Dancing With the Stars Celebrates Soul Train Night Amid Stiff Competition

The popular television show “Dancing with the Stars” returned with its much-anticipated “Soul Train” night on Monday, October 7, 2024. The 11 remaining couples danced to an array of classic hits, bringing iconic music from artists like the Jackson 5 and Aretha Franklin to life on the dance floor.

Tori Spelling and Pasha Pashkov, alongside Anna Delvey and Ezra Sosa, were eliminated from the competition in the third week. Notably, Delvey stirred controversy with her remark on live television claiming she would take away “nothing” from her time on the show. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba expressed her dismay, stating, “That was dismissive not only of the opportunity she was given, of her wonderful and supportive partner Ezra in his debut season, but also of all of us who work on the show—from the dancers to behind the scenes to the creative team.”

The evening kicked off with a group performance to “T.S.O.P (The Sound of Philadelphia)” by MFSB featuring The Three Degrees, choreographed by Luam featuring Popin' Pete of The Electric Boogaloos. Rosie Perez, a special guest judge and former “Soul Train” dancer, joined the judging panel for this special episode.

Nine performances captivated the audience, beginning with Phaedra Parks and Val Chmerkovskiy who performed a quickstep to “Think” by Aretha Franklin, earning praise for their “fantastic” routine and receiving scores of 30 from the judges.

Among the highlights was Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson‘s jive to “Shout” by The Isley Brothers, which secured the highest score of the night at 34. Judges praised Joey’s musicality, marking the first time nines were awarded this season. Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong closely followed with a score of 36 for their cha-cha to “It’s Tricky” by Run-DMC, admired by all judges for its star quality and seamless fusion of cha-cha with soul elements.

Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchencko brought a romantic rumba to “Sexual Healing” by Marvin Gaye. Derek Hough humorously remarked, “That dance made me pregnant,” and praised the dance’s beauty despite some areas for improvement noted by other judges.

The evening concluded without any eliminations due to the episode being pre-taped ahead of the Vice Presidential debate on October 1. Instead, scores from Monday will be combined with those from an upcoming live episode on Tuesday, October 8, where two couples face elimination. Contestants at risk include Reginald VelJohnson and Emma Slater, Dwight Howard and Daniella Karagach, and Eric Roberts and Britt Stewart, with viewer votes having the potential to save them.

“Dancing With the Stars” airs on ABC and is also available for streaming on platforms such as Disney+ and Hulu, with fans encouraged to vote for their favorite couples during the live voting windows.