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A tale as old as time, a tune as old as song: The fairy tale came to an end for one of the season’s initial fan favourites during Monday night’s Disney-themed episode on Dancing with the Stars.
After wowing the judges to a paso doble to Satisfied from Hamilton, the episode really was the last dance for Save the Last Dance star Julia Stiles and her partner, Ezra Sosa.
Here’s a recap.
The ballroom transformed into the happiest place on Earth as couples were tasked with showcasing the magic of Disney on Broadway.
Guest-judged by Cynthia Erivo, star of the Wicked films, the night brought an enchanted flair to the stage, featuring numbers inspired by Hamilton, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Rapunzel, Aida, Hercules and more.
But despite the magic, as per every week, one couple went home.
WATCH | Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa’s paso doble:
“It’s been an incredible experience. I pulled things out of myself that I didn’t realize were there,” Stiles said tearfully after being eliminated. “And Ezra is just an amazing person. I’m going to be sad not to see him every day.”
Sosa’s words were equally kind.
“Just to see your growth in and outside the ballroom has been an absolute honour,” he told the 10 Things I Hate About You star. “I’m so lucky that I got to share this experience with you. I love you so much.”
Following the show, Stiles’s cast-mates reacted backstage. Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, pro dancer Daniella Karagach called the elimination “gut-wrenching.” Reality star Maura Higgins said it was “a shock.”
Praise and critiques
When the cast was first announced, Stiles received a ton of support from fans excited to see the star compete. So fans on social media were quick to voice their reactions to Monday’s news.
“In my house Julia Stiles will always be the winner idc,” one fan wrote on X. “Good morning julia stiles nation im still pissed about last night,” wrote another.
Others, however, weren’t so shocked. Especially after last week’s guest judge Shirley Ballas gave the pair a 4/10. At the time, Stiles said she was working through a rib injury.
“Sorry not sorry but Julia always gets overscored just because she’s Julia Stiles. Ms. Shirley Ballas just gave her the actual score she deserves,” a viewer wrote.
Stiles’s reliance on nostalgia throughout the season also drew criticism. She performed tributes to her well-known films Save the Last Dance and 10 Things I Hate About You, including a tribute to late castmate Heath Ledger.
“Is this a safe space to say that Julia focusing on nostalgia instead of letting us get to actually know her and her life ended up hurting her votes,” another viewer wrote.
Monday night’s results mean no worries for the rest of the couples, for now.
Stars still competing for the mirror ball and bringing their A game to the ballroom include Tatyana Ali, Jenna Dewan, Ezra Frech, Amber Glenn, Maura Higgins, Harry Shum Jr. and Connor Wood.
After the first dance of the night, host Julianna Hough announced the couple who topped the scoreboard would be immune from next week’s dance-off.
It was a toss-up of two. Both Dewan and partner Val Chmerkovskiy and Shum and partner Jenna Johnson received perfect scores for their routines to Be Our Guest from Beauty and the Beast and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious from Mary Poppins.
WATCH | A High School Musical-themed team dance:
Because of the tie, immunity went to the pair with the highest scores throughout the season. Shum Jr. and Johnson won their way with a total of 236.
The night also featured two team dances, one to We’re All in This Together from High School Musical and another to Zoo from Zootopia 2. The final standings were calculated by combining the team scores, partner dance scores and fan votes.
Dancing With The Stars airs Tuesdays on Disney+. This week aired early to avoid overlap with the U.S. midterm elections.
