Dancing With The Stars 31 Recap: Halloween Night Live Blog

(DISNEY PLUS/DANCING WITH THE STARS)

Happy Halloween! It’s time for a night of spooky dances on Dancing With The Stars!

Halloween Night on DWTS has been a theme off and on since Season 3, and last happened on the show in Season 30.

But this year is extra special because the Halloween-themed night is happening on actual Halloween night, something that hasn’t happened on DWTS since 2016.

Last week, the couples danced to Michael Bublé hits while being judged by the singer, and after the judges were faced with the tough decision of choosing between Jessie and Alan and Trevor and Emma, it was Jessie and Alan who left the ballroom. Except, only one of them ended up leaving…

Since last week, pro Val Chmerkovskiy has tested positive for COVID-19, forcing him to miss tonight’s episode. Gabby Windey will be partnered with Alan Bersten until Val returns. 

Tonight will also see the return of the team dances when the couples are split into two teams and battle for extra points added to their scores!

Vote at DisneyPlus.com or text the contestant’s FIRST NAME to 21523. Voting begins at the top of the show.

Jordin and Brandon – Tango – “Oogie Boogie”

DANCING WITH THE STARS - “Halloween Night” – (ABC/Eric McCandless)JORDIN SPARKS, BRANDON ARMSTRONG
(ABC/Eric McCandless)JORDIN SPARKS, BRANDON ARMSTRONG

Jordin really nailed this Tango! Frame was much better than previous weeks. Loved their skeleton costumes and the way Brandon incorporated some spooky instances into the choreo. Also loved the way they made generic jack-o-lanterns and spirals look like Nightmare Before Christmas. 

Len says just like her name, sparks were flying, and it was her best dance so far. Derek says he believes she deserves to be at the top, but critiques the inconsistency. Bruno says her radiance can light the darkest night and ignites the dance floor. Carrie Ann says it was very good but was on the fence because Jordin improved on almost every aspect but there are still slip-ups. 

Carrie Ann- 9, Len- 9, Derek- 9, Bruno- 9 = 36/40

Charli and Mark – Argentine Tango – “Tanguera”

DANCING WITH THE STARS - “Halloween Night” – (ABC/Eric McCandless)CHARLI D’AMELIO, MARK BALLAS
(ABC/Eric McCandless)CHARLI D’AMELIO, MARK BALLAS

Mark did a great job at making what’s usually a romantic and sensual dance become spooky. The way Charli Exorcist-ed down the bed and across the dance floor was the coolest.

Derek compliments the Exorcist moment and then says he enjoyed this smooth version of the dance. Bruno says only these two could turn a nightmare into a beautiful dance. Carrie Ann says everything she does is perfect, but thinks there could have been more intensity. Len says she moved across the floor with effortless ease and her dancing sends a chill down his spine.

Carrie Ann- 9, Len- 10, Derek- 10, Bruno- 10 = 39/40

Daniel and Britt – Paso Doble – “bury a friend”

DANCING WITH THE STARS - “Halloween Night” – (ABC/Eric McCandless)DANIEL DURANT, BRITT STEWART
(ABC/Eric McCandless)DANIEL DURANT, BRITT STEWART

Technique aside, Daniel nailed the video game character performance. Such a unique idea that encompasses a different aspect of horror. Their costumes also look just like ones of a zombie video game. Good choreo from Britt, wasn’t Daniel’s best dancing, but it wasn’t his worst.

Bruno says wow, wow wow and that Daniel played this game very well. Carrie Ann says she loved the characterization but critiques his shaping and footwork. Len says it lacked some key elements of Paso but he came out and gave us a proper performance. Derek says he disagrees with Len, loved the original concept and compliments his arm work. 

Carrie Ann- 8, Len- 8, Derek- 9, Bruno- 9 = 34/40

Shangela and Gleb – Jazz – “Look What You Made Me Do”

DANCING WITH THE STARS - “Halloween Night” – (ABC/Eric McCandless)SHANGELA, GLEB SAVCHENKO
(ABC/Eric McCandless)SHANGELA, GLEB SAVCHENKO

This was the creepiest dance I’ve ever seen. Shangela and Gleb both make terrifying dolls 

Carrie Ann starts hollering gibberish and says it was her best performance and Gleb’s best choreo yet. Le says it had plenty of tricks and plenty of treats, and to reference the chicken from last week: winner, winner, chicken dinner. Derek says he’s going to have nightmares about them tonight and she always get the room going. Bruno says Ryan Murphy couldn’t have put this together better. 

