Dancing With The Stars Sends Home Two Celebrities In Shocking Double Elimination

After the buzz of last week’s Season 33 premiere, Dancing With The Stars returns for Night 2 of sequins, spray tans and hairspray. It’s a special Oscars night-themed episode that celebrates the cinematic magic of songs from acclaimed movies and will end with a double elimination, meaning two of the celebrity contestants and their partners will be sent home, thus dashing their dreams of getting to victory and winning the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.

While the competition is still new, there are a few frontrunners climbing the leaderboard. Last week saw Disney actress Chandler Kinney and her partner, Brandon Armstrong, at the top, with a 23/30 from the judges, while screen icon Eric Roberts and Britt Stewart received the lowest scores with a 15/30 from the judges. Will Chandler and Brandon maintain their lead, or will they be dethroned by the surprisingly strong Joey Graziadei of The Bachelor fame and his partner Jenna Johnson (21/30)? Or will it be the charmingly height-imbalanced duo of Dwight Howard and Daniella Karagech (22/30) who will win audiences over and earn some votes?

Let’s find out, shall we?

This contains spoilers to the results of the first (double) elimination of Season 33 of DWTS.

Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber

The Bachelorette star Jenn is up first, kicking off the evening with a little tango to “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got)” by Fergie, Q-Tip and GoonRock from 2013’s The Great Gatsby. She and her partner, Sasha, are gunning for some 8s after scoring a 7/6/6 last week. Jenn says she’s excited to dance to a song from The Great Gatsby because the era was all about being “wild and free,” which is what she wants to bring to her dance.

But the tango is very technical, and Sasha warns her that they need to stick to the dance’s strict guidelines. The two wear striking pink outfits for their performance, which is fun and energetic, but lacked fluidity at times. During the judges’ comments, we find out that there was a sound issue and they couldn’t really hear the song, but they managed to persevere.

But was it technically proficient? The judges differ in their assessments, with Derek Hough being the most particular about the technique.

Final scores: 6/6/7

Eric Roberts And Britt Stewart

As the only person in the cast who has actually been nominated for an Academy Award, Eric must feel a little bit of pressure to properly pay tribute to Hollywood’s most prestigious award. His partner, Britt, takes him to the Godfather museum to get him into the mood to waltz to “The Godfather Waltz.” Then they watch a clip of Eric’s nomination at the 1986 Oscars for his role in Runaway Train, which Eric calls “overwhelming” to watch. Ultimately, Eric lost to Don Ameche. But will he win on the dance floor?

I’d love to say Eric improved since last week, but I can’t. The 68-year-old struggles to find the rhythm of the soaring mafia ballad. Derek Hough called his dance “simple” and “smooth,” but noted that there were mistakes that he will need to judge him on. Still, Derek says having Eric in the ballroom has been “an honor.” Carrie Ann Inaba notes his improvements and commends him for being able to dance through chronic pain.

Final scores: 6/4/5

Danny Amendola And Witney Carson

Danny and Witney earned a decent 20/30 last week for their tango, but it was who was sitting in the audience with Danny’s friends and family that set tongues wagging. Is he really dating Xandra Pohl? We have no idea! But we do know that this week, he and Witney are dancing a jive to “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins from the iconic movie, Top Gun.

Danny says he’s going to work on bringing character to the dance. He also notes his family’s military history made him love the movie Top Gun growing up, so he’s excited to dance to its theme song.

Witney is such a technically sharp dancer that it’s almost hard for Danny to keep up. His jive is fine, but he lacks the excitement he brought to the ballroom last week. Good thing Xandra didn’t appear to be in the audience this week.

Final scores: 7/7/7

Anna Delvey And Ezra Sosa

Anna and her partner, Ezra, had a tough week after their performance on Night 1. They’ve faced criticisms that Anna doesn’t deserve to be on the show due to her criminal past. Anna talks about how all the negativity has hurt her, but she’s able to move forward.

During Anna’s rehearsal, her friend Julia Fox drops in for a visit, which is classic Dancing With The Stars. Julia defends Anna, saying that we all do dumb things when we’re young. And if you’ve read Julia’s 2023 autobiography, Down the Drain, you’d know that Julia would know a thing or two about that. Julia calls Anna a “sweetie pie” who will win over America’s hearts, which feels like a very bold prediction.

