Dancing With the Stars Tangos Through Taylor Swift’s Old and New Eras

Dancing With the Stars danced through Taylor Swift’s iconic eras for their “Celebration of Taylor Swift” themed night.

The night started with a stunning opening pro performance choreographed by “The Eras Tour” choreographer Mandy Moore to Swift’s early hit “Love Story.” Moore also sat on the judges’ panel for the night to give the couples fresh eyes.

Every couple danced one full competition piece and went head to head in the second round for the relay dance. Standouts included singer Jason Mraz and Daniella Karagach’s Argentine Tango to “Don’t Blame Me.” Mraz was a front-runner early this season and hit a bump recently, but he worked his way to his first perfect score.

Bachelorette star Charity Lawson’s Argentine Tango, Vanderpump Rules’ Ariana Madix’s “Cruel Summer” Rumba, and Marvel’s Xochitl Gomez’s “Paper Rings” Quickstep were other standout pieces of the first round with fans, despite the scattered leaderboard scoring.

Ariana had all 4 of the judges giving her nothing but praises and then got smacked with 3 nines??? Nah Bruno was right with that 10!!!! #DWTS #DWTSxTaylorSwift pic.twitter.com/FPkyixtYoR

— syd (@sudsley) November 22, 2023

Before the second round, the pros on this year’s tour performed an exquisite contemporary piece to an acoustic rendition of “Style,” again choreographed by Moore.

At this moment the world gasped in unison #dwts #DWTSxTaylorSwift pic.twitter.com/kg6XFm3krX

— snorin (lauren) (@sillysnorin) November 22, 2023

In the second round, production divided the six couples into three groups to face off in the relay dance, where one couple danced for the first part of the song, and the second couple finished the song.

Gomez and Madix performed a Viennese Waltz to “Lover,” the tightest race, but Gomez reigned supreme. How I Met Your Mother Star Alyson Hannigan and Too Hot To Handle contestant Harry Jowsey battled it out in a Jive to “Shake It Off,” where Hannigan won.

Side note: if there were an award for “Biggest Swiftie of the Night,” it would go to Hannigan, who would’ve done anything to make it to “Taylor Night.” As captured on social media, Hannigan brought Swift’s aura to the set with themed donuts and an abundance of friendship bracelets for the cast and crew all week. Not to mention the excitement exuding through the TV for her Cha Cha to “You Belong With Me.”

Lastly was the battle of the “Lavender Haze” Cha Chas between Mraz and Lawson, in which Mraz once again came out on top.

At the end of the night, host Alfonso Ribiero revealed that last garnered the most votes in DWTS history, proving once again that Swifties move in full force. Despite getting their highest score yet, Harry Jowsey and first-time pro Rylee Arnold went home after landing at the bottom of the leaderboard each week.

Dancing With the Stars has done numerous theme nights dedicated to artists. Still, with the exceptional pro numbers, a virtual appearance from Swift herself, and Alyson Hannigan’s Swiftie energy, the “Celebration of Taylor Swift ” takes the cake. Next week, the remaining five couples will fight to the final four in this year’s semi-finals.

Dancing With the Stars airs Tuesday nights at 8:00 P.M. on ABC, Disney+, and the next day on Hulu.