Carrie Ann Inaba’s ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Season 22 Blog: Week 4

“Dancing with the
Stars” Judge Carrie Ann Inaba is blogging exclusively for Access Hollywood for
Season 22 of her hit ABC show. Here is her fourth blog of the season: 

Last night, the Dancing with the Stars Ballroom
was the happiest place on earth. Disney night is a highlight every season
and really showcases the incredible creativity and talent of those not only in
front of the camera (the dancers and celebrities), but also of those behind the
scenes as well. (Did you see the production value, the costumes, the makeup?) It’s a night that DWTS is running on
all cylinders…and then when you add in the magical characters of some of our
favorite Disney classics? Well, it becomes a place where dreams come true.

And last night for a few new competitors, dreams came true. We had new
faces on the top of the leaderboard, and the
board keeps on shifting as couples begin to hit their stride. As we head
into week 5, Switch Up Week, it’s really anyone’s mirrorball. I look forward to
seeing who grows into filling the shoes of Bindi Irwin (our current mirroball
Champion).

Zendaya was our first guest judge of the season
and she did a great job. She’s wickedly smart and I love her style. Her
commentary was spot on and gave a nice perspective as a previous competitor who
danced with Val a few seasons ago. Next week our guest judge is none other
than fan favorite Maksim Chmerkovskiy. It’s sure to be a fun night. Maks is one of my favorite guest judges, his candor
and unpredictability make him a nice addition to our panel.

Last night was a sad goodbye to Marla Maples and Tony Dovolani. I was
shocked at their departure, but someone always has to go. It gets harder
and harder to say goodbye as the season progresses. Marla is a beautiful
woman — inside and out. She carries herself with grace, joy, and
elegance, but has this incredibly down to earth feel to her. I wish her well as
she moves forward in life and career.

Today I’m going to
run through my favorite three performances. The best performance of the
night was a three way tie between Antonio Brown, Ginger Zee and Paige VanZant.

Antonio and Sharna’s Aladdin-themed Jazz routine was absolutely
incredible…”Boomin” to be exact. It’s not easy to come right out
of the gate, perform first of the night and gather 9s the way he did,
especially after being at the bottom of the leaderboard
just last week. I believe he has found his sweet spot. He was easily the
coolest male performer of the week and their dance set the standard high for
the rest of the night. Antonio was clean and sharp, slick and cool, and worked
well with the men who danced with them. Sharna was very clever in putting
a performance together that played to his incredible skills as a team
player. He gets my vote for most improved as well as best male performance
of the night.

Ginger and Val’s Beauty and the Beast was nearly flawless. The staging, the costumes, the choreography but really, that hold! When she got into hold, her posture was incredible, the hold was magnificent and her lines were so refined. She brought Belle to life in a way that I could see the kids in the audience reacting as if they were at Disneyland watching a live show. It was magical.

Finally, Paige and Mark’s Toy Story themed Quickstep proved that Paige is the one to beat at this point. She’s been on top of the leaderboard for two weeks in a row now. Mark’s choreography really shines with Paige as his partner, they are a match made in DWTS-heaven, that’s for sure.

Honorable mention
goes out to Nyle DiMarco for a fan favorite Tarzan routine that was truly a
rhythmic phenomenon and an uplifting inspiration for anyone
who wants to dance. And my second honorable mention? It goes to Von
Miller for coming back to the ballroom after
being at the bottom of the leaderboard and
dancing with his heart open and a new willingness to learn. He improved so
much, and I look forward to his continued improvement. There is something
about Von that feels like it has yet to
be unleashed, something very powerful and unique. I’m looking forward to Witney
bringing forth all that he has to offer with choreography that will showcase
him and all of that unique style and swagger he has.

I can’t wait for Switch Up Night next
week. It’s a tough night for the performers, but it’s a night where we
judges get to see how these contestants are really doing without their safe
haven and partner. This is where we get to see their own skills and how
adaptable they are to new circumstances. I wish all the contestants well.

I’m keeping it
short today because I have to head out to Orange County for a Cryotherapy
session. Another part of my health regimen, and then later, I have yoga. Stay
healthy and happy everyone, it’s up to you to take care of you. 🙂 I’ll
see you in the ballroom next week!

Also, I want to thank you all for the
nice comments about my Disney necklace last night.  I’m going to ask if I can
get one to do a giveaway this week, so stay tuned to my Instagram
@carrieanninaba or Facebook or Twitter for more information on how you can win
that necklace! 🙂

For fashion credits and makeup and hair credits, see below.
Dress: David Meister, Period Media
Earrings: VTse Jewelry, Luxury Brand Group PR
Necklace: Disney
Rings and Cuff: XIV Karats
Shoes: Via Spiga
Hair: Edward Gornik
Stylist: Jen Rade

— Carrie Ann Inaba