Julia Stiles eliminated from Dancing with the Stars in fan shock

The fairy tale came to an end for one of the season’s initial fan favorites during Monday night’s Disney-themed episode on Dancing with the Stars. Julia Stiles, known for her role in Save the Last Dance, and her professional partner Ezra Sosa were sent home after delivering a performance to Satisfied from the musical Hamilton.

The ballroom was transformed into a magical setting as couples showcased Disney productions on Broadway. The episode featured guest judge Cynthia Erivo, star of the Wicked films, who added an enchanted flair to the night. The performances included routines inspired by classics such as Hamilton, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Rapunzel, Aida, and Hercules.

Despite the high energy of the show, one couple was eliminated as per the weekly format. Stiles expressed her emotions tearfully after leaving the competition. She described the experience as incredible and noted that she discovered hidden talents within herself. She also praised Sosa as an amazing person and expressed sadness at not seeing him every day.

Sosa reciprocated the sentiment, telling Stiles that witnessing her growth both inside and outside the ballroom was an absolute honor. He stated that he was lucky to share the experience with the 10 Things I Hate About You star and expressed deep affection for her.

Backstage reactions from fellow contestants were mixed but generally sympathetic. Pro dancer Daniella Karagach called the elimination gut-wrenching to Entertainment Tonight, while reality star Maura Higgins described the outcome as a shock.

Social media users quickly voiced their reactions to the news. Many fans expressed frustration, with one user on X declaring that Stiles would always be the winner in their eyes. Another fan mentioned being angry about the previous night’s results. However, not all viewers were surprised by the outcome, particularly after guest judge Shirley Ballas gave the pair a score of 4 out of 10 in the prior week. At that time, Stiles mentioned she was managing a rib injury.

Some critics argued that Stiles received high scores due to her fame rather than technical merit. One viewer noted that Ballas finally gave her the score she deserved. Other comments suggested that Stiles’s reliance on nostalgic tributes to her well-known films, including a tribute to late castmate Heath Ledger, may have hurt her votes by preventing the audience from getting to know her personally.

The remaining couples continue to compete for the mirror ball. The current field includes Tatyana Ali, Jenna Dewan, Ezra Frech, Amber Glenn, Maura Higgins, Harry Shum Jr., and Connor Wood. Host Julianna Hough announced that the couple with the top scoreboard result would be immune from the next week’s dance-off.

A tie occurred between the teams of Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy, and Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson, as both received perfect scores for their routines. Immunity was awarded to Shum Jr. and Johnson because they held the highest cumulative scores for the season, totaling 236 points.

The episode also featured two team dances set to We Are All in This Together from High School Musical and Zoo from Zootopia 2. Final standings were determined by combining team scores, partner dance scores, and fan votes. Dancing with the Stars airs on Tuesdays on Disney+, though this particular episode aired early to avoid overlapping with the U.S. midterm elections.