was another not great dance of yours.”

JUDGES: 24 (out of 30)

Who are in the Bottom Two?

Brandon and Jeannie and Monica and Val. Who goes home?

Sadly. :-(

MICHE’s Favorites of Villains Week

1. Sasha and Justrina, tango

2. Jenna and Nev, paso doble

3. Cheryl and AJ, tango

4. Val and Monica, jazz

5. Britt and Johnny, Viennese waltz

6. Artem and Kaitlyn, paso doble

7. Brandon and Jeannie, paso doble

8. Daniella and Nelly, Argentine tango

So Done With

1. Skai

2. Chrishell

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DTWS S025, Week 7: Halloween Treats Us With Magical Dances

What is the best Dancing with the Stars episode all year long? If you jumped up and said, “The Halloween episode!,” then you are definitely a DWTS viewer. It’s the one we LIVE for all year long.

You can’t go wrong by the pros dancing to “Time Warp” to kick everything off! Such fun.

Victoria and Val kick off the dances with this beautiful Viennese waltz. Just stunning. The music was perfect, the dance was perfect.

Val, in the package: “Victoria survived death. I think she can survive Jordan Fisher and Lindsey Stirling.”

Every single dance they do, I appreciate Val’s choreography, and his dancing, so very much. It was lyrical and just beautiful. (They were portraying ghosts.)

Len: “Lovely amount of rotation. You floated across the floor like a leaf on a stream. Beautiful.” Bruno: “That was so fluidly ethereal, and I have to praise you because you have taken into consideration our comments about arms. That’s how you do it. Simply beautiful.” Carrie Ann: “The hold, the way you guys worked together, is magical. A magical routine.”

JUDGES’ SCORES: 27 (out of 30)

Tom comes back from the break to warn us not to turn Halloween puns into a drinking game: “You will not survive the night.”

Jordan and Lindsay do a Red Riding Hood paso doble. (Can I just say that Sasha does more somersaults on this show than anyone? By far...) The troupe of fellow wolves at the beginning of this paso was kinda scary.

They really could have omitted the “oh, it’s so hard to keep up with the troupe” comments, though. Dude’s a professional dancer. C’mon.

(As you can see, the set makers go all out on Halloween night, too.)

Bruno: “It was the biggest, baddest paso ever! The choreography you manage, Lindsay, is insane. It was insanely good. Absolutely superb.” Carrie Ann: “I felt like this routine was harder for you than routines in the past. I felt you going a little outside your comfort zone. It was really powerful and aggressive. I loved it.” Len: “There was plenty of tricks, and there was plenty of treats. I’m looking for faults. I gotta be honest: you little devil, you dance like an angel.”

JUDGES’ SCORES: 30 (out of 30)

Super great costumes for this jive with Nikki and Artem. Fun dance to “I Put a Spell on You” in a Starbucks (-like coffee shop).

Carrie Ann: “I appreciate that you really try to extend your feet when you’re dancing. But I didn’t feel you connected as much to the music this week.” Len: “The coffee was a decaf, cause it lacked a bit of punch in the whole routine.” Bruno comments on how they messed up and it happens to everyone. “I’m sure you’ll be back next week, and kill it.”

JUDGES’ SCORES: 24 (out of 30)

We have a fun Halloween bumper by Sharna and Keo to come back from commercial. Then Maks argues in the package how everyone is talking (rightly) about Jordan and Lindsey (to win), and that he and Vanessa are still in this. Sorry, Maks, you guys are good, but Jordan and Lindsey are a level above. They just are.

Oh sorry, I just heard Maks call the paso doble he created, “brilliant.” Always love Maks’ modesty.

It’s Halloween. Of course there are a lot of zombies.

There were a lot of troupe zombies here (Sasha notably). And in Maks’ pantheon of pasos, I don’t know that this one was the most brilliant, but it was pretty notable. Also, there was some serious acting going on, not just from Maks, but from Vanessa. So, yeah. Pretty good dance.