Carrie Ann- 10, Len- 10, Derek- 10, Bruno- 10 = 40/40

Vinny and Koko – Paso Doble – “Get Ghost”

DANCING WITH THE STARS - “Halloween Night” – (ABC/Eric McCandless)KOKO IWASAKI, VINNY GUADAGNINO
(ABC/Eric McCandless)KOKO IWASAKI, VINNY GUADAGNINO

This is entirely my opinion, but I just don’t vibe with Koko’s choreo most of the time. It probably hurts Vinny, honestly. That being said, Vinny nailed the steps this time around, but still lacks musicality. I don’t understand why the song was about a ghost and they’re dressed as yellow caution tape though. 

Len says Halloween is about the supernatural but this wasn’t super and wasn’t very natural, despite there being no mistakes. Derek says compliments a specific movement Vinny did and says now that he’s getting the steps down, he needs texture. Bruno says there was nothing toxic in what he did. Carrie Ann tells Koko the choreo is too blocky for a dancer like Vinny (thank you!). 

Carrie Ann- 7, Len- 7, Derek- 8, Bruno- 8 = 30/40

Heidi and Artem – Tango – “I Wanna Be Your Slave”

DANCING WITH THE STARS - “Halloween Night” – (ABC/Eric McCandless)HEIDI D’AMELIO, ARTEM CHIGVINTSEV
(ABC/Eric McCandless)HEIDI D’AMELIO, ARTEM CHIGVINTSEV

They start the dance with a glowing bungee cord which looks like a page right out of Mark’s or Derek’s books. The whole dance was just a bit boring and Heidi is one of the few here who just isn’t improving. 

Derek stands and claps for her, calling it her best dance. Bruno says she had a killer instinct in her tonight. Carrie Ann says both she and Charli have precision when they dance, and says the beginning was the weakest part. Len says she comes out week after week and gives us really good performances, but wants her to come out and push it a little more. 

Carrie Ann- 9, Len- 9, Derek- 10, Bruno- 9 = 37/40

Gabby and Alan – Argentine Tango – “Shivers”

DANCING WITH THE STARS - “Halloween Night” – (ABC/Eric McCandless)GABBY WINDEY, ALAN BERSTEN
(ABC/Eric McCandless)GABBY WINDEY, ALAN BERSTEN

The hands-on-the-table choreo gets old, not gonna lie. But this was a good test to see if Gabby is as good as she seems when she’s dancing with Val, and in this dance, she actually was. It was exactly what you’d expect for a vampire-themed Argentine Tango, and that’s a compliment. 

Bruno says it was a feast for the sense and compliments her legs. Carrie Ann says she felt her pour her heart into the dance. Len says every move she makes, every step she takes, he’s watching her, and there was a little incident. Derek says that Tago did not suck, it was bloody brilliant, and it was fang-tastic, despite a mishap with her legs. 

Carrie Ann- 10, Len- 9, Derek- 9, Bruno- 10 = 38/40

Wayne and Witney – Contemporary – Halloween Theme

DANCING WITH THE STARS - “Halloween Night” – (ABC/Eric McCandless)WAYNE BRADY, WITNEY CARSON
DANCING WITH THE STARS – “Halloween Night” – (ABC/Eric McCandless)WAYNE BRADY, WITNEY CARSON

This started out looking more like a Jazz than a Contemporary. I don’t understand why they’re dancing to the Halloween theme song dressed as Terminators. This entire dance made no sense but Wayne did a great job.

Carrie Ann says Wayne is challenging himself despite some inconsistency in his dancing. Len says it was powerful and full of energy, but critiques the sameness of it. Derek compliments their synchronicity. Bruno says it was an absolutely clever routine.

Carrie Ann- 9, Len- 9, Derek- 9, Bruno- 10 = 37/40

Trevor and Emma – Contemporary – “Ghost”

(DANCING WITH THE STARS - “Halloween Night” – ABC/Eric McCandless)TREVOR DONOVAN, EMMA SLATER
(ABC/Eric McCandless)TREVOR DONOVAN, EMMA SLATER

As if I haven’t made it obvious Trevor’s my favorite, when he and Emma dance, I completely stop typing and take in the entire performance, simply because Trevor has been a joy to watch from the start and continues to impress each week. This was a beautifully haunting Contemporary, Emma is an exceptional choreographer and Trevor has turned into such a great dancer despite his reservations when the show started.

