Dancing with the Stars Season 32 Episode 3 Recap: Motown Night
Motown night on Dancing with the Stars was full of fun performances and a few surprises.
Dancing with the Stars Season 32 Episode 3, “Motown Night,” began with an opening number to “Dancing In the Street” by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, choreographed by Jamal Sims.
Co-hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough even joined the opening routine, and I have to say, it’s a nice to see that happen. And it’s nice to have co-hosts who can do that so well!
The contestants performed Cha Cha, Foxtrot, Jive, Quickstep, Rumba, or Tango dances, all to Motown classics this week. There was also a special guest judge, Good Morning America co-anchor Michael Strahan. That means all scores were out of a total of 40 points instead of 30.
Here are a few of the highlights from the competition this week:
Barry and Peta danced the first dance of the night. Barry has some experience with Motown and noted that the Bradys actually met The Temptations years ago. The challenge with this, of course, is that the dance is a Tango.
It was a challenge that Barry handled pretty well, though. Their tango earned praise from the judges, and they earned a score of 25/40.
But that all feels less important than the moment Barry shared while waiting for his scores. In speaking with Julianne Hough, he revealed that Florence Henderson, who played his mom on The Brady Bunch and was a contestant on the show several years ago, had encouraged him to do the show in the show.
Lele and Brandon danced a Cha Cha to “Superfreak” that had plenty of energy, but which the judges noted was a little shaky and had some mistakes. They earned a score of 27/40.
Mauricio was much improved this week, and Bruno praised how much work he had clearly put into the dance, and the other judges agreed. He and Emma earned a score of 23/40, with mixed scores from the judges that left a lot of people confused after hearing the judges’ comments.
Next up was Jason Mraz, and well, I don’t think anyone had as much fun as he did tonight.
While his Jive with Daniella looked like a spot-on professional dance, it was his energy and excitement that made it even more fun to watch. They earned the first 9s of the season with their routine, coming out with a score of 34/40.
Alyson and Sasha danced a Foxtrot that showed an increase in confidence for Alyson. The judges noted it wasn’t perfect, but that they loved her confidence and her energy.
She also revealed to Julianne after the fact that she had been sick this morning, and wasn’t sure she’d be able to perform tonight. The good news is that she powered through it, and she and Sasha earned a score of 24/40.
Artem returned this week, able to dance with Charity again. They danced a Foxtrot to “My Girl,” which Charity told her dad would be a perfect song for their father/daughter dance.
Their performance was truly joyful. Bruno called a “gold standard foxtrot,” and Carrie Ann said she took her breath away. They earned a score of 32/40.
Those were just a few of the dances this week, and I’ve detailed the entire list of scores below.
As for the eliminations, results were once again a bit rushed, which is to be expected at this point. The couple that was sent home this week was Tyson and Jenna.
Here are this week’s scores, which are out of a total of 40 instead of 30:
- Ariana Madix and Pasha: 34
- Jason Mraz and Daniella: 34
- Charity Lawson and Ezra: 32
- Xochitl Gomez and Val: 32
- Lele Pons and Brandon: 27
- Mira Sorvino and Gleb: 26
- Barry Williams and Peta: 25
- Alyson Hannigan and Sasha: 24
- Harry Jowsey and Rylee: 24
- Mauricio Umansky and Emma: 23
- Adrian Peterson and Britt: 22
- Tyson Beckford and Jenna: 20 — ELIMINATED
What did you think of this episode of Dancing with the Stars? Who was your favorite dancer? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC and Disney+. Viewers can stream the series on Hulu the following day.
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Ashley Bissette Sumerel
Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.