After a one-week hiatus due to the Mickey Mouse 90th Anniversary special on ABC, Dancing With the Stars: Juniors returned on Sunday, November 11 with Juniors’ Choice Night, where the kids got to make the decisions! And unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to yet another team during this fifth week of competition.
With thoughts on the episode, here is Paul Bentley, along with scores given by The Readers from an online poll!
Juniors’ Choice Dances
For this week’s Juniors’ Choice dances, the seven remaining junior celebrities got quite a bit of the say for a lot of the decisions, including the music for their dance, the costumes, and the overall production. At the end of the night, one team was eliminated from the show.
[Order of the Judges’ Scores: Val Chmerkovskiy, Mandy Moore, Adam Rippon]
Miles Brown and Rylee Arnold, Mentored by Lindsay Arnold
Jazz
Space Jam by Quad City DJ’s
The Judges’ Scores: 9, 9, 9 (27/30)
The Readers’ Score: 9
Paul Bentley’s Thoughts: The progress that Team Lindsay has made so far is amazing. This Jazz had a cool, modern, Hip-Hoppy feel to it, and I was all for it! Sometimes using props in a performance can take away from the dance, but I think the basketballs actually worked really well. Miles and Rylee really let loose in this routine, further demonstrating their excellence as a couple. Miles really felt the music through every part of his body, not leaving out a single detail! There was just one section where Miles got a bit messed up in the footwork, but I’m sure many people didn’t notice because the attention was drawn to the basketballs at that part. Phenomenal routine!
Paul Bentley’s Score: 9
#TeamLindsay
Mackenzie Ziegler and Sage Rosen, Mentored by Gleb Savchenko
Cha-Cha-Cha
What If by Johnny Orlando & Mackenzie Ziegler
The Judges’ Scores:9, 9, 9 (27/30)
The Readers’ Score: 9
Paul Bentley’s Thoughts: With age and skill sets considered, the bar for Mackenzie and Sage was set high from week one, but now they are starting to surpass already high expectations, which is not something to overlook. Mackenzie had the Latin technique of the Cha-Cha-Cha down, minus some minor hiccups. She has so much energy in her movement, which helps her a lot, but sometimes her arms move faster than the rest of her body because of that, giving her extensions a subtle stutter and flail to them. But I see that she is becoming more composed as the episodes go by, so I think Team Gleb will just continue improving on these little things!
Paul Bentley’s Score: 9
#TeamGleb
Jason Maybaum and Elliana Walmsley, Mentored by Emma Slater
Jazz
Eliminated- 7th Place
Tricky by RUN-DMC
The Judges’ Scores: 9, 8, 8 (25/30)
The Readers’ Score: 8
Paul Bentley’s Thoughts: This kid!!!! Jason’s big personality never gets old! This Jazz number was sort of out of left field, but it actually ended up working really well for Jason and Elliana. Jason was fully immersed in the street character, and it helped make this probably the most memorable dance of the night for me! I loved the use of the troupe, although using them highlighted some of the imperfections in Jason’s movement. He was a bit off in some sections, but that didn’t take away from me loving this performance so much! As with every team on this show, it was sad to see Team Emma go, but I think Jason Maybaum has made a big impression in just the five episodes of DWTS: Juniors he was on!
Paul Bentley’s Score: 8
#TeamEmma
Akash Vukoti and Kamri Peterson, Mentored by Witney Carson
Charleston
Do Your Thing by Basement Jaxx
The Judges’ Scores: 7, 7, 6 (20/30)
The Readers’ Score: 7
Paul Bentley’s Thoughts: I love rooting for underdogs, and Akash and Kamri are easily my favorite underdogs to ever be on DWTS! XD This Charleston was undeniably sloppy, but it was also undeniably charismatic and fun, too! Mandy was right about how it is hard to transition from dancing really fast to having to immediately spell the longest word in the English language. That addition to the dance was a bit obscure, but hey, it’s Juniors’ Choice, and it was perfect for Akash! I appreciate Akash coming out and slowly becoming more comfortable with performing each episode… it’s so refreshing to watch! Team Witney has been scoring low lately, but I hope they get to stick around at least a little longer!
Paul Bentley’s Score: 7
#TeamWitney
Sky Brown and JT Church, Mentored by Alan Bersten
Samba
The Greatest by Sia
The Judges’ Scores: 8, 8, 7 (23/30)
The Readers’ Score: 8
Paul Bentley’s Thoughts: I find myself absolutely adoring this couple every single week. Sky and JT are so adorable, but they are fierce competitors, too! They are such mature dancers, and they both really feel the music. Sky had a superb Samba bounce in this dance, although her timing was off at times, which is completely understandable because Samba timing (which is at the end of the beat) is not easy to follow by any means. Just like Mandy, I loved Sky’s ”slingshots,” and I loved all the enthusiasm. Team Alan is always such a joy to watch, so I hope they make it all the way to the end of the season!
Paul Bentley’s Score: 8
#TeamAlan
Mandla Morris and Brightyn Brems, Mentored by Cheryl Burke
Cha-Cha-Cha
Perm by Bruno Mars
The Judges’ Scores: 8, 9, 8 (25/30)
The Readers’ Score: 9
Paul Bentley’s Thoughts: The word “swag” was thrown around a lot on Sunday night’s episode, but if there was anyone who had the most swag during the night, it was Mandla! This Cha-Cha-Cha was just a great, feel-good number, and it was suave throughout! I’ve been noticing Mandla and Brightyn growing as a couple lately, becoming more in tune with each other’s styles, which makes their performances look more cohesive. Mandla is obviously much taller than Brightyn, but instead of letting that hinder his dancing, he uses his long extensions to his advantage! All this dance really needed was just some more polish. Besides that, Team Cheryl was superb!
