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Fans of “Dancing with the Stars” are fired up about the Instant Dance Challenge that took place during the 500th Episode.
On November 12, 2024, the remaining season 33 contestants were tasked with performing an “instant” dance round. The celebritiess and their pro partners were not given any information on their dance style or the song until five minutes before performing it, per an ABC press release.
But many fans hated the hectic challenge, saying it took away from a night they thought would be more of a tribute to the celebrity ballroom show’s long history.
Fans Reacted to the Instant Dance Challenge
In honor of the 500th Episode, the DWTS contestants did give a nod to the past with their first dances. All of the first-round dances were inspired by memorable dances from past seasons.
But for round two, each couple had five minutes to prepare a routine after learning the song and dance style. The couples then rushed to the dressing room for costumes and prepped their quickie dances during a commercial break.
In a Reddit thread, fans complained about how much they disliked the theme.
“Hopefully that was the last time we see the instant dance challenge,” one Reddit user wrote. “I really don’t like the instant dance challenge at all. It seemed overly stressful to watch, which meant that none of the routines were enjoyable.”
“Oh my God that was so chaotic. I was honestly so confused. The microphone being all out the struggling, the random camera pans! everything was just absolutely insane,” another agreed.
“Yeah, the instant dance challenge really pissed me off and was a waste of a 500th episode. Great in theory but horrible execution,” another third fan added.
“The chaos and stress of the instant dance challenge made me totally forget that the episode was about celebrating the history and joy of the show 😔,” added another disappointed viewer.
Other fans felt there was a missed opportunity to pay tribute to past dances with trios featuring the original pro dancers. Multiple past DWTS pro dancers were in the audience, including Anna Trebunskaya, Lindsay Arnold, and Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
“Trio with the former pro that was in the dance they remade. That would have been perfect for the 500th episode,” one fan wrote.
Derek Hough Thought 1 Dance Was Better Than His
While fans didn’t appreciate the Instant Dance challenge, they did enjoy a walk down memory lane with recreations of past regular dances. One of the dances, performed by actress Chandler Kinney and pro dancer Brandon Armstrong was an Argentine Tango, inspired by Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough’s season 16 dance to “Para Te” by Appart.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Hough thought the recreation of his dance was better than the one he choreographed in 2013.
“Comparison is inevitable,” he told the duo during his critique. “But I preferred this one. I really did. That’s a big compliment. Your approach was sharp and a little different. You did it smooth as silk — the accuracy, the intensity, it was just so slick.”
Kinney and Armstrong earned the first perfect score of season 33 with their take on Hough and Pickler’s dance.
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DWTS Fans Sound Off on ‘Chaotic’ Instant Dance Challenge