(Sad to see Nick cheering her on from the sidelines, though.)

Len bitches about the difference between “production and dance. For me, this was lacking a bit in paso doble choreography.” (He’s right. And Maks knows he’s right, cause he’s looking down.) As Len is talking, the Grim Reaper walks behind the judges’ table with his sythe. Perfect. Bruno talks about how when she gets overexcited with her movements, she doesn’t finish a line. (Also true.) Carrie Ann: “It’s hard, cause I have such high hopes for you, because you are so powerful. You move beautifully.”

JUDGES’ SCORES: 24 (out of 30)

Cheryl and Terrell do a tango to Rick James’ “Super Freak.” Points for a great song. And a fun dance.

Bruno: “Cheryl, how you manage to make him hold frame and posture, considering the difference of height, and he never skipped a beat. He kept gliding, a proper tango.” Carrie Ann: “I agree absolutely. Well done.” Len: “You captured that staccato feel. You stalked the floor. Cheryl, you’re doing a wonderful job.”

JUDGES’ SCORES: 25 (out of 30)

Clown Sasha scares the bejesus out of Cheryl. Fun stuff.

Then, they show all the ways that Sasha scared people all week. Well, except Terrell. He was unphased. PS. He does this every year, and I love seeing it.

BTW, can I just say that Erin Andrews’ jumpsuit is the absolute coolest?

In their package, Lindsey talks about how she hurt her ribs in the dance last week, and doesn’t know if she can dance this week. They show her at Urgent Care on Sunday night (the night before the show). But of course...

The show must go on...

Rib injury? What rib injury?

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the mark of a true professional. Wow. Incredible paso too.

She’s in so much pain, she sits on Mark’s knee while the judges comment and give scores. Tom Bergeron sits on the floor with her.

Carrie Ann: “That was a really difficult routine. I could see the pain you were in the whole time. While I saw it in your face, and sometimes in your back, I did not see it in the movements. You were able to execute those shapes with strength and bravery and conviction. And that was so difficult. That was the fastest paso doble ever. I am so impressed.” Len: “I am a fan of your dancing.  What saved the dance were the twist turns, and that fantastic press line that you put in over there. And the knee walks. Well done.” Bruno: “That was so ambitious. And totally intriguing, because you managed to put a combination of paso doble, Irish dancing and a celebration of the Day of the Dead, but it actually all worked extremely well. Dramatically as construction... the speed of the dance was impossible to do, even if you feel well. And you managed to do it. Great achievement.”

JUDGES’ SCORES: 27 (out of 30)

Great troupe dance bumper to “The Name Game” to promote their live show.

Now, this next dance... Frankie says in the package that usually when people see him, they laugh. They don’t expect him to be a big scary mean guy. But, to the dance... (To a creeped out version of The Police’s “Every Breath You Take (I’ll Be Watching You),” which really is a stalker’s dream song.)

First, I'm not at all a fan of contemporary. It’s the rare contemporary dance which moves me in any way. However, this dance... wow.

Also, I can’t ever remember a #DWTS dance which involved a stalker breaking into someone’s home and trying to rape them. So it was very powerful, too.

Just a couple weeks ago, she was snottily asking him if he could “act sexy.” Guess she had no idea how much he could act, cause this was... just incredible.

Tom, afterward whispers to Frankie: “You do creepy so well.”

Len talks about how he’s not a fan of horror movies.  “That was one and a half minutes of horror. I thought it was fantastic.” Bruno: “You two tonight were truly inspired, and back on top. The storytelling, the interpretation, the dramatic tension, you maintained all the way through. It was spine-tingling good.” Carrie Ann: “I love when I see something that elevates the world of dance. That wasn’t just an incredible routine, you elevated what dance is, the way you interwove the story. You guys were connected by this invisible string of emotion. It was fantastic. It was riveting.”

