Reality Roundup: Nov. 15

“Dancing with the Stars” Season 33 Episode 8

“Dancing with the Stars” has reached its 500th episode almost 20 years after the series premiere in 2005.

Episode eight of season 33 started off with a bang as the pros danced to “Crazy in Love” by Beyoncé, which is the same song that opened the show’s very first episode.

This opening number was nothing short of iconic, as former pro Sharna Burgess stepped back onto the floor to join the dance, as well as Derek and Julianne Hough.

In honor of DWTS’s long-lasting legacy, the six remaining couples each chose a memorable dance from a past season to take inspiration from and put their own twist on in recreation.

The first celebrity to grace the ballroom was Bachelor star Joey Graziadei, who reimagined Riker Lynch and Allison Holker’s contemporary to “Work Song” on season 20.

He and his partner Jenna Johnson performed an emotional tribute to the iconic dance, earning two nines from judges Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli, and a 10 from Derek Hough.

Next up was Super Bowl champion Danny Amendola with his partner Witney Carson. The couple recreated J. Hough’s technically sound quickstep with Hélio Castroneves from season five.

The athlete brought his quick feet from the football field to the ballroom, earning three nines for their spunky recreation of an iconic performance.

After receiving the first 10 of the season during “Halloween Nightmares Night,” Dwight Howard was looking to continue that luck with his recreation of Burgess’s Argentine Tango with James Hinchcliffe from season 23.

He and Daniella Karagach implemented a round platform into their routine to level out their huge height difference. The result was an entertaining and impressive performance that earned the pair a 26 out of 30.

Fans of DWTS had a lot to say when the episode eight dances were revealed on social media, as Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold were tasked to reimagine Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas’s perfect Viennese Waltz from season 31.

Many fans called the dance “untouchable,” but the Olympic gymnast proved everyone wrong when he hit the floor.

Thanks to Ballas’s help with frame and timing in rehearsals, Nedoroscik went out and killed it. He and Arnold earned two 10s and a nine from the judges.

Chandler Kinney graced the ballroom floor next with her partner Brandon Armstrong. The actress reimagined D. Hough and Kellie Pickler’s Argentine Tango from season 16.

The power duo hit all their lines perfectly, and the judges took notice. Kinney and Armstrong earned the first perfect score of season 33, which was also Amrstrong’s first perfect score ever as a pro.

The final couple to dance during the first round was Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten, who were tasked with recreating Lindsay Arnold and Jordan Fisher’s electric season 25 quickstep.

The athlete went out and hit every mark in what may have been her best dance yet. The couple earned their first 10 from Inaba followed by two nines.

For the first time ever, “Dancing with the Stars” did an “Instant Dance” challenge, where the couples did not know what the dance style or song would be until five minutes before they performed.

From a long-time viewer’s perspective, this new challenge was honestly a flop.

It was interesting and impressive to see each celebrity’s adaptability, but there was obviously no emotion or care behind the dances.

The emotion put into a dance and the realization of how hard a celeb may have worked on it is what makes the show so fun to watch, but there was none of that within these depthless performances.

Graziadei picked a rumba and the song he got was “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish. He and Johnson had just five minutes to change and rehearse for their performance.

He honestly did great, earning three nines which were added onto his first-round score.

Next up was Amendola and Carson, who performed a less impressive jive to “Good Golly Miss Molly.” The duo earned a 24 out of 30 for their instant dance.

Howard followed with a hard-to-watch Paso Doble to “Victorious” by Panic! At the Disco. Fooling around in the dressing room for the camera did not serve the NBA player well, because he earned a 22 out of 30.

The “magic” of this “Instant Dance” challenge was ruined as viewers began to realize that each couple prepared a rough-draft version of each of the four possible dances they would have to perform.

Is it still impressive? Yes. Is it even more boring? Yes.

Nedoroscik and Arnold chose a jive, which they were very happy about. They danced to “love is embarrassing” by Olivia Rodrigo and earned a 25 out of 30 for their upbeat performance.

Last to take on the challenge were Kinney and Armstrong.

Kinney chose a Cha Cha and the song they danced to was the iconic “Apple” by Charli XCX. The duo continued their streak of perfection with a fun performance that earned them 10s across the board once again.

After that mediocre round of dancing, it was time for elimination.

To no surprise, Howard and Karagach were the couple who received the lowest combination of votes and judges’ scores.

The remaining five couples will dance next week in the semi-finals. Happy 500th episode!

Sarah Gavlak is a third-year majoring in telecommunications. To contact her, please email sng5393@psu.edu.