Can Anna shake off the naysayers and nail her quickstep to “Suddenly I See” by KT Tunstall from The Devil Wears Prada. Not really. Anna’s dancing still feels very stiff, and her smile feels forced. Ezra even jokingly worked in a bit where he forced her to smile, poking fun at her steely demeanor.

During judging, Carrie Ann urges Anna to embrace the show, saying she’s part of the family now, but Anna’s face says she’d rather not be part of this particular family. After receiving her scores, Anna almost looks relieved, like she may not have to return next week.

Final scores: 6/5/6

Chandler Kinney And Brandon Armstrong

Chandler and Brandon are riding high after topping the leaderboard during last week’s premiere. They want to keep the momentum going during their rumba to “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish from Barbie. Chandler says she relates to the themes of the struggle of growing up and becoming a woman, and experiencing self-doubt. Chandler says the judges have high expectations of her, which means “the pressure is on.”

But Chandler has nothing to worry about. Her lines are long and lean during her performance, and her confidence comes through. They earn a standing ovation, and the judges agree. Derek Hough says she’s “made for dancing,” while Bruno Tonioli said she makes doing the rumba look easy.

Final scores: 8/8/8

Reginald VelJohnson And Emma Slater

Reginald is best known for playing cops like Carl Winslow on Family Matters and Sgt. Al Powell from Die Hard. He channeled his inner police officer during his paso doble to “Ode To Joy” by Beethoven from Die Hard. He and his partner, Emma, talk about what it was like working with Bruce Willis, whom Reginald says was so kind to him. Reginald then dedicates his performance to his friend, Bruce.

But Reginald is still 72 years old, so it’s a little more difficult for him to compete with the younger contestants.

Reginald dons a police uniform and struts around a cop car, sirens and all, during his dramatic performance. Well, “struts” is sort of a stretch, as he moves around about as much as he did last week, which isn’t much.

Still, he’s fun to watch and the judges agree, although their scores vary a bit.

Final scores: 6/4/5

Stephen Nedoroscik And Rylee Arnold

Stephen was compared to Superman during his triumphant turn at the 2024 Paris Olympics last summer because of the way he looked when he took off his glasses and turned from geek-chic to super heroic. So it’s only fitting that Stephen and his partner, Rylee, did a paso doble to “Superman—Main Theme” from the movie Superman.

Rylee says that a paso doble is a lot different than last week’s jive, because the paso doble is “intense, bold, and strong.” Stephen calls dancing “unnatural” for him, but says his competitive spirit will bring him through. He hopes the pressure will help him succeed.

Stephen is a joy to watch dance. He gamely rips off his shirt and glasses during his performance, flexing his muscles and performing a paso that proves he’s a real competitor this year. Stephen and Rylee also earn a standing ovation from the crowd. Carrie Ann calls his performance “golden,” while Derek says he has undeniable charm.

Final scores:

Joey Graziadei And Jenna Johnson

Joey’s fiancé, Kelsey Anderson, recently set the record straight, telling fans that she’s not threatened by Joey’s chemistry with his dance partner, Jenna. Kelsey is front and center in the audience tonight, cheering for her man. She obviously knows that good chemistry on the dance floor is actually a good thing for Joey, as it could keep him in the competition longer.

Still, Joey makes a point during rehearsals to note that its hard to feign emotion with someone he is not in a romantic relationship with. To further drive the point home, Jenna brings in a special guest: her husband, fellow pro dancer Val Chmerkovskiy. Joey says he feels pressure to deliver after he and Jenna scored so highly last week.

Joey and Jenna perform a sultry rumba to “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper from A Star Is Born, and they say they want to mimic the chemistry of the movie’s two leads. It’s a beautiful dance, with Joey coming into his own as a dancer. They earn the third standing ovation of the evening. Bruno even comments on the way Joey was “into” his partner, which we hope Kelsey understands.

Final scores: 8/7/7

Phaedra Parks And Val Chmerkovskiy

Phaedra earned a 19/30 last week for her cha-cha, but this week’s foxtrot calls for more “refinement,” says her partner, Val. She says she’s excited to dance to “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” by Jennifer Hudson from Dreamgirls because it was her grandmother’s favorite song. Phaedra says a lot of her spark comes from her grandmother.

