A halfway mark defined by tribute
The sixth week of Dancing with the Stars asked the 10 remaining celebrities and their professional partners to build routines around someone meaningful in the celebrity's life. Parents and siblings filled most of the slots, as usual, though a few choices broke the pattern. Maura Higgins aimed her dance at the whole of Ireland, while Tatyana Ali and Julia Stiles each honored former co-stars who have died. Every performance also brought a guest appearance, either from the person being celebrated or from someone close to them.[S1][S2][S3]
The season has reached its midpoint, and the scores suggest the field is tightening. No contestant had earned above a 9 before this episode, and the previous week delivered the first run of straight 9s. The night also carried internal drama: professional Val Chmerkovskiy was suspended for one week over comments he posted online responding to judge Carrie Ann Inaba's critique of his wife, Jenna Johnson, during Super Bowl Night. Alan Bersten stepped in to partner Jenna Dewan, and former pro Kym Johnson joined the panel as a guest judge.[S1][S2]
First 10s and emotional tributes
Paralympian Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach opened with a contemporary routine to Bloodline by Mon Rovia for his mother, who appeared at the start of the dance. Frech grew emotional describing how she supported him while he was growing up with a disability, and the judges responded warmly, with Bruno praising the dancing as brilliant. The pair scored 37 out of 40, and Kym Johnson handed out the season's first 10.[S1][S6]
Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov earned the night's top mark, a 38 out of 40, for a contemporary to Sia's Breathe Me dedicated to her sister Brooke. Glenn said the two were not especially close as children but drew nearer as they aged, including during a mental health crisis, and she used the routine to tell that story. Kym Johnson described the performance as raw, athletic and vulnerable, and said it was a beautiful way to thank a sister.[S1]
Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik slowed the pace with a Viennese waltz to Nancy Wilson's (You Don't Know) How Glad I Am, honoring her late Fresh Prince of Bel-Air co-star James Avery. Her former co-star and current host Alfonso Ribeiro took part, and Ali recorded the track herself to sing for the routine. Carrie Ann Inaba, in tears, compared it to an old Hollywood film coming to life, and the pair scored 32.[S1]
Understand this article deeper
Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa wrapped up the evening with a contemporary routine set to Frankie Valli's Can't Take My Eyes Off You, which she devoted to Heath Ledger, her late co-star in 10 Things I Hate About You. The performance followed another emotionally charged dance for Stiles just one week earlier.[S1][S6]
Scores, setbacks and a family reveal
Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas brought Irish step dancer Lochlan Howard into their paso doble to Dropkick Murphys' I'm Shipping Up to Boston, a routine she framed as a tribute to Ireland even though her home country cannot vote for her. Derek Hough celebrated the performance's Irish character, and the pair scored 35. Jackson Olson of the Savannah Bananas and Emma Slater took on a quickstep to Nat King Cole's L-O-V-E for his mother, earning 32, with Carrie Ann Inaba telling him she could see where his confidence and joy came from.[S1]
Jenna Dewan and Alan Bersten, working together after the pro shuffle, delivered a Viennese waltz to The Righteous Brothers' Unchained Melody in honor of her mother, scoring 37. Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson performed a foxtrot to John Mayer's Stop This Train for his wife, with his parents and daughter appearing, and the judges praised both the storytelling and the choreography on the way to 36.[S1]
Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold danced a Viennese waltz to Billy Joel's Piano Man for his father, climbing off the bottom of the leaderboard and receiving Carrie Ann Inaba's most improved recognition at 32. Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess offered a contemporary to Ed Sheeran's Supermarket Flowers for his late mother and mothers generally, with his fiancée appearing, and he announced he will become a father to a girl; they scored 32.[S1]
