By: Sammi Turano
This is Super Bowl night on “Dancing With the Stars” Season 35 on ABC. Tonight, the remaining couples will dance to Super Bowl halftime songs.
As always, Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough host while Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli judge.
Joe Buck is a guest judge.
After a fun opening act, we get down to business.
Celebrity: Maura Higgins
Claim to Fame: Reality star
Pro: Mark Ballas
Dance: Tango
Song: Only Girl (In the World) by Rihanna
Sammi: I feel so bad she has a neck injury. She is really killing the dance and hit every move, but you can tell she is still in so much pain.
Joe: The posture is unbelievable and she makes him proud to be Irish.
Bruno: Thrilling from start to finish.
Maura: A beautiful performance, but she could be more punctuated.
Derek: Gorgeous and elegant but watch the neck.
Score: 8-8-9-8=33/40
Celebrity: Jackson Olson
Claim to Fame: Savannah Bananas star
Pro: Emma Slater
Dance: Salsa
Song: Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars
Sammi: That was cute. Very clubby and fun, but also had some great moves thrown in.
Bruno: It was giving Lance Bass and while he improved, he needs to work on cleaning it up.
Carrie Ann: The confidence has kicked in.
Derek: His best dance.
Joe: Well done, great job.
Score: 8-8-8-7=31/40
Celebrity: Amber Glenn
Claim to Fame: Olympic star
Pro: Pasha Pashkov
Dance: Samba
Song: Me Gente by J Balvin and Willy William
Sammi: It is a fun dance with a lot of halftime esque moments. I can definitely see it in the Super Bowl at some point. The samba content was also incredible and on point.
Carrie Ann: She ATE that samba.
Derek: Confident from start to finish.
Joe: That was hot.
Bruno: On it like a car bonnet.
Score: 8-9-9-8=31/40
Celebrity: Tyler Cameron
Claim to Fame: Bachelorette star and host
Pro: Sharna Burgess
Dance: Jazz
Song: The Time (Dirty Bit) by Black Eyed Peas
Sammi: This is fun, but like Jackson’s very….clubby? I like the lifts and moves, but it looks more like it belongs on the club floor than the ball room. That being said, I like the energy and fun.
Derek: A+ for effort and commitment.
Joe: He is so proud of him.
Bruno: The dirty dancing works and he can tell he is taking their critiques seriously.
Carrie Ann: She loves the lifts.
Score: 8-7-8-7=30/40
Celebrity: Connor Wood
Claim to Fame: Comedian/Podcaster
Pro: Rylee Arnold
Dance: Samba
Song: Hips Don’t Lie by Shakira
Sammi: They look like they are having so much fun tonight. While he seems a bit unsure of the dance itself, he is making up for it with his personality and smile.
Joe: America loves him since he is fun and relatable.
Bruno: The upper part is good, but work on the lower part.
Carrie Ann: There was no bounce action.
Derek: The energy is a ten but he needs to work on the timing and technique.
Score: 6-6-7-6=25/40
Celebrity: Julia Stiles
Claim to Fame: Nineties teen idol/icon
Pro: Ezra Sosa
Dance: Jazz
Song: Jenny from the Block by J.Lo, Jadakiss and Styles P
Sammi: AHHHHHHHHH!!! Save the Last Dance moves!!!! Her best, best dance! Get it, girl! NO notes whatsoever. I am soooo happy with this dance!!! Her costar Sean Patrick Thomas was also there!
Bruno: He loved it and it was her best so far.
Carrie Ann: We just got served. She also loved it.
Derek: He hugged her and says this is what we were waiting for.
Joe: She could have been dancing with JLo.
Score: 8-8-9-8=33/40
Celebrity: Tatyana Ali
Claim to Fame: Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star
Pro: Jan Ravnik
Dance: Salsa
Song: squabble up by Kendrick Lamar
Sammi: She is improving every single week. I love how you can tell her technique is so much better than week one and her confidence is shining so bright, I need sunglasses.
Carrie Ann: Thank you for this!
Derek: It was too laid back for a salsa, but he loves watching her.
Joe: He loved watching and it is his favorite of the night.
Bruno: She is a sexy mama.
Score: 7-7-8-7=29/40
Celebrity: Guillermo Rodriguez
Claim to Fame: Jimmy Kimmel star
Pro: Witney Carson
Dance: Salsa
Song: Titi Me Pregunto by Bad Bunny
Sammi: He wins my heart by being the most fun contestant. He may not have the best technique, but he tries so hard and has the most spirit and heart out of anyone on the show.
Derek: He should headline the 2027 halftime show. He loves it.
Joe: Andy walked so he could run!
Bruno: This is how you do it.
Carrie Ann: He brought the goods and the joy.
Score: 6-5-6-5=22/40
Celebrity: Jenna Dewan
Claim to Fame: The Rookie star
Pro: Val Chmerkovskiy
Dance: Paso doble
Song: Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
Sammi: The best dance of the night. Jenna came to play, to fight and to win and she proved why she should be in the competition. WOOT!
Joe: He has no idea with a paso doble, but he thinks she crushed it.
Bruno: Thrilling from start to finish.
Carrie Ann: The first touchdown we had tonight.
Derek: It was a Super Bowl champion performance.
Score: 9-9-9-9=36/40
Celebrity: Harry Shum Jr.
Claim to Fame: Grey’s Anatomy/Glee star
Pro: Jenna Johnson
Dance: Samba
Song: Yeah! By Usher, Lil’ Jon and Ludacris
Sammi: Definitely the best samba of the night and he looks the most relaxed and happiest he has looked all season. I loved every moment of this.
Bruno: It felt like an event but lacked samba content.
Carrie Ann: It lacked content and needed more challenging….and there was a lift.
Derek: It was fantastic but watch the heel leads.
Joe: Effortless, awesome work.
Score: 8-8-9-8=33/40
Celebrity: Ezra Frech
Claim to Fame: Paralympic star
Pro: Daniella Karagach
Dance: Salsa
Song: Hot in Herre by Nelly
Sammi: He is the best dancer of the season and possibly the entire history of the show. The technique, the spirit, the chemistry…..all of it….WOW! What a way to end the night. WOOT WOOT!
Carrie Ann: It was so impressive!
Derek: He gets lost in his performances because they are so good.
Joe: He is a bright light that is easy to root for….and it is powerful.
Bruno: It was smothering.
Score: 9-9-9-9=36/40
RESULTS!!!! Julia and Ezra, Maura and Mark, Jackson and Emma, Harry and Jenna, Amber and Pasha, Ezra and Daniella, Jenna and Val, Tatyana and Jan and Connor and Rylee.
Guillermo and Witney and Tyler and Sharna are in the maybe bottom two, with Guillermo and Witney going home.