Disney’s “Dancing with the Stars” night brings the magic of the movie

Meanwhile, Vermont Olympian Ilona Maher was on Team Goofs and danced to “I2I” from “A Goofy Movie,” earning her team a 27 out of 30 points.

Before the dance performances, Nedoroscik kicked off the night with a Charleston performance to “A Star Is Born” from “Hercules,” which earned him 24 out of 30 points, a total of eight from all three judges.

“Hercules is a strong character, he’s goofy, super strong, he likes to flex himself,” Nedoroscik said before his performance. “I think it will be easier for me to get into the character.”

Last week, his evening performance was dedicated to the White Stripes’ “Seven Nations Army.” he scored 33 of 40 points and placed him in second place on the leaderboard. However, this week after the individual round of the competition, he fell to the lowest place. Reaching the halfway point is surreal for Nedorościk, as the “pommel horse guy” noted that he thinks he can make it to the finals.

Nedoroscik’s performance was full of tricks and fast footwork, and he ended the routine by flexing on the judges’ table. While he certainly brought energy and athleticism, the judges noted that he was a bit lacking in music, something Nedoroscik struggled with throughout the competition.

“I see how much you have grown,” said judge Carrie Ann Inaba. “You’re so confident. There is a new sense of peace, but you just overtook the music and it was with you the whole time.”

Later, Amendola performed a jazz routine with partner Witney Carson to NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” — which returned to the pop culture zeitgeist with this summer’s hit “Deadpool & Wolverine” — dressed as the titular Marvel heroes. They scored 27 of 30 points for this performance, including 9 in total. Last week, Amendola topped the leaderboard for his tribute to the college football coach.

“It was nice to come out and show emotion, that was very important to me,” Amendola said.

“I want to use my strength in this performance,” he added. “We are at the top of the leaderboard and someone is hunting us, so we have to keep our foot on the gas pedal and not give up.”

At the end of each performance, Maher performed a jazz arrangement of the song “Surface Pressure” from “Encanto” with partner Alan Bersten, who was disturbingly dressed as a donkey, a reference to how “Encanto” heroine Luisa lifts donkeys in the film. The pair scored 25 of 30 points for the routine, including the first nine of 10 of the season from Inaba.

“I really like Luisa,” Maher said of her fondness for the Disney film. “I also grew up as a bigger woman.”

“She’s big and wide, she’s so strong, but she feels so beautiful,” added the Vermont Olympian. “You never try to diminish yourself or make yourself smaller in front of the world. I love that people now see that in me too.”

This routine showcased Maher’s strength in many exercises and her confidence shined through. The judges loved her embodiment of the character, although some said they wanted more balance between storytelling and dancing.

“When you dance, the most spectacular thing about you is that you change the course of history in the minds of other young women,” Inaba said. “You tell them a different story and it makes a huge impression.”

Reality star Phaedra Parks and her partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy were eliminated at the end of the night, leaving just seven couples in the competition.

Emily Wyrwa can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @emilywyrwa.