The show ‘Dancing with the Stars’ celebrated the music of pop superstar Taylor Swift on Tuesday, November 21, 2023. The six remaining couples danced to songs from Swift’s discography, spanning different eras of her career. The episode also featured a special guest judge: Mandy Moore, the lead choreographer of Swift’s Eras Tour.
Swift herself made a surprise cameo appearance in a video message, wishing the contestants good luck and expressing her excitement for the show. However, she could not be there in person, as she was on tour in Brazil.
The dances and the scores
The couples performed various styles of dance, such as Rumba, Jive, Foxtrot, and Contemporary, to some of Swift’s most popular hits, such as “Cruel Summer”, “Shake It Off”, “Blank Space”, and “Willow”. The judges praised the contestants for their creativity, energy, and emotion, and awarded them high scores. Here are the dances and the scores for each couple:
Ariana Madix and Pasha Pashkov
Rumba to “Cruel Summer” (Lover era)
Score: 38 out of 40
Charity Lawson and Brandon Armstrong
Argentine Tango to “Look What You Made Me Do”
Score: 38 out of 40
Xochitl Gomez and Val Chmerkovskiy
Quickstep to “Paper Rings”
Score: 38 out of 40
Jason Mraz and Daniella Karagach
Argentine Tango to “Don’t Blame Me”
Score: 40 out of 40
Alyson Hannigan and Sasha Farber
Tango to “I Knew You Were Trouble” (Red era).
Score: 35 out of 40.
Harry Jowsey and Rylee Arnold – Eliminated
Rumba to “August”
Score: 30 out of 40
The elimination and the reaction
After the judges’ scores and the viewers’ votes were combined, the two couples in the bottom two were Harry Jowsey and Rylee Arnold, and Alyson Hannigan and Sasha Farber. The judges had to decide which couple to save and which couple to send home. Mandy Moore, Derek Hough, and Carrie Ann Inaba voted to save Hannigan and Farber, while Bruno Tonioli voted to save Jowsey and Arnold. Therefore, Jowsey and Arnold were eliminated from the competition.
Jowsey and Arnold, who had confirmed their romance with a kiss during their dance, were visibly disappointed by the result, but thanked the show and the fans for their support. They also said they were grateful for finding each other and for having the opportunity to dance to Swift’s music. Jowsey said he was proud of Arnold, who was the youngest pro dancer in the show’s history, and Arnold said she was proud of Jowsey, who had no dance experience before joining the show.
The other contestants and the judges expressed their sadness and admiration for the eliminated couple, and wished them well. The show ended with a group hug and a tribute to Swift’s song “Long Live”.