Phaedra and Val’s cha-cha is rousing, but not flawless. They have good chemistry and Phaedra embodies the dance. The audience gives them another standing ovation, which calls into question whether the audience just really needs to stretch. Carrie Ann says Phaedra’s grandmother would be proud. Derek says she “oozes sensuality” and calls her dance “beautiful.”

Final scores: 7/7/7

Tori Spelling And Pasha Paskov

Tori isn’t letting her 17/30 from last week deter her this week. When she finds out she and Pasha are dancing to “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman, she says it’s her family’s favorite movie to watch together. She says her kids have experienced bullying, so the movie’s message of believing in yourself is empowering for them. Tori says she’s putting it all out there tonight during her rumba.

But her all might not be enough. Her partner really carries the performance, and although she gets some positive comments from the judges, she’s still not a natural on the dancefloor.

Final scores: 7/6/6

Dwight Howard and Daniella Karagech

Last week, Dwight and Daniella’s salsa was a surprising win, with audiences loving the way the nearly 7′ basketball player and his 5’3″ partner found a groove. They even earned an 8 from one of the judges, which is rare for a first dance. But Dwight is worried about this week’s foxtrot, since it’s a more technical dance.

Their foxtrot to “City of Stars” from La La Land is sweet and delicate, which should be tough for Dwight to pull off, but it isn’t. He’s surprisingly light on his feet. They also get a standing ovation (okay, audience). But the judges loved how smooth and graceful Dwight was. Bruno compares Dwight and Daniella to a “majestic condor trying to take care of a butterfly.” It shouldn’t work, and yet, it does.

Final scores: 8/7/7

Brooks Nader And Gleb Savchenko

The conversation around Brooks and Gleb has mostly centered on whether or not the two are hooking up behind the scenes. But Brooks is excited to dance to “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton because she’s a big fan.

During rehearsal, Gleb says that this dance requires them to be very close, which is “the most important part.” Kinda creepy, Gleb, but when asked about whether the rumors about her and Gleb bother her, Brooks says they don’t. Then she says that Gleb said that “having a strong connection is key to this dance,” which, of course he did. Brooks says that won’t be an issue for them, then jokes that with Gleb as her teacher, she’s “literally never been more excited to go back to school.”

Brooks’ footwork has improved since last week. She appears more comfortable with the dance, and she’s fast and light on her feet. Shocker: They also earn a standing ovation. The judges, however, point out a mistake Brooks made at the beginning of the dance and a technical error that Gleb made in choreographing. Carrie Ann advises her to slow down, while Derek says she has “all the ingredients” but needs more time to shine.

Final scores: 7/6/7

Ilona Maher And Alan Bersten

There’s no denying that Olympic rugby player Ilona has star quality. Her personality is infectious, but she says it’s hard to translate that to the stage when she’s worried about the steps. Ilona and Alan are performing a salsa to “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” from Dirty Dancing. In the movie, of course, there’s a famous lift, but Ilona says she and Alan are going to put their own spin on it.

Instead of lifting his partner above his head the way Patrick Swayze lifted Jennifer Grey in the movie, he hoists her up on his shoulder and spins her around, which the audience approves of. Later, Ilona flips Alan over, because, let’s face it, she’s stronger than he is.

The judges loved the dance, which Carrie Ann calls “amazing” and “a moment people will be talking about for years to come.” Carrie Ann also applauds Ilona for redefining what femininity means. Bruno says her footwork was light, although he says her dismounts need work.

“I’m going to be honest, I never really get lifted, so it’s tough for me,” Ilona cracks before rushing off to receive her scores.

Final scores: 7/7/7

Who Went Home During The Double Elimination?And in the end, after a tense elimination, the first two celebrities sent home were, well, surprising and not that surprising:Tori Spelling and Anna Delveywere told to hang up their dance shoes and exit the ballroom.Tori had a lot of heart, so it’s sad to see her go so early, especially when other contestants scored lower than her. Neither she nor Anna received the lowest scores, but it just goes to show that viewer votes count on DWTS.

As for Anna, her appearance on the show did nothing to endear her to viewers and change her image.

Anna came off as unlikeable and didn’t really seem to care about the competition, so we can’t imagine she’s that broken up about being eliminated. After all, she’s an “entrepreneur,” so she surely has another project already lined up.

For more reality TV coverage, visit our hub page. Tune in next week to see which celebrities are eliminated next. Dancing With The Stars airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. (ET/PST) on ABC and Disney+.