The curtain has fallen for another couple on “Dancing With the Stars.”
After last week’s shocking double elimination, former favorite Julia Stiles and her pro partner Ezra Sosa were eliminated Monday night on “Disney Night,” taking eighth place on Season 35.
“It’s been an incredible experience. I’ve brought things out of myself that I didn’t realize existed,” the actress said after landing at the bottom of the rankings.
Sosa called it an “absolute honor” to have partnered with Stiles this season.
The pair had a heated rehearsal session last week, during which Stiles called Sosa a “grumpy bitch.”
In more positive news, Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson earned immunity in next week’s dance match after tying with Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy for the highest score of the night – with both duos earning a 40/40.
Their total score for the entire season determined that Shum Jr. and Johnson won the free pass, as they earned one more cumulative point than Dewan and Chmerkovskiy.
The otherwise magical night saw the eight remaining couples perform Disney-inspired dances on Broadway, while Tony Winner and “Wicked” actress Cynthia Erivo joined judges Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli as this week’s guest judge.
Team dances also returned, with the cast being split in half and each half partnering with one of the show’s co-hosts, either Alfonso Ribeiro or Julianne Hough.
Olympic gold medalist Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov kicked off the show with a quick step to “A Star Is Born” from “Hercules,” both choosing to play the mythological hero.
Erivo hailed the “divine” routine as “the most joyful thing” while Inaba remarked that it was perhaps the first time a woman had led a man in the show’s history. They got a 34/40.
Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas then took to the ballroom to perform “You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly” from “Peter Pan,” with the “Traitors” alum playing Tinker Bell and Ballas playing Captain Hook.
Tonioli praised Higgins – who told Julianne she was in “hell” this week learning the jive – by being “a little sassy” throughout the routine, while other judges noted her energy level was uneven throughout. The judges gave them a score of 32/40.
“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” alumni Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik performed a contemporary routine to “Easy As Life” from “Aida,” earning a 33/40 from the judges. “You gave me chills,” Inaba told Ali, while Derek praised the actress for the “divine feminine energy” she radiates in her dancing.
Shum Jr. and Johnson took to the dance floor to perform a jazz routine to “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” from “Mary Poppins,” with the “Glee” alum noting that he wanted to embody everything Dick Van Dyke brought to the role of Bert in the 1964 film, which also starred Julie Andrews in the title role.
“Take this man to Broadway, stat,” Derek said of Shum Jr.’s efforts, noting that Dyke would have “loved” the dance. They received perfect scores from the judges, earning a score of 40/40.
Paralympic gold medalist Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach performed a samba to “Under the Sea” from “The Little Mermaid,” with the athlete channeling Prince Eric. Erivo called the routine “magical” and noted how Karagach’s dress got stuck in Frech’s prosthetic at one point in the middle of the routine, but it miraculously untangled itself. They got a 37/40.
Stiles and Sosa did a paso doble for “Satisfied” from “Hamilton,” with the “Save the Last Dance” actress suffering rib pain from a previous injury during rehearsals.
Inaba praised Stiles for “digging deep” and “turning raw emotion into a beautiful dance,” with Derek noting that the “10 Things I Hate About You” actress turned last week’s “setback” into a “comeback.” The judges gave them a score of 33/40.
Dewan and Chmerkovskiy performed a quick step to “Be Our Guest” from “Beauty and the Beast,” with the “Step Up” actress — whose fiancé, Steve Kazee, showed up at rehearsals to give some Broadway advice — playing Belle and Chmerkovskiy playing the Beast, horns and all.
The duo received rave reviews from the judges, with Tonioli calling the routine a “feast” and saying it was “up to par with the best that ‘Dancing With the Stars’ has to offer.” They got a perfect 40/40.
Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold performed a waltz to “I See the Light” from “Tangled,” with the comedian playing Flynn Rider and Arnold playing Rapunzel. Erivo praised the couple’s “commitment to storytelling,” but the judges tarnished Wood’s framework throughout. They got a 32/40.
After all the individual exercises, it was finally time for team dances.
Team Slaytopia was led by team captains Ali and Ravnik, with Higgins and Ballas, Glenn and Pashkov, and Stiles and Sosa making up the rest of the crew. With Ribeiro, they performed a freestyle to “Zoo” from “Zootopia 2”, scoring a 36/40.
The Wildcats team was led by team captain Wood and Arnold, with Frech and Karagach, Dewan and Chmerkovskiy and Shum Jr. and Johnson rounding out the ranks. Along with Julianne, they performed a freestyle to “We’re All in This Together” from “High School Musical,” scoring a 40/40.
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