'Dancing With the Stars' recap: Normani Kordei brings the magic on Disney night
Erika Jayne was sent home.
— -- It was Disney Night on week 5 of "Dancing With the Stars," with appearances by cherished Disney characters Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Pluto, who joined the ensemble for a splashy opening number led by "DWTS" season 19 champion Alfonso Ribeiro.
The men were dressed as princes, and the women were dressed as princesses, with Simone Biles in costume as Moana and Normani Kordei in costume as Mulan for their routines later in the night.
Fifth Harmony stunner Kordei continued to heat up the dance floor with partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy in a paso doble to "I'll Make a Man Out of You," sung live by "DWTS" season 9 winner Donny Osmond.
The judges were rhapsodic about her performance, with Bruno Tonioli calling Kordei an "all-conquering paso princess." She earned the highest score of the night, 39 out of 40, with perfect 10s all around but for judge Len Goodman, who gave her a 9.
Shockingly, it was announced earlier that Kordei was in jeopardy based on last week's combined judges' scores and viewer votes, but after her exhilarating performance, it was revealed she was safe.
Bonner Bolton impressed the judges with his tango to "When Can I See You Again?" from "Wreck-It Ralph" but pulled the night's second-lowest score, 29.
Nick Viall of "The Bachelor" and "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Erika Jayne were up for elimination at the end of the night. They both turned in strong performances this week — notably the newly clean-shaven Viall, with his jazz turn to "I've Got No Strings" from "Pinocchio" — but someone had to go home, and it was Jayne.
She was gracious and smiled as she thanked everyone and said she had a wonderful time.
Next week's show will feature the return of Maksim Chmerkovskiy and team dances with a theme of boy bands versus girl groups.
Monday night's standout moment:While Kordei owned the night, Olympic champion Simone Biles turned in a bewitching contemporary dance with partner Sasha Farber. She was radiant and moved flawlessly, accompanied by a live performance of "How Far I'll Go" from "Moana" by Auli'i Cravalho, the voice of the title character.
Judges' scores:
Normani Kordei and Val Chmerkovskiy – 39 out of 40
Simone Biles and Sasha Farber – 38
Nancy Kerrigan and Artem Chigvintsev – 36
Heather Morris and Alan Bersten, filling in for Maksim Chmerkovskiy – 34
Nick Viall and Peta Murgatroyd – (in jeopardy) 34
Erika Jayne and Gleb Savchenko – (eliminated) 32
Rashad Jennings and Emma Slater – 32
Bonner Bolton and Sharna Burgess – 30
David Ross and Lindsay Arnold – 29
"Dancing With the Stars" returns next Monday on ABC.
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