Dancing with the Stars cast members warned fans ahead of time that they'd need some tissues ready before Tuesday night's show began, and if the near-constant waterworks from the judges were any indication, they were certainly correct. Week 5 on DWTS was Dedication Night, an evening of performances that honored — and actually included — contestants' loved ones. (Don't worry, their guest's dance ability, or lack thereof, had no bearing on the judges' scores.) The tears continued to flow all the way to the end of the show, when contestants learned that none of them would be sent home after such an emotional show.
"No one is going home tonight," co-host Alfonso Ribiero revealed. Co-host Julianne Hough added: "We couldn't send anyone home tonight on such a special night. All of the scores and all of the votes from tonight will carry over to next week."
An elated Elaine Hendrix told the hosts that the revelation "means everything to me. This is a true second chance in my life and a dream come true," she said. Comedian Andy Richter, who has lasted perhaps longer than expected on the show after being dubbed a fan-favorite, said he felt "great" and "can't wait to wear green": a nod to next week's Wicked Night, which will feature Wicked director Jon M. Chu as guest judge. Dedication Night also featured an appearance from former DWTS pro Kym Herjavec, who returned as a guest judge. Here's how all the remaining celebrities performed and scored this week.
Andy Richter and Emma Slater
Dance: Salsa to "Jump in the Line" by Harry Belafonte
Andy, 58, didn't think he'd have any more kids after welcoming two in 2001 and 2007. But when he married his second wife, Jennifer Herrera, in 2023, it was a no-brainer to adopt his third daughter, the now-5-year-old Cornelia. "I'm Daddy and she's my daughter and it's as if I've been there forever," Andy said. Cue the first tears of the night, pause for the start of a fun, upbeat salsa and then bring those tears back as Cornelia ran onto the dance floor for a few twirls in the air and on the floor, between Andy and Emma. "She's better than me," Andy said. Kym recalled season 3, when she was paired with Jerry Springer and made it to week 7 despite consistently landing scores toward the bottom of the leaderboard. "You connect with people and America loves you and you keep giving us this magic," she said.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 6, Derek: 6, Kym: 6; Bruno: 6, Total: 24/40
Robert Irwin and Witney Carson
Dance: Contemporary to "You'll Be in my Heart" by Phil Collins
Robert Irwin's public journey with grief since the passing of his father, Steve Irwin, has been well-documented. But it's time for his and Bindi Irwin's mother, Terri Irwin, to get her flowers for raising the two young children on her own. "She's an absolute hero to me," Robert said, breaking down into tears. "I was 2 when I lost dad, and as I got older, I suddenly realized how hard it would have been for her to be there for us and all the while continue dad's legacy that her and dad built together. I've never really been able to capture the feeling of gratitude that I feel for her. And at every milestone when I just wish that my dad was there, she was there. And that was enough. I struggle a lot with losing dad, and she always made sure that my dad was present in our lives. I want her to know how proud my dad would be of her." Terri, in turn, shared the love for her children: "After we lost Steve, it was difficult to smile again for quite a while. So for him to say 'you lifted me up,' honestly, it was the opposite. Because of them, I could get up every morning." After feeling a plateau in their performance last week, Robert and Witney created perhaps the most tear-jerking moment of an already emotional night with a raw, lyrical performance to a stripped-down version of the song from Tarzan (another subtle nod to his family's wildlife conservation mission). Derek was so emotional, he could barely speak. "He's looking at you kid, and he's smiling," Bruno added as Robert approached the judges desk for a hug.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 8, Derek: 9, Kym: 9, Bruno: 9; Total: 35/40
Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten
Dance: Foxtrot to "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" by Natalie Cole
Elaine became friends with Abbott Elementary star Lisa Ann Walter when the two acted in The Parent Trap (1998) together. Nearly three decades later, they're still besties and dancing together to one of the most memorable songs from The Parent Trap soundtrack. "Female friendships are vital, because we support one another. When my mom died, the first person I called was Lisa. She said, 'I know you're an only child, but I want you to know that you'll never be alone.' We've been friends, but now we're sisters." Their elegant foxtrot featured a nod to their film characters as Elaine rang a tiny bell to call Elaine to join them on the dance floor. Dennis Quaid, Elaine's on-screen fiance, was also spotted in the audience. Elaine garnered high praise from the judges, who also hinted that they'd like to see Lisa Ann competing herself next season.
