ABC
12 contestants hit the floor for 'Dancing With the Stars' Disney100 night, but only 10 remained after what proved to be a less than magical evening in the ballroom.
It was a less than magical night on Dancing with the Stars Tuesday as the show kicked off its annual Disney night.
The ballroom transformed into the happiest place on earth to pay tribute to 100 years of Disney, kicking things off with an opening number from the pros to the hit song "We Don't Talk About Bruno" from the animated movie Encanto, with Bruno Tonioli himself giving his stamp of approval on the performance.
It was then time for the twelve remaining couples to take the floor, and for the panel of judges -- including Tonioloi, Carrie Ann Inaba and Derek Hough -- to score a host of fun, magical routines as the contestants competed once again in the race to the Len Goodman Memorial Mirrorball Trophy.
But, after two hours of passionate dances set to some of our favorite Disney theme songs, it was up to America to vote on who would live to see another day on the dancefloor.
The competition was stiff, but in the end, through a combination of judge's scores and audience votes, three couples were determined to be in jeopardy: Adrian Peterson and Britt Stewart, Lele Pons and Brandon Armstrong, as well as Barry Williams and Peta Murgatroyd.
Ultimately it was Peterson and Stewart's Viennese waltz set to Dumbo's "Baby Mine" that failed to win over enough audience votes to keep them in the game, ending the former football star's time on DWTS.
The elimination came as a shock to contestants and viewers alike, with the duo falling far from the bottom of the leaderboard, earning a 21 out of 30. Still, it was a journey Peterson was proud of, calling his time on the show "amazing" and praising his dance partner as one "heck of a coach."
"This journey was amazing, and [Britt] was a heck of a coach," Peterson said. "We had our ups and downs but you really pushed me and brought the best out of me."
The top duo of the night, however, had to be 17-year-old Xochitl Gomez and her pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy, who blew the judges away with a stunning paso doble set to "Un Poco Loco" from the Disney Pixar animated classic Coco.
"That was unbelievable. I've seen many many paso dobles, but what you bring to the dance floor is so unique" Inaba marveled, with Hough adding, "You were an artist out there and the floor was your canvas."
As for the rest of the celeb-pro couples, here's how the leaderboard looked after Tuesday night:
Xochitl Gomez & Val Chmerkovskiy: 27 (9,9,9 -- Inaba, Hough, Tonioli)
Ariana Madix & Pasha Pashkov: 25 (8,9,8)
Jason Mraz & Daniella Karagach: 24 (8,8,8)
Charity Lawson & Artem Chigvintsev: 24 (8,8,8)
Lele Pons & Brandon Armstrong: 22 (7,7,8)
Mira Sorvino & Gleb Savchenko: 21 (7,7,7)
Harry Jowsey & Rylee Arnold: 21 (7,7,7)
Adrian Peterson & Britt Stewart: 21 (7,7,7)
Mauricio Umansky & Emma Slater: 19 (7,6,6)
Barry Williams & Peta Murgatroyd: 18 (6,6,6)
Alyson Hannigan & Sasha Farber: 18 (6,6,6)
Dancing With the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+.
