Things will be getting spooky on this week’s episode of Dancing with the Stars!
On the Oct. 29 episode of the competitive dance show, seven remaining couples returned to the ballroom to face their fears for a special “Nightmares” themed episode for Halloween.
In addition to their respective dances, the couples will face each other in a dance-off and the winner of each competition will receive bonus points added to their judges’ totals. After ending last week’s episode at the top of the leaderboard, Chandler Kinney and her partner Brandon Armstrong were given immunity for the dance-off.
Meanwhile, Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber, Phaedra Parks and Val Chmerkovskiy and Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold landed in the bottom three. Co-host Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough then announced that Phaedra and Val would be going home.
Read on to find out how all seven contestants fared when it came to facing their fears on Halloween night for DWTS.
(Note: the most recent updates appear at the top, so scroll all the way down to start from the beginning of the show.)
The Results Are In
After the final dance-off of the night, America voted to keep their favorite couples in the running for the coveted mirrorball trophy.
Alfonso and Julianne announced that the couples who were safe were: Dwight and Daniella, Danny and Witney and Joey and Jenna.
This left Ilona and Alan, Jenn and Sasha, Stephen and Rylee and Chandler and Brandon on the chopping block. Eventually, America ultimately voted to send Jenn and Sasha home.
While sharing her final words, Jenn said she learned “so much” and felt “so grateful to have met all the people I’ve met here.”
“Everybody here has been so amazing and so kind,” she continued, before referring to her partner Sasha. “We spent the past seven weeks attached at the hip… I can’t even imagine a life without Sasha at this point, and I didn’t even know him seven weeks ago!”
Danny and Joey Duke It Out
Danny and Joey competed in the final dance-off of the night and performed a Jive to “Time Warp” by Little Nell, Patricia Quinn & Richard O’Brien.
As the two top contenders in the competition, Joey admitted that he was going up against Danny “because we want to solidify that we are actually the top dancers.”
Both couples put in the work and put their best feet forward as they prepared for the face off.
“Joey and Jenna we’re coming for you,” Danny promised.
Eventually, both pairs faced the music and delivered electric performances to the high energy track. Joey and Danny were neck and neck as they both leapt, lifted and jived to the song.
“The battle of the six packs!” Bruno said, before comparing them to “gladiators.”
Derek admitted that choosing one winner was “very, very hard” and his decision would “ping pong” between them. Regardless of the scores, Derek congratulated both couples on their amazing dances.
Winner: Joey and Jenna
View this post on Instagram
Jenn and Stephen Face Off!
Jenn and Stephen both danced the Salsa to “Jump In the Line” by Harry Belafonte from Beetlejuice.
Though neither of them had experience dancing the Salsa, Jenn and Stephen were determined to win the judges hearts and win the extra points.
“I’m an Olympic athlete. I have the stamina to do Salsa in circles around Jen all night,” Stephen told cameras before Jenn quipped, “Stephen, you might be Superman, but I’m Superwoman.”
Once the performance was over, the judges had their work cut out for them.
The trio admitted the decision was difficult as Jenn and Stephen had very different dance styles.
“I don’t know it’s apples and oranges and so we’ll see what we’re gonna choose,” Carrie Ann said before the judges made a decision.
Winner: Jenn and Sasha
Dwight and Ilona Go Head-to-Head
For the first dance-off of the night, Dwight and Ilona performed the Cha Cha to “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker Jr.
In a video package that played ahead of their performance, both groups learned how crucial the three extra points would be to their final scores.
“We both play two very competitive sports, and we’re two very competitive people, so I gotta beat that guy,” Ilona said to cameras before Dwight promised, “This is going to be the best Cha Cha.”
The couples then took the stage and performed at the exact same time. Both contestants hit their marks and danced their hearts out during their respective routines.
Though Carrie Ann said Dwight’s movements were very “precise and lovely” in the beginning, she said Ilona was more “technically sound.”
Winner: Dwight and Daniella
Chandler Has a Secret
Despite being the only couple getting immunity for the dance-offs, Chandler was committed to showing up and showing out for this week’s dance.
As she prepared for her Viennese Waltz to “Secret” by Denmark + Winter, the actress admitted that her Halloween nightmare was inspired by a creepy doll she found in her grandmother’s house.
“It just randomly moves throughout the house whenever I’m there, and then I realized that it was my brothers and cousins playing tricks on me,” she said of the doll.
When it came time for the couple’s performance, the duo captured the beauty and tranquility of the Waltz as they glided and swept the floor.
Bruno confessed he was completely “spellbound” by their performance and likened their dance to a “haunting gothic novel.”
While Carrie Ann confessed she expected a bit more technicality when it came to their performance, Derek said their dance was “absolute perfection.”
Score: 29/30
Stephen is Conquering The Dark
Stephen faced his fear of the dark in his Contemporary dance to “I Ran (So Far Away)” by Hidden Citizens.
In a video package that played ahead of his performance, the Olympian confessed that his fear of the dark was based on his lack of vision. Without his glasses, Stephen revealed that he had no “depth perception” and explained that bright lights can be very “painful.”
Channeling his fear into dance, the gymnast wowed judges and used his strength to his advantage when he crawled with only his hands. Stephen became the epitome of darkness itself as he dragged his partner Rylee across the dance floor.
“You found your dramatic persona,” Bruno told the couple. “You were totally, totally lost into character. You became somebody else, and you gave us something that was special and beautiful.”