JUDGES’ SCORES: 30 (out of 30) (The judges this week have cute little ghost paddles for their 10s.)

Oh, who’s next?

Oh, these guys! YAY!

So, all of the audience has glow sticks for this number.

Drew’s package shows him at the bottom of the leader board after last week (course, he’s forgetting how much people LOVE Property Brothers...) Emma gives him a great pep talk.

And they are dancing a Charleston (which is my favorite dance on this show). They whine about his hectic schedule and two dances and “I’m still here.”

But then, the dance...

First, you gotta love how Emma works Sasha into so many of her dances. Also, he is playing a preacher, who is marrying Emma and Drew’s characters (which is funny, because we all know that Sasha and Emma are betrothed).

I’m sorry, but that Charleston kicked ass. So fantastic. Drew’s lankiness really worked for this character.

Bruno: “That was murder on the dance floor at its most delicious. But you still managed to put a lot of jazz, Charleston, even jitterbug into there. You even kept up with the change of tempo, which is very hard when you come out of a lift. What’s happened to you?” Carrie Ann: “You were so in sync. You guys are so different. Every line matched, despite your complete different sizes and shapes. And you kept the energy all the way to the end. I think it’s one of your best dances so far.” Len: “Halloween is a marvelous thing, because last week, you were dead and buried. You’ve come back to life. It was fun, it was joyous, and I loved every minute of it. Well done.”

JUDGES’ SCORES: 27 (out of 30)

Then, since it’s Halloween, of course we have Team dances! YAY! But first, they announce that these three former winners will return next week to dance in the Trio round. Then, they release some results.

Team Monster Mash (above) dances first. We have just learned that Cheryl/Terrell and Nikki/Artem are both in jeopardy. (The other two couples are safe.)

The team also points out that ALL FOUR couples finished on top of the leader board last week.

They plan to dance with a literal maze onstage. Mark mentions how normally it’s “kind of a disaster. This is just a complete disaster.”

It was a pretty fun dance overall. All the moving scenery though. Ugh.

Len called it “a bit messy.” Carrie Ann: “I felt like you all underdanced.”

JUDGES’ SCORES: 24 (out of 30)

Then, we have Team Phantom of the Ballroom. (Dancing to “The Phantom of the Opera.”

We have some standings and two couples are in jeopardy: Drew/Emma and Vanessa/Maks are in jeopardy.

Their costumes for this dance, if you can’t already tell, are stunning. Both sets of teams had to have sequences where the celebs danced alone (without their pro partners) for 30 seconds. This team (I thought) did that more successfully.

Both Carrie Ann and Bruno are giving them standing ovations before they speak.

Bruno: “That was a splendid theatrical extravaganza. The choices of paso doble, tango into a waltz was absolutely genius. It was flawless in construction and it brought the best out of all of you.” Carrie Ann: “Words fail me. That was by far the most exquisite team dance ever.” Len: “Shut the front door and call me Andrew Lloyd Weber, that was the most polished dance I’ve ever seen as a team dance.”

(For the record, I don’t agree with Carrie Ann, though it was pretty darn good.)

JUDGES’ SCORES: 30 (out of 30)

Who goes home?



These were the four in jeopardy at the end. Right before the announcements, the ghastly death figure that had been looming around during the show came to Tom and Erin and handed them black envelopes with their names on them in red. Tom said the result was going to be “a surprise.”



These four couples get narrowed down to only Maks/Vanessa and Nikki/Artem being in jeopardy. As they are nervously waiting for which one is going home, Tom says: “It’s a double elimination. You’re BOTH going home.” :-0

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Miche’s Favorite Halloween Dances
1. Mark and Lindsey (paso doble)
2. Witney and Frankie (contemporary)
3. Val and Victoria (Viennese waltz)
4. Emma and Drew (Charleston)
5. Lindsay and Jordan (paso doble)
6. Maks and Vanessa (paso doble)



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