On November 14, Dancing with the Stars presented a tribute to the timeless music of singing legend Whitney Houston.
Guest judge Billy Porter opened the show alongside the professional dancers to “How Will I Know?” The competing couples were introduced before co-hosts Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro also danced their way into the ballroom. It was fabulous.
After being warmly welcomed, Billy took his place next to DWTS judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli. Explaining what he was expecting of the dancers, Billy announced, “I will be looking for storytelling … connection and … intention.” Did he get that from Xochitl Gomez? Absolutely!
Four 10s for Val and Xochitl
Admitting that she was “disappointed with the wardrobe mishap” the week prior during her tribute to Gwen Stefani, Xochitl (pronounced “Sochi”) came into rehearsal with Val ready to step up her game.
Xochitl was also recovering from an ankle injury, which Val worried would “limit her” this week. Due to her sprained ankle, the Marvel star worried that for the first time in the competition, she wouldn’t be able to give 100% to the dance.
But those worries ended up being unfounded. After completing an exquisite Tango to “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” Carrie Ann called their routine “flawless.”
Derek said their dance “had power, intention, strength, direction … I can tell you guys are going for gold. That was fantastic!”
Billy had nothing but praise for the pair’s “magical” performance. He also congratulated Xochitl for the way she recovered and came back from her disappointment with the wardrobe malfunction last week.
Bruno applauded their routine, telling the actress that the Tango is her “superpower.”
While waiting for their dance scores, Xochitl told Julianne, “This week was tough … I don’t know what I’m doing … so I just take Val’s direction. I felt like a failure but looking at it tonight, I’m feeling pretty good!”
Her intuition was good because when the judges revealed their scores, Xochitl and Val received the first perfect score of the season. But her journey doesn’t end here. She can bask in the glory of a perfect score for a couple of days, but next week she has to come back and do it again.
Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC and Disney+.
TELL US – DID YOU AGREE WITH THE JUDGES THAT XOCHITL AND VAL DESERVED A PERFECT SCORE?
