Tatyana Ali is still in the ballroom, and the road there was messier than expected. Her horror-themed paso doble with partner Jan Ravnik scored 28 out of 40 on the Oct. 27 episode of Dancing with the Stars, but the split told the real story: Shirley Ballas gave the pair a 4 while Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli each gave 8s. The judges praised Ali’s intensity but questioned the routine’s paso doble technique. Viewer votes had her back, and the double elimination instead sent Tyler Cameron and Jackson Olson home.
Eight couples now remain, and the panel gets a major addition for Disney Night on Monday, Nov. 2, when Cynthia Erivo joins as guest judge. A Broadway star grading Disney routines raises the stakes for every remaining pair, especially anyone still cleaning up technical notes from previous weeks.
Ali’s survival is a reminder that on DWTS, low scores don’t guarantee a ticket home. Audience support can outweigh the judges’paddles, which keeps the competition wide open heading into one of the show’s most anticipated theme nights. So who are you backing with eight couples left? Drop your pick in the comments.
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Local Lawton
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