Score: 28/30
Joey Is a ‘Scaredy Cat’
In preparation for his Argentine Tango to “Ramalama (Bang Bang)” by Róisín Murphy, Joey confessed he was a “scaredy cat” and dove deep into his fears of puppets and ventriloquists.
To get into character and the Halloween spirit, Joey and Jenna visited a haunted hayride on a double date with their partners, Kelsey Anderson and Val Chmerkovskiy.
“Do you see how committed they are to their character? That is what I need from you,” Jenna told Joey before a scare actor popped out and frightened the foursome.
During their actual performance, Joey and Jenna turned things up a notch and meticulously hit their marks and dominated the dance floor.
“You are the ultimate puppet master, because you are always in control when you dance, my friend, which is a huge compliment,” Derek remarked. “For me, there was one moment, maybe two moments, where I felt like the lifts, it felt a little unstable, but my friend, you are fantastic.”
Score: 29/30
Jenn Gets Advice From a Vampire Veteran
Before performing her Contemporary routine to Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire,” Jenn got a few pointers on portrarying a fearsome vampire from Buffy alum, Alyson Hannigan.
“I’ve dated a lot of vampires in my past, sucking the energy out of me,” Jenn told the cameras before getting a crash course from Alyson.
As Jenn’s partner Sasha and Alyson coached her through the routine, Alyson had a few choice words for the judges.
“If Jen commits to this energy of the vampire, she will get something higher than an eight,” the actress said. “If not, I am going to turn it into a vampire and attack the judges.”
When it came time for their performance, Jenn and Sasha beautifully glided through the dance and moved fluidly as the couple hit all of their points. Jenn was in control of her persona and her movements — and the judges agreed.
“You were on top of it all the way through,” Bruno said. “You were actually in charge of the dance and you won it, darling.”
Derek added, “It was so amazing. You were in character the whole way through. I love this journey, I love this partnership.”
Score: 28/30
View this post on Instagram
Danny Says Hello to His Biggest Fear
Before Danny and his partner Witney took to the dance floor, the football player conquered his fear by meeting a real-life snake ahead of their Argentine Tango to “Poison” by RAVN.
“The snake is a slimy, disgusting creature. It’s giving me the heebie jeebies,” he told cameras. “I handled the snake. Now it’s time to handle the Argentine Tango.”
In their performance, Danny proved just how he was conquering his fears through the dance. As he impressively lifted and twirled Witney in the air, the duo delivered another fantastic performance.
“I need an antidote. You can bite me anytime!” Derek joked while Carrie added, “Those lifts were so difficult. You were so on point with the character.”
Score: 28/30
Dwight Takes On The Boogeyman
Dwight took on his nightmares by embodying his fear and becoming the boogeyman in his contemporary dance to “Ring Around The Rosie” by District 78 featuring Natalia Lillee.
In rehearsals, Dwight and his partner Daniella reflected on placing at the bottom of the leaderboard for another week. Daniella was honest with Dwight and pointed out how the former NBA player had yet to perform a routine without mistakes all the way through.
“I’m not afraid of anything, so my goal is to become someone everyone’s afraid of. I’m gonna be this nightmarish, creepy character,” he told the cameras. “I want this dance to feel like people just watch the horror movie.”
True to his word, Dwight crushed his routine and after he lunged, twirled and lifted Daniella into the air, the judges had nothing but positive feedback.
“[It was] down right creepy in the best possible way. Those lifts and tricks were so dangerous, so dynamic. Seriously, I never seen you more focused and determined than tonight,” Derek Hough said before Carrie Ann Inaba gave the duo the first “10” of the season.
Score: 28/30
Ilona Kills Alan!
Kicking off tonight’s performances, Ilona and Alan took on the rugby player’s nightmare of psycho killers by performing a Tango to Miley Cyrus’ “Psycho Killers.
After gliding through the dance floor and hitting her marks, Ilona even conquered her ultimate fear by killing off her partner Alan.
She eventually received glowing remarks from judges before she received her scores.
Score: 24/30
Daniella Pokes Fun at Dwight’s Height
In a fun video posted to Instagram, DWTS pro, Daniella Karagach joked about the height difference between her and her celebrity partner Dwight Howard.
The short clip featured her dancing with a 15-foot skeleton decoration outside of the studio. Eventually, Dwight finds Daniella practicing their moves and hilariously calls her out for mistaking him for a Halloween decoration.
“POV: Dwight Howard dancing with Daniella,” the text over the video read while Daniella captioned the post with a simple, “Oops 😅.”
Rylee Arnold Goes Instagram Official With Her New Boo
Ahead of the night’s festivities, the DWTS pro debuted her new relationship with University of Southern California Trojans’ tight end Walker Lyons in a series of photos shared to Instagram.
“Is this a hard launch?? 🤭❤️🔥,” Arnold — who joined the dance show in 2023 — captioned the post.
One shot showed the couple looking loved-up on the field, seemingly after USC Trojans’ 42-20 victory against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday, Oct. 26.
In another snap, the dancer gazed up lovingly at the athlete while placing her hand on his chest. A second photo showed her beaming in the stands while watching the game, as a different image showed her hugging her apparent new boyfriend.
A further picture showed Arnold posing on the field alongside her sister Brynley and her husband, Donny McGinnis, and another snap showed the TV personality proudly hugging Lyons.