Paul Bentley’s Score: 9
#TeamCheryl
Ariana Greenblatt and Artyon Celestine, Mentored by Brandon Armstrong
Jazz
Rolex by Ayo & Teo
The Judges’ Scores: 9, 9, 10 (28/30)
The Readers’ Score: 10
Paul Bentley’s Thoughts: How do I even describe this dance?! XD This was such a fun and adorable Jazz routine, featuring some genuinely impressive dancing from both Ariana and Artyon! I love how these kids turned into little divas for their characters, which was a humorous yet lowkey cool twist for the performance. Ariana went all out this time around, and really got down into the music like she never has before. She and Artyon brought out more energy than I have seen from the juniors all season in this single routine, but they still kept it contained and surprisingly technical. This was very deserving of the first 10 this season!
Paul Bentley’s Score: 10
#TeamBrandon
Week 5 Scoreboard
Dancing With the Stars: Juniors Week 5 Scoreboard
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Couple
|
Dance Style
|
Judges’ Scores
|
Overall Score
|
Miles and Rylee
|
Jazz
|
9, 9, 9 (27/30)
|
27/30
|
Mackenzie and Sage
|
Cha-Cha-Cha
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9. 9. 9 (27/30)
|
27/30
|
Jason and Elliana
|
Jazz
|
9, 8, 8 (25/30)
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25/30
|
Akash and Kamri
|
Charleston
|
7. 7. 6 (20/30)
|
20/30
|
Sky and JT
|
Samba
|
8, 8, 7 (23/30)
|
23/30
|
Mandla and Brightyn
|
Cha-Cha-Cha
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8, 9, 8 (25/30)
|
25/30
|
Ariana and Artyon
|
Jazz
|
9, 9, 10 (28/30)
|
28/30
|
Juniors’ Choice Night Awards
Most Entertaining Dance: Ariana and Artyon’s Jazz
Is there any question about this?! Ariana and Artyon’s Jazz was the exact type of dance that was fun to watch without losing the essence of the dance or relying too much on props or the troupe. It was genuine fun energy that came from Ariana and Artyon alone!
Best Costumes: Akash and Kamri’s Charleston Costumes
Those little spelling bee costumes were cute and different. Not a lot of people can pull yellow off, but Akash and Kamri definitely can! XD
Best Choreography: Miles and Rylee’s Jazz
Lindsay is not giving Miles and Rylee a free pass with the choreography! They are receiving content perfect for them that is both challenging and entertaining to watch week after week, and this week’s Jazz was one of them! Even the basketballs were a good addition, which is saying something because I am generally not the biggest fan of props!
Strongest Couple: Sky and JT
I can sense Sky and JT’s friendship just from their dances alone. These two are so incredible endearing, and I can’t stop gushing how cute they are together! This connection they have without a doubt enhances their performances, which feel more “alive” because of their amazing friendship!
Most Improved Child Celebrity: Mackenzie Ziegler
Mackenzie was already a great dancer from the start, but I can see a lot of little things slowly improving in the way she dances. She is becoming more comfortable in the ballroom and Latin styles, appearing more at ease than ever before. These little things make a big difference in the long run!
Stand-Out Moment of the Night: Akash’s Inspirational Speech
My favorite moment of the night has got to be when Akash took the microphone after the judges’ comments and starting giving a little speech about never being too young to do big things. He is such a wise nine-year-old, and I think we could all learn a thing or two from this kid! :)
Furthermore
Paul Bentley’s Thoughts: We’re at the point of the season where everyone left is really good at dancing, even if some are stronger than others. I am so invested in all of these couples, so I’m going to be upset with pretty much every elimination leading up to the finale. I have so many teams I am rooting for… I hate how only one of them could win! Jason and Elliana were one couple I was rooting for to at least make it to the finals, which obviously they didn’t, so now I just have to get used to the fact that not all of my favorites are going to be able to make it all the way to the end. :(
Week 6 Show Information
Next week, the day before the season 27 Dancing With the Stars finale, is week six of Dancing With the Stars: Juniors! In theme of it being Thanksgiving next week, the final six teams will perform dances in dedication to the people that the junior celebrities are thankful for in their lives. And at the end of the night, an elimination will occur, leaving us with the final five teams. Plus, Stevie Wonder will perform a song for his son Mandla Morris’ Foxtrot!
According to the DWTS: Juniors press release, here are the performances for this week of competition:
- Akash Vukoti and Kamri Peterson (mentored by Witney Carson) will dance Jazz to Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny) by A.R. Rahman and The Pussycat Dolls
- Ariana Greenblatt and Artyon Celestine (mentored by Brandon Armstrong) will dance Salsa to Pintame by Elvis Crespo
- Mackenzie Ziegler and Sage Rosen (mentored by Gleb Savchenko) will dance a Samba to Cheap Thrills by Sia featuring Sean Paul
- Mandla Morris and Brightyn Brems (mentored by Cheryl Burke) will dance a Foxtrot to Isn’t She Lovely by Stevie Wonder
- Miles Brown and Rylee Arnold (mentored by Lindsay Arnold) will dance a Foxtrot to Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
- Sky Brown and JT Church (mentored by Alan Bersten) will dance a Foxtrot to Unconditionally by Katy Perry
Links
#JuniorsChoice #DWTSJuniors
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