THE WITCH IS IN: ELAINE HENDRIX’S ‘DEFYING GRAVITY’ CONTEMPORARY EARNS RAVES, BUT SNUBBED OF A PERFECT 10
‘Wicked Night’ Masterpiece Leaves Judges in Tears and Fans Furious After Only Receiving Four 9s, Falling Short of the Season’s First 10s
LOS ANGELES, CA – An electrifying night of competition reached an emotional crescendo as actress Elaine Hendrix and pro partner Alan Bersten took on the impossible task of dancing to “Defying Gravity” for Dancing with the Stars’ “Wicked Night.” The resulting Contemporary routine was hailed as an “art work” and “something special” by the judges, yet its total score of 36/40—four perfect 9s—ignited immediate fury among fans who felt the routine was brutally underscored, especially when the first 10s of the season were awarded to a different couple earlier in the evening.
The sentiment across social media was one of intense disbelief and outrage: “This was INSANE. Best dance of the night. This should have been at least one 10,” one fan demanded. Another passionately declared: “ROBBED OF A 10.”
A Dance of Defiance and Determination
The pressure on Hendrix this week was immense. Not only was she tasked with embodying Elphaba, the central figure of the beloved musical Wicked, but she also performed to its most iconic and demanding number. Furthermore, the Parent Trap star entered the week with a painful reality: a titanium plate in her foot from a previous car accident, a chronic injury that challenges her every move in the ballroom.
The rehearsal package showed a vulnerable Hendrix breaking down in tears, overwhelmed by the physical limitations she was fighting to overcome. “It’s not fun, knowing the limitations of your body, and this song is all about pushing past your limitations,” she confided. This personal battle added a profound, authentic layer of meaning to her “Defying Gravity” routine.
Wearing a sleek, black costume that evoked the character of Elphaba, Hendrix performed a powerful and emotionally charged Contemporary piece choreographed by Bersten. The routine was packed with challenging lifts, dramatic dips, and incredible storytelling that captured Elphaba’s moment of self-acceptance and ascension.
The dance culminated in the ultimate theatrical moment: Hendrix was lifted high into the air on a harness, recreating the show-stopping image of Elphaba taking flight as the song reached its climactic finish.
The Judges’ Raves and Emotional Responses
The raw emotion and technical ambition of the routine brought the ballroom to a halt, prompting an unusually powerful response from the panel.
- Carrie Ann Inaba was visibly moved, admitting: “Elaine, that was something special. When you were dancing, my heart was— I just burst into tears, because you were so purely in the moment.” She concluded by stating, “There are moments on the show that are so magical that no one will ever forget how it made them feel when you danced, and you reached [that].”
- Guest Judge and Wicked film director Jon M. Chu offered high praise, noting: “It was pure ascension… We talked a lot about that on the movie.” He further commended her performance, saying, “When making a film, it’s not about control but surrender, and he felt that from her today.”
- Derek Hough offered context, revealing that he and Hendrix had a private conversation after the previous week’s show where she shared details of her physical struggles. With that in mind, Hough declared that Hendrix was truly “defying the odds.”
- Bruno Tonioli was equally ecstatic, exclaiming, “Darling, you went into orbit tonight! You had the toughest number because it’s the highest, the biggest in the show, and you killed it.”
Despite this chorus of unqualified praise—using words like magical, special, ascension, and killed it—the scores were four solid, yet frustratingly uniform, 9s, totaling 36/40.
The ‘Trust Fall’ and the Great Scoring Debate
The technical skill demonstrated by Hendrix throughout the routine, especially given her injury, was undeniable. However, one specific moment garnered the most fervent fan reaction: a dramatic, instantaneous trust fall into Bersten’s arms. “That trust fall was the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen,” one viewer commented, highlighting the sheer nerve and partnership displayed.
The perceived injustice in the scoring stemmed from the fact that another celebrity, Whitney Leavitt, had received the season’s first 10s (totaling 39/40) for her Quickstep earlier in the night. For many fans, the emotional weight, technical difficulty, and cultural significance of the “Defying Gravity” Contemporary—a routine that visibly moved judges to tears and spoke to a star’s journey of overcoming physical limitations—was exponentially greater.
The online response was a blend of shock and indignation, directly contrasting the two scores: “How does Whitney get 10s but Elaine gets 9s 
I’M MAD” and “10’s FOR WHITNEY AND NOT FOR THAT ART WORK????? GIMME THE PRODUCERS NUMBER RN !!!!!!!!!!!”
This controversy reignited the eternal DWTS debate over whether a perfect score should be reserved for technical flawlessness in a specific dance style or for a peak emotional and theatrical moment that transcends the technical requirements, especially when the celebrity is fighting to “defy the odds.”
Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten’s Contemporary was more than a dance; it was a powerful, moving piece of performance art. While the score of 36/40 is exceptional, the narrative of the night—and the overwhelming fan reaction—suggests that for a select few routines, a numerical score simply cannot capture the magic created on the dance floor. Elaine Hendrix may have missed the 10, but she delivered a routine that will be remembered long after the Mirrorball Trophy is handed out.
