Cynthia Erivo Guest Judges 'Dancing With the Stars' Disney Night as Julia Stiles Exits
Acclaimed performer Cynthia Erivo joined the judging panel for season 35's Disney Night on 'Dancing With the Stars,' which featured stage-inspired choreography and the return of team dances. Following group routines and two perfect individual scores, actress Julia Stiles and partner Ezra Sosa were sent home.
The ballroom took on theatrical flair this week as "Dancing With the Stars" rolled out its Disney Night presentation for season 35, introducing a stage-inspired twist centered on Disney musicals. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, award-winning performer Cynthia Erivo joined the judges' panel as a special guest evaluator, providing expert critiques on routines celebrating theatrical interpretations of beloved stories.
The broadcast also brought back group choreography, dividing the remaining contestants into two ensembles guided by co-hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough. Ribeiro joined Team Slaytopia, which was captained by actress Tatyana Ali alongside professional partner Jan Ravnik, alongside Amber Glenn, Pasha Pashkov, Maura Higgins, Mark Ballas, Julia Stiles, and Ezra Sosa. The squad earned a 36 out of 40 from the panel for their collective routine.
Hough stepped onto the floor with Team Wildcats, captained by Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold, joined by Ezra Frech, Daniella Karagach, Jenna Dewan, Val Chmerkovskiy, Harry Shum Jr., and Jenna Johnson. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Team Wildcats secured a flawless 40 out of 40 score to take the group victory.
Individual competition was highlighted by multiple maximum marks. Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson performed a jazz routine set to "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" from Mary Poppins, securing their second consecutive perfect 40 of the season after having earned the cycle's initial top score the previous week. Later in the evening, Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy matched the feat with a quickstep to "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast, also logging a 40 from the judges.
With both couples tied at 80 points across the solo and ensemble segments, next week's dance-off immunity was determined by cumulative scoring over the entire season. The Hollywood Reporter noted that Shum and Johnson claimed the immunity advantage with a total of 236 cumulative points over Dewan and Chmerkovskiy's 235 points.
Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik secured an individual score of 33 out of 40, putting their combined night total at 69 points and allowing them to advance to the next round of the competition.
At the conclusion of the evening, actress Julia Stiles and professional partner Ezra Sosa were eliminated after performing a paso doble to "Satisfied" from Hamilton that earned 33 points. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that the result was determined through a combination of judges' evaluations and live viewer votes submitted during the broadcast. Stiles' exit leaves Ali, Dewan, Frech, Glenn, Higgins, Shum, and Wood in contention as the season approaches its final stages.