Dancing With the Stars celebrated some of the most iconic moments in the show’s history during the 500th episode.
Celebrity contestants and their pro partners reimagined famous performances from past duos during the Tuesday, November 12, episode.
Joey Graziadei chose to emulate one of his “favorite” DWTS moments: Riker Lynch and Allison Holker’s season 20 contemporary routine to “Work Song” by Hozier.
While Carrie Ann Inaba thought Graziadei, 29, and Johnson’s rendition was missing “a bit of rawness,” Derek Hough said, “I disagree,” before complimenting the pair on being “really connected” during the dance.
Hough, 39, also praised Chandler Kinney after she and partner Brandon Armstrong paid tribute to one of his routines: his season 16 Argentine tango with Kellie Pickler.
After noting that “comparison is inevitable” when recreating dances, Hough told Kinney, 24, “I preferred this one, even over mine.” He added that the performance, which earned the first perfect score of the season, was “smooth as silk” while still having “intensity.”
At the end of the evening, Danny Amendola and Witney Carson and Dwight Howard and Daniella Karagach were at the bottom of the leaderboard. Howard, 38, and Karagach, 31, were ultimately eliminated, just one week shy of the season 33 semifinals.
“I learned so much here, thank you everyone,” Howard told the crowd after cohost Alfonso Ribeiro announced the results.
Prior to the elimination, the contestants competed in DWTS’ first-ever instant dance round to commemorate the 500th episode. Each duo was assigned their song and style of dance just five minutes before they took the stage to display their improvisational talents and natural dancing abilities.
Kinney and Armstrong, 30, were the instant dance round winners as the only couple to earn a perfect 30 for their last-minute routine.
Keep scrolling to see all the scores from DWTS’ 500th episode — and how each pair fared during the instant round.
Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson
Dance: Contemporary
Song: “Work Song” by Hozier
Inspiration: Riker Lynch and Allison Holker’s season 20 performance
Score: 28
Instant dance round style and song: Rumba to “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish
Instant dance round score: 27
Overall score: 55
Danny Amendola and Witney Carson
Dance: Quickstep
Song: “Hey Pachuco” by Royal Crown Revue
Inspiration: Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough’s season 5 performance
Score: 27
Instant dance round style and song: Jive to “Good Golly Miss Molly” by Little Richard
Instant dance round score: 24
Overall score: 51
Dwight Howard and Daniella Karagach
Dance: Argentine tango
Song: “Santa Maria (Del Buen Ayre)” by Gotan Project
Inspiration: James Hinchcliffe and Shara Burgess’ season 23 performance
Score: 26
Instant dance round style and song: Paso Doble to “Victorious” by “Panic at the Disco”
Instant dance round score: 22
Overall score: 48
Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold
Dance: Viennese waltz
Song: “Glimpse of Us” by Joji
Inspiration: Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas’ season 31 performance
Score: 29
Instant dance round style and song: Jive to “Love Is Embarrassing” by Olivia Rodrigo
Instant dance round score: 25
Overall score: 54
Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong
Dance: Argentine tango
Song: “Para Te” by Appart
Inspiration: Derek Hough and Kellie Pickler’s season 16 performance
Score: 30
Instant dance round style and song: Cha Cha to “Apple” by Charli XCX
Instant dance round score: 30
Overall score: 60
Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten
Dance: Quickstep
Song: “Chuck Berry” by Pharrell Williams
Inspiration: Jordan Fisher and Lindsay Arnold’s season 25 performance
Score: 28
Instant dance round style and song: Salsa to “Da’ Dip” by Freak Nasty
Instant dance round score: 24
Overall score: 52
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET. You can stream episodes on Disney+ the next day.
