Miraculous and inspirational were two words that came immediately to mind while watching Arlen dance. She contracted Transverse Myelitis at age 11 which left her in a near-comatose state, unable to speak, eat or move (but aware of what was happening) for four years, and when she “awoke” she was paralyzed from the waist down. She learned to walk again only a year ago, at age 21, albeit without feeling in her legs. And yet she expertly executed a cha cha with partner Val Chmerkovskiy, scoring a 19 and high praise from judge Carrie Ann Inaba, who referred to her as a “revelation.” (Arlen is pictured at top, center, with DWTS host Tom Bergeron, left, and Chmerkovskiy.)
Vanessa Lachey and partner Maks Chmerkovskiy’s intense cha cha earned the duo a 21, while Stirling’s cha cha had her tie for top of the leader board (alongside Jordan Fisher) with a 22.
Thanks to his breakout performance as Doody in Fox’s Grease Live! newcomer Jordan Fisher had some experience with live television. He’s also been appearing on-stage in Hamilton, but neither of those experiences prepared him to tango in front of millions of viewers. “When you do anything that you have never done before it is a little nerve racking at the end of the day,” he revealed. “But I think the bottom line of this show is to see growth happen and we are so excited to do that.”
Also high on the nerve-o-meter was Frankie Muniz. His foxtrot with partner Witney Carson was flawless, despite his nervous system being in overdrive. “Honestly, I was a disaster as far as nerves all day,” he told me after his dance. “But I am so thankful that [Witney] is my partner because she put up with me asking a million questions and I almost didn't remember the song we were dancing to.”
The night had other memorable moments, notably the revelation of the flirty side of Shark Tank shark Barbara Corcoran, whose limited dance ability was far overshadowed by her exuberance at having Keo Motsepe for a partner. (Corcoran is pictured below, center, with Bergeron, left, and Motsepe.) One might have thought she was on The Bachelorette! (Her Shark Tank co-star Robert Herjavec met his bride Kym Johnson while dancing on the show.) Post-show, the usually composed dealmaker was attempting to seal a different kind of deal with her partner. “I’m turned on, buddy,” she joked when I asked about her obvious excitement. “It’s like God came down and chose me to be the luckiest girl on earth. So I’m more than blessed. Look at this guy! Do I deserve a man this age?”