Len says Trevor came back stronger this week and compliments the soft, lyrical and musical performance. Derek compliments everything about it and mentions Trevor’s phobia of dance he had in the beginning, and enjoys watching the love of dance grow in him. Bruno says he forgot he was dancing because he was watching them two play a beautiful scene. Carrie Ann says it was an amazing performance and that when a dance goes inside and she has a moment she’ll never forget, she realizes that he’s a dancer. 

Carrie Ann- 10, Len- 9, Derek- 10, Bruno- 10 = 39/40

It’s time for the team dances!

Team Wicked – “The Witches Are Back”

DANCING WITH THE STARS - “Halloween Night” – (ABC/Eric McCandless)SHANGELA, GLEB SAVCHENKO, GABBY WINDEY, ALAN BERSTEN, KOKO IWASAKI, VINNY GUADAGNINO, JORDIN SPARKS, BRANDON ARMSTRONG, HEIDI D’AMELIO, ARTEM CHIGVINTSEV
(ABC/Eric McCandless)SHANGELA, GLEB SAVCHENKO, GABBY WINDEY, ALAN BERSTEN, KOKO IWASAKI, VINNY GUADAGNINO, JORDIN SPARKS, BRANDON ARMSTRONG, HEIDI D’AMELIO, ARTEM CHIGVINTSEV

Team Wicked is Vinny and Koko, Jordin and Brandon, Heidi and Artem, Gabby and Alan and Shangela and Gleb!

Fun song, lackluster dance. The moments of Jive were enjoyable but the Tango aspects were boring for such a get-up-and-move song. Shangela nailed her solo while Jordin was so-so and Vinny’s solo consisted mainly of spinning Koko. 

Len says the individual dances weren’t good and wished for more choreo from the others as the couples danced individually. Derek compliments their lines and says the solos were strong but felt the nerves in there. Bruno says because they were so singled out during the individual pieces, you could see every mishap. Carrie Ann says she never would have put this group together but she loved it despite some little mistakes.

Carrie Ann- 8, Len- 8, Derek- 9, Bruno- 8 = 33/40

Team Scream – “Heads Will Roll”

DANCING WITH THE STARS - “Halloween Night” – (ABC/Eric McCandless)EMMA SLATER, WITNEY CARSON, TREVOR DONOVAN, WAYNE BRADY, BRITT STEWART, DANIEL DURANT, CHARLI D’AMELIO, MARK BALLAS
(ABC/Eric McCandless)EMMA SLATER, WITNEY CARSON, TREVOR DONOVAN, WAYNE BRADY, BRITT STEWART, DANIEL DURANT, CHARLI D’AMELIO, MARK BALLAS

Team Scream is Trevor and Emma, Wayne and Witney, Daniel and Britt and Charli and Mark. 

I think it was obvious from the start this team was going to have the better dance considering both the pros and stars they had. Really creative minds behind the choreo and exceptional stars to execute it. Each solo was unique to the couple and the parts in hold as a team were phenomenal. 

Derek says, “Team Scream, LET’S GO!” and then compliments how they were intertwined throughout the entire routine and specifically singles out Daniel for his confidence. Bruno compliments the entire piece as a whole. Carrie Ann says it was really, really amazing for so many reasons and compliments their strategy. Len first congratulates the hair, makeup and wardrobe departments but then says Charli went wrong during her solo.

Carrie Ann- 10, Len- 9, Derek- 10, Bruno- 10 = 39/40

The bottom two are… Jordin and Brandon and Heidi and Artem.

The couple going home is… Jordin and Brandon.

 DANCING WITH THE STARS - “Halloween Night” – (ABC/Eric McCandless)TYRA BANKS, ALFONSO RIBEIRO, JORDIN SPARKS, BRANDON ARMSTRONG
(ABC/Eric McCandless)TYRA BANKS, ALFONSO RIBEIRO, JORDIN SPARKS, BRANDON ARMSTRONG

Good to see Len, who broke the tie, thinking with his padel instead of his brain, as usual (Derek and Bruno voted for Jordin). I’ll be back next Monday for 90’s Night! Happy Halloween!

About Ashley Amber 122 Articles
Ashley Amber is a 29-year-old writer, author and dancer. When Ashley isn't live-blogging shows like The Voice and Dancing With The Stars for MJ's Big Blog, she works as a writer for SoapHub and a contributor at The DIS, and previously published over 300 articles for Collider. Ashley has also authored a self-published fantasy/romance series of novelettes, and made her poetry debut in 2021's LGBTQIA+ anthology Deviant: Chronicles of Pride by InkFeathers Publishing. As a former pro ballroom dancer, when she's not writing, you can find Ashley on Youtube and TikTok where she posts dance videos featuring her own choreography and tutorials.