Julianne Hough Announces Immunity and Leads Team Dance on DWTS

Dancing with the Stars co-host Julianne Hough kicked off the program's Disney Night episode by introducing a high-stakes competitive advantage for the remaining contestants. Hough announced that whichever couple achieved the highest scores of the evening would secure immunity from the following week's dreaded dance-off round.

The competition at the top of the leaderboard was fierce, resulting in a tie between two pairs who earned perfect 40 out of 40 scores. Harry Shum Jr. and partner Jenna Johnson stunned the judges with a jazz routine to Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious from Mary Poppins, while Jenna Dewan and partner Val Chmerkovskiy matched them with a quickstep to Be Our Guest from Beauty and the Beast.

Because of the tie, producers looked at cumulative scores across the entire season to determine the ultimate winner of the immunity perk. Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson edged out their competitors with a total season score of 236 points compared to Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy's 235 points, granting Shum Jr. and Johnson safety for the next round.

Hough also participated directly in the evening's entertainment as part of the team dance segment. She led Team Wildcats, which included couples Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold, Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach, Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy, and Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson. Their performance to We're All In This Together from High School Musical earned a perfect 40 out of 40 score from the judges.

Bruno Tonioli praised the group by stating they brought their A-game and graduated with honors, while Carrie Ann Inaba described their routine as a fabulous way to close out the show. Derek Hough added that he became emotional watching them because it was evident how much fun the performers were having on stage. Team Wildcats ultimately won the group dance competition over Team Slaytopia, adding their points to their overall standings.

While the night brought triumphs for several competitors, the episode concluded with an elimination. Actress Julia Stiles and her professional partner Ezra Sosa were eliminated from the competition after landing in the bottom two alongside Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas.

Dancing with the Stars will return to its regular schedule next week with Grammy Night, airing live on ABC and Disney+ at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.