Scores: Carrie Ann: 8, Derek: 7, Kym: 7, Bruno: 8; Total: 30/40
Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas
Dance: Contemporary to "Heal" by Jamal Roberts
Secret Lives of Mormon Wives fans may be familiar with Whitney's husband, Conner, but they get to see a whole new side of him in this DWTS episode. The secret life of this Mormon husband features some surprise killer dance moves, it turns out. Whitney expressed gratitude for her husband's sacrifices so that she can live her DWTS dream: He quit his job to move their family to Los Angeles and take care of their children. "That's my best friend," Whitney said. But they didn't always feel this in sync: She opened up about a period of distance between the two, and how growing back together made their relationship stronger than other. Their dramatic contemporary dance, choreographed in Mark's true creative fashion, features Whitney and Conner playing themselves, while Mark plays the undefined distance that temporarily grew between the couple. Bruno dubbed it a boundary-pushing performance. "I am literally breathless," Bruno said. "The twists, the turns, the ups, the downs, the drama."
Scores: Carrie Ann: 9, Derek: 8, Kym: 8, Bruno: 8; Total: 33/40
Jen Affleck and Jan Ravnik
Dance: Viennese waltz to "Rescue" by Lauren Daigle
From one Mormon wife to another: Jen decided to dedicate her performance this week to her mother, Maria. "My mom was raised in Ecuador, she moved to America when she was 26 and there were many times that she was working and being a mom at the same time," Jen said. "To me, my mom is just — she's a warrior. I didn't realize how much she did for me until I became a mom myself." Judges asked Jen and Jan last week to make their dance even more complicated and, by their own standards. This Viennese waltz didn't score as high as the duo perhaps had hoped, but judges still said they loved the passion and elegance. "That was the most passionate dance you've performed yet," Carrie Ann said. "I see where you get your courage form. There was just something profound. These are the moments we live for on Dancing with the Stars."
Scores: Carrie Ann: 8, Derek: 7, Kym: 7, Bruno: 7; Total: 29/40
Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach
Dance: Contemporary to "Rewrite the Stars" by Zac Efron and Zendaya
Though Dylan's dedication was technically to his little sister, Olivia, his tribute also paid a sweet homage to his older brother, actor Zac Efron. "I wasn't expecting to be a big brother," Dylan said. "And when she came into my life, it was just endless love." He added that his older brother, Zac, has always been so selfless to him. "I want to be that to Olivia," he said. Judges once again applauded Dylan's improvement following an explosive, action-packed contemporary that surely would have sparked attention from Zac's Greatest Showman character (even if the actor himself wasn't in the audience Tuesday night). "Dylan, I hate you," Derek said. "You're a great guy, you're in shape, you can dance and you're a great brother? Come on, man. The way you came down that floor on that first pass, I was like, 'my guy is a dancer.'"
Scores: Carrie Ann: 9, Derek: 9, Kym: 9, Bruno: 9; Total: 36/40
Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa
Dance: Viennese waltz to "Daughters" by John Mayer
Olympic gymnast Jordan's father, Timothy, is her "truest heart," Jordan said. "I had really bad ADHD when I was younger, I'm just bouncing off the walls. And so my dad ... decided to put me in gymnastics, because he thought that might be an outlet for me. He helped me start my career in gymnastics." There were tears on Ezra's end, too. The pro said he doesn't have a relationship with his own father, and found it so "healing" to get to witness Jordan's loving relationship with her father. The dance duo were aiming for their first 9, and while they didn't land one yet, judges dubbed Jordan's "spectacular" performance. "The reverence that I just witnessed was profound he respect and love that you showed for your daughter by showing up and pretty much doing the whole dance? Pretty incredible," Carrie Ann said. "It was really touching and profound."
