Elaine Hendrix breaks down before ‘Defying Gravity’ on ‘DWTS’—then wows judges with an epic performance
With each passing week, the competition on 'Dancing with the Stars' Season 34 is also mounting. Before the recent Wicked-themed episode, a celebrity contestant was tearing up all thanks to the mounting pressure and the pain from an accident she had had. However, the tears only made her stronger than ever, as she impressed not only fans but also judges—so much so that the contestant who had the lowest score last week became the highest performer in the latest episode of the dance competition.
The contestant is none other than Elaine Hendrix, who delivered a powerful comeback on 'Dancing With the Stars' Wicked Night, as per Entertainment Weekly. Before the performance, Hendrix's pro partner Alan Bersten explained, "We're dancing a contemporary, and I want to portray the story like Elphaba did, where Elaine realizes she can trust herself to show she is stronger than her injuries." During rehearsals, Hendrix became emotional as she revealed the physical and emotional challenges she continues to face from a past car accident. She informed that she still has a titanium plate in her foot, and was seen breaking into tears as she pushed through the pain to deliver her best performance yet.
"It's not fun, knowing the limitations of your body, and this song is all about pushing past your limitations," Hendrix said, adding, "I know my determination is going to win; it's just getting there is quite a journey." Dressed in sleek Elphaba black, Hendrix captivated the ballroom as she danced gracefully to 'Defying Gravity,' the version led by Cynthia Erivo in guest judge Jon M. Chu's upcoming film adaptation, 'Wicked: For Good.'
Following the performance, co-host Alfonso Ribeiro