NBA superstar Dwight Howard and his professional dance partner, Daniella Karagach, might have slayed “Halloween Nightmares Night” on Dancing With the Stars, but other than that, their journey on the show was lackluster (to say the least), finally getting eliminated during the 500th episode of Dancing With the Stars yesterday (Nov. 12).
For those who need a refresher, Dwight and Daniella kicked off Dancing With the Stars with a bang, earning an impressive score of 22 out of 30 for their Salsa to “This Is How We Do It” by Montell Jordan. While this couple was one of the early frontrunners of the competition, things took a turn for the worse as the weeks progressed, resulting in a series of not-so impressive scores:
- “Oscars Night” — Foxtrot to “City of Stars” from La La Land (22/30)
- “Soul Train Night” — Cha Cha to “Let’s Groove” by Earth, Wind & Fire (23/40)
- “Hair Metal Night” — Paso Doble to “Walk This Way” by Aerosmith (29/40)
- “Dedications Night” — Rumba to “Shoot for the Stars” by Dwight Howard (29/40)
- “Disney Night” — Tango to “When Can I See You Again?” from Wreck-It Ralph (24/30)
The pair seemingly reached their peak during “Halloween Nightmares Night,” earning their highest score to date (AKA a 28 out of 30) for their Contemporary to “Ring Around the Rosie” by District 78.
Falling off a bit the following week, Dwight and Daniella earned a score of 26 out of 30 for their Argentine Tango to “Santa María (del Buen Ayre)” by Gotan Project, as well as a not-so impressive score of 22 out of 30 for their Paso Doble to “Victorious” by Panic! at the Disco during yesterday’s “Instant Dance Challenge.”
Unfortunately, Dwight and Daniella’s scores during the 500th episode of Dancing With the Stars were not enough to punch the pair into the semi-finals, resulting in their elimination at the end of the episode…
Dwight’s performance during the “Instant Dance Challenge” — where the six remaining couples “didn’t know the dance style or the song until approximately five minutes before performing it live” — might have lead to his untimely exit, as he proved to not take the competition as seriously as his competitors. Here’s what really happened behind the scenes:
During the “Instant Dance Challenge,” ousted pros Ezra Sosa and Emma Slater hosted a TikTok livestream that gave fans a glimpse into what was really happening when the couples had their five minutes of time to prepare. Unlike the other celebrity contestants — who were rushing to get out of the dressing room to rehearse — the NBA player took his sweet time while getting ready, seemingly in no rush to change into his costume.
Consisting of a vest and pants, it should have been lickety-split, Dwight!
“Dwight is still changing. He has been changing for over a minute now. That means they have four minutes to put this routine out,” Ezra said during the livestream.
Emma added, “He’s not out yet, and the people here are getting really nervous. We have — can you see on the clock? — less than two minutes… He has less than two minutes and we’re back on the air.”
After finally getting dressed, Ezra commented on Dwight’s facial expressions, telling the viewers that “he’s really stressed. You can tell on his face that he’s really stressed.” Additionally, he commentated on Dwight and Daniella’s rehearsal, where they had an interesting tactic of practicing different parts of the routine, rather than together. Was this intentional?
Nevertheless, giving Dancing With the Stars fans their first glimpse into what happens behind the scenes, it is safe to say that they were unamused, accusing Dwight of not taking the competition seriously:
“My man had NO hustle 😭”
“His lack of urgency is WILD.”
“He had no sense of urgency. He probably wanted to go home.”
“This was a massive piss off. He took ages to change into a damn VEST and pants.”
“Dwight didn’t take the competition seriously. Took forever to change, and was messing around in the beginning in the dressing room.”
Others could not even focus on Dwight and his antics, as Ezra and Emma’s commentary was as hilarious as can be:
“Them commentating is sending me omg 😭😭😭😭😭”
“This was the highlight of the episode for me 😂😂😂 I love Ezra so much!”
“I love their comments. I understood your feedback better than the judges. Love Emma and Ezra.”
Contrary to the accusations that he did not care about the competition, Dwight had nothing but positive things to say about his Dancing With the Stars experience. “All good things must come to an end but GREATNESS never stops 🕺🏾 @daniellakaragach I’ve been so grateful to have had you as my partner 🥺🫶🏾 Thank you for everything 🙏🏾” he wrote via Instagram after his elimination, and we may or may not have shed a tear or two.
Although it will not be Dwight and Daniella, who will take home the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy come finale night? To find out for yourself, tune into brand-new episodes of Dancing With the Stars season 33 Tuesdays via ABC or Disney Plus.
Published: Nov 14, 2024 05:33 pm