Scores: Carrie Ann: 8, Derek: 8, Kym: 8, Bruno: 8; Total: 32/40
Scott Hoying and Rylee Arnold
Dance: Foxtrot to "Parallel" by Scott Hoying
Scott and his husband, Mark, just announced that they're expecting a baby via surrogate — what better time to celebrate their love than Dedication Night? "I'm just so excited to raise a family with him," Scott said. "I am so in love with him. I feel like I was always dating mean guys. When I met Mark, I felt like I could exhale and be myself. What happens is your self esteem starts to heal and that starts to trickle into all areas of your life." The song Scott chose to dance to is one that he wrote about the night he "really fell in love" with Mark, and Scott even began the performance singing to his husband, before Rylee jumped in for their anthemic ode to love. Though Carrie Ann felt parts of the dance were "disjointed," other judges said they saw the improvement and dedication and awarded Scott his best scores of the season. "It really was a true love foxtrot," Bruno said. "We all felt it. And I could feel you being so much more at ease with it."
Scores: Carrie Ann: 7, Derek: 8, Kym: 7, Bruno: 8; Total: 30/40
Danielle Fishel and Pasha Pashkov
Dance: Jive to "Boy Meets World" by Twenty Cent Crush ft. Phil Rosenthal
Longtime actor William Daniels, 98, made a rare TV appearance Tuesday night as Danielle honored her former Boy Meets World co-star. His most recent previous entertainment gig was in 2020 as a voice actor in an HBO Max original film. Prior to that, he reprised his famous role of Mr. Feeney in five appearances between 2014 and 2017 in the Girl Meets World reboot. "He's just somebody I have looked up to as a man, as an actor, as a professional," Danielle said, recalling how "intimidating" it was to step onto the Boy Meets World set. "But Bill, who had already won two Emmys, treated me like I deserve all the respect in the world as a fellow actor. I don't think I would have been the professional that I am today without having watched him all those years." The dance opened with Bill reprising his role as Mr. Feeney, standing in front of his desk before Danielle and Pasha rushed in. The two danced a peppy jive to the show's theme song with Danielle rocking some Topanga-esque crimped hair; Pasha in a Cory Matthews plaid flannel, before running back over to Mr. Feeney's desk for their finale as the actor held up a paper featuring a bright red A+. "That was so nostalgic and kind of what we all needed at this time," Carrie Ann said. "But I have to say this: some of your dances feel like I'm watching the same thing over and over again."
Scores: Carrie Ann: 7, Derek: 7, Kym: 7, Bruno: 8; Total: 29/40
Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy
Dance: Contemporary to "Sparks" by Coldplay
Alix Earle is best known for her TikTok videos, but years prior, her family faced a scandal when her father had an affair with — and later married — a woman who had previously faced public controversy. Her little sister Izabel was a bright light amid a tumultuous time, she revealed. "My parents got divorced when I was 10 years old," Alix said. "And two years later when I found out that my dad was having a kid with someone else, I didn't want it. I didn't understand it. I remember us sitting around the family dinner table and my sisters and I just broke into tears. But then my stepmom handed me Izabel and I held her for the first time, and -- oh gosh, here come the tears. She really changed my perspective on what family means. I really give Izabel so much credit for blending our family." Between dancing in Alix's emotional contemporary, Izabel sat on the ballroom steps, looking on lovingly at her big sister. "Talent and love really runs in the family," Bruno said. "This routine was so difficult, technically. You made it look so easy. ... You were dancing from within with no effort at all. That is the hardest thing to do. You did it."
Scores: Carrie Ann: 8, Derek: 9, Kym: 9, Bruno: 9; Total: 35/40