ABC "Dancing With the Stars" season 31
Season 31 of “Dancing With the Stars” is in full swing with the Halloween episode airing on Monday, October 31, 2022. With the episode, the season officially moves into the back half, and the competition will continue heating up.
The episode featured the remaining 9 professional dancers and celebrity partners performing dances inspired by Halloween.
SPOILER WARNING: spoilers for “Dancing With the Stars” season 31, episode 8 “Halloween Night” are below. Do not read on if you do not want the episode spoiled.
At the end of the night, the bottom two were revealed to be Jordin Sparks and Brandon Armstrong and Heidi D’Amelio and Artem Chigvintsev. Each couple had been in the bottom previously, which factored into the decisions made by the judges.
Carrie Ann Inaba voted to save Heidi and Artem, while Derek voted to save Jordin and Brandon. Bruno voted to save Jordin and Brandon, which left the final decision up to Len. Len voted to save Heidi and Artem, sending Jordin and Brandon home.
What Happened on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Tonight? Who Was at the Top of the Leaderboard & Eliminated?
The show started with a Halloween skit featuring judges Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli. Then, hosts Tyra Banks and Alfonso Ribeiro were introduced.
Val Chmerkovskiy has COVID-19, so he was replaced by Alan Bersten for the week.
First to the floor was Jordin Sparks alongside her partner, Brandon Armstrong dancing the Tango to “Oogie Boogie’s Song” from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Len spoke to the couple first, telling them he thought “sparks were flying” during the performance and he thought it was Jordin’s “best dance so far.” Derek agreed, but he was unsure about the “consistency” of the dance.
They earned 9s across the board, putting them at 36 out of 40, their highest score of the season, not counting scores from guest judges.
Next up were Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas dancing the Argentine tango to “Tanguera.” For rehearsals, Mark had to take a step back because of a lower back injury, and Pasha Pashkov instead stepped in to rehearse in his place. Their lack of time rehearsing together didn’t show in their dance, however. The judges loved the routine, with Bruno sharing that his “head was spinning like Linda Blair in The Exorcist.”
They earned a total of 39 out of 40 after getting some criticism from Carrie Ann.
Daniel Durant and Britt Stewart took the floor next. They missed rehearsals because Daniel was sick, and they had a hard dance as well, being tasked with the Paso Doble. Britt choreographed a dance based on a post-apocalyptic video game setting, and they had a lot of fun with it. Bruno was very impressed with the routine, calling it “unbelievable.” Carrie Ann liked the characterization, but she called the shaping “broken” and the footwork “flat-footed” and “stompy.”
They earned a total of 34 out of 40, which they were very excited about.
Shangela and Gleb were up next dancing a jazz routine to “Look What You Made Me Do” by Taylor Swift. They made a story about being creepy dolls in a fight, and Shangela was really able to show her personality through the routine. The judges were beyond impressed, and the crowd gave the couple a standing ovation. Carrie Ann told Gleb it was his “best choreography yet.” Len called it a “proper Halloween scary” jazz routine.
They earned 10s across the board, giving them their first perfect score of the season, 40 out of 40.
Vinny Guadagnino and Koko Iwasaki were up next coming off a hard week last week when they ended up at the bottom of the leaderboard. This week, they performed the Paso Doble to “Get Ghost.” They had a much stronger routine this time around, earning a standing ovation from much of the crowd. Len didn’t like the dance, saying that it “wasn’t super,” but he did like that there were no mistakes during the routine. Derek asked for more “texture” in the dance.
They earned a 30 out of 40, putting them at the bottom of the leaderboard at the halfway mark of the night.
Heidi D’Amelio and Artem Chigvintsev took the floor next, and they were coming off a very strong week. They were dancing the tango to “I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE.” Artem choreographed a routine using a band connecting the two, which he acknowledged was a risk, but it only came into play at the beginning of the routine. Derek called it their “best dance,” but Carrie Ann didn’t agree.
They earned three nines and a ten from Derek, putting them at 37 out of 40.
Up next was Gabby Windey and Alan Bersten. Alan stepped in for Val Chmerkovskiy for the week. They danced the Argentine Tango to “Shivers.” It actually felt like Gabby had better chemistry with Alan than she does with Val, which did wonders for this dance. The judges loved it, but they received a bit of criticism from Len.
The couple earned 38 out of 40 overall.
Next to take the dance floor were Wayne Brady and Witney Carson, who were coming off a hard week where they were battling illnesses and a lack of rehearsals. This week, they danced a contemporary routine to the “Halloween theme.” They had a lot of fun with it, and they got a lot of cheers from the audience. The judges adored the routine, with Carrie Ann calling the choreography “intense.” She did say she was “missing” something, however. Len called the routine “powerful, no nonsense dancing,” but he said there was “a sameness” about it.
They got a 10 from Bruno and nines from each of the other judges, putting them at 37 out of 40.
Last up for individual dances were Trevor Donovan and Emma Slater with their contemporary to “Ghost.” Their performance was emotional, and the judges really appreciated it. Len was happy with it, and Derek called it “fantastic.” Bruno said he “forgot” the couple was dancing, and he said he had goosebumps from the performance.
They scored a 9 from Len and 10s from the other three judges, putting them at 39 out of 40 and near the top of the leaderboard.
There Were Two Team Dances at the End of the Night & The Winners Earned Extra Points
For the team dances, the dancers were broken up into two different teams in hopes of earning bonus points from the judges.
Team Wicked danced to “The Witches Are Back” from Hocus Pocus 2. The group was made up of Vinny Guadagnino and Koko Iwasaki, Shangela and Gleb Savchenko, Gabby Windey and Alan Bersten, Heidi D’Amelio and Artem Chigvintsev, and Jordin Sparks and Brandon Armstrong.
Len liked their dance, but he thought that the other couples should have had choreography when there were solos going on. Derek liked the “clean lines” and formations.
They earned three 8s and a 9, putting them at 33 out of 40, which is added to individual scores to determine the final leaderboard.
Team Scream danced to “Heads Will Roll” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The group was made up of Trevor Donovan and Emma Slater, Wayne Brady and Witney Carson, Daniel Durant and Britt Stewart, and Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas.
The judges loved the concept made throughout the dance, and Derek specifically complimented Daniel for his performance. Bruno called the performance “majestic,” and Carrie Ann called it “amazing.”
They earned a total of 39 out of 40 from the judges, which was added to their scores.
That shook up the leaderboard quite a bit, putting Trevor and Emma and Charli and Mark at the top and keeping Vinny at the bottom.
- Trevor and Emma with 78 points
- Charli and Mark with 78 points
- Wayne and Witney with 75 points
- Daniel and Britt with 73 points
- Shangela and Gleb with 73 points
- Gabby and Alan with 71 points
- Heidi and Artem with 70 points
- Jordin and Brandon with 69 points
- Vinny and Koko with 63 points
“Dancing With the Stars” airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Disney+.