After 17 seasons, we finally have a full-fledged Disney-themed week, the Disney magic popping up right off the bat with the Disney logo combined with the DWTS logo and Tinkerbell’s pixie dust everywhere. The opening sequence was great to see the incorporation of several songs and familiar inspiration in the all the clothes. Cheryl as Jasmine was great, but Dannica as Belle from Beauty and the Beast looked spot on.

The guest judge this week is former DWTS champion Donny Osmond and at least he can provide an angle from his experience on the show. Donny explained that the Osmonds were found by Walt Disney and was a voice in Mulan. He also said he’d be judging based off of performance not technicality.

All of the performances were given bits of Disney charm, from dancing with animated characters to enhanced graphics for the audiences. Overall I think the theme was a big success and wouldn’t mind seeing Disney come back in future seasons.

Drew & Cheryl - Quickstep - Cheryl missed having Drew around last week, but immediately got back into the jokes and smiles. Cheryl decided to add some of Witney’s training techniques in hopes it would help. The couple danced well in hold, even though I wasn’t sure if he or Cheryl was leading. The weakest parts were when he wasn’t in hold with Cheryl but his big personality made up for questionable steps.

Len knew that the break in the middle was because of Disney and could forgive it. The technique lacked for Len. Donny remembered how Quickstep was his worst; he suggested that the arms needed better flow. Bruno thought that Drew had so much to do but didn’t perfect any of it. Carrie Ann warned him that Drew was losing some of his focus when he danced. Score: 28 (7,7,7,7)

Charlie & Sharna - Jazz - Charlie knew that he slipped down the leaderboard, but knew his competitive spirit kicked in. Sharna wanted Charlie to go into overdrive. She was shocked though to see him struggle with coordination. The dance had good cane work and the two had very good side-by-side choreography. Charlie lost his cane at one point but seemed to recover pretty easily. He also had the challenge of having to speed up the tempo at the end.

Donny thought the performance was amazing, even though he dropped the cane. Bruno thought it was almost perfect. Carrie Ann thought he was a wave of happiness. Len thought the performance was fantastic and wasn’t bothered by the cane drop. Score: 37 (9,10,9,9)

Danica & Val - Quickstep - Danica missed Val because she liked the details in the dance. She wanted to Disney-up her dance and she loved everything about this week’s performance. The couple had this great tempo throughout the whole performance and looked light as they danced. The accompaniment of wait service and plates were a great touch. You knew that Danica was having fun throughout the whole performance.

Bruno found the routine to be deliciously tasty and appreciated the technique of the routine. Carrie Ann hugged Danica and thought she was gorgeous. Len thought the couple lost body contact for a bit, but the routine had control and Danica was fantastic. Donny thought the two knocked it out of the park. Score: 39 (10,9,10,10)

Amy & Derek - Waltz - Amy thought that she felt like Cinderella, the experience of DWTS made her feel like a princess. Amy was very stressed with her feet as her feet had to balance with the waltz’s highs and lows, but battled through the practice. As the couple danced, the dancing seemed light and Derek’s lift down the stairs was almost indulgent as if Amy couldn’t go down the stairs herself. Derek covered a lot of small mistakes by choosing to have such high amounts of fog in the routine. The spins near the end could have been too high up, but we’ll never know.

Carrie Ann knew the lift happened, but couldn’t penalize her; she just thought Amy was inspirational. Len wished that there was more hold in the routine. Donny thought Amy was a serious contender. Bruno thought Amy was irresistible. Score: 37 (9,9,10,9)

Cody & Witney - Samba - Cody sang a song to Witney about missing her and having The Lion King. Witney tried to teach some samba basics and thought she may be too nice with Cody after seeing him with Sharna. Cody’s arms still looked like airplane wings whenever he extended his arms. Witney’s choreography was smart and it allowed Cody to be a little more hip-hop with the Afro-Jazz undertones. There needed to be a bit more basic samba steps, but the routine was good as a performance.

Len liked the energy and timing, but questioned the technique. Donny thought the dancing was phenomenal, but he didn’t look like he enjoyed the dance. Bruno thought he was like a gazelle, he thought there could be more bounce. Carrie Ann felt Cody’s power even though it was the same style. Score: 34 (9,8,8,9)

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NeNe & Tony - Foxtrot - NeNe was freaked out by the glitch in the music last week but recovered. NeNe liked getting into character with Derek, but decided to stop talking about Derek to Tony. Tony was a jealous partner, but NeNe called out Tony for having an attitude and walked off of a practice. I liked that NeNe was in character the whole time with Tony trying to be as subservient as possible in the beginning. The routine and the character of Cruella De Vil allowed NeNe to still be NeNe even though she was in hold. She had the kicks and attitude to cover up a very basic foxtrot.

Donny thought NeNe had the attitude. Bruno liked the touch of evil, but it never lost the foxtrot style. Carrie Ann thought she made a great villain and Tony’s choreography was amazing. Len thought it was NeNe’s best routine. Score: 36 (9,9,9,9)

James & Peta - Contemporary - James knew that Peta had harsh criticism last week. James explained that he brought Hannah to the DWTS stage and it encouraged him to have fun. James started off a little sharp but once the couple got into hold for the first time he calmed down. Peta did a better job with this routine, even though there were a lot of wasted time with lift transitions and emotional looks. James did a great job with the lifts and had Peta looking perfect.

Bruno thought the two danced with sincerity and matched the spirit of the song. Carrie Ann saw real artistry and expressing true emotions. Len thought it melted his heart. Donny was mesmerized by the routine. Score: 40 (10,10,10,10)

Meryl & Maks - Samba - Maks really doesn’t think he’d look like Mowgli from The Jungle Book. Maks was worried about the comedy factor of a Samba instead of having the sexual nature. Meryl was positive about Maks’ skills either way. The comedy in the beginning was the right amount because the couple got into a proper samba right after they went down the stairs. I appreciated that Meryl had samba rolls and the samba walk right at the end, which made her routine look much more proper than Cody’s.

Carrie Ann was puzzled because the two dance like it was one body dancing together. Len thought the routine was great entertainment. Donny knew that the couple set the bar high and he was still entertained. Bruno thought the routine was wonderful. Score: 36 (9,9,9,9)

Candace & Mark - Samba - Candace was disappointed last week; she talked to Mark about the lowest scores and knew she wanted to win. She thought that she could be less conservative with her clothes because of the Disney theme and matching Ariel. Mark as a crab is amazing to me. The problem was that with the slower tempo of this samba, you could see more of the issues with the routine. It felt basic after seeing Meryl or even Cody’s routine. Her motions just needed to be sharper for me to really make it better.

Len liked the mix of steps, her legs needed to be straightened a little bit. Donny pointed out that he was at the bottom of the leaderboard before, but anyone can recover. Bruno thought that Candace was improving from all the comments. Carrie Ann loved watching her move, but once in a while she looked nervous. Score: 35 (8,9,9,9)

After all the dances the three contestants in jeopardy were Cody & Witney, NeNe & Tony, and Candace & Mark. Combining the judges and fan scores the last two contestants safe were NeNe & Tony and Candace & Mark. That meant that Cody & Witney was eliminated. The look of shock on Candace was priceless.

Week Five Scores

High
James & Peta - 40
Danica & Val – 39
Amy & Derek – 37
Charlie & Sharna – 37

Low
Meryl & Maks - 36
NeNe & Tony – 36
Candace & Mark - 35
Drew & Cheryl – 28

Eliminated - Cody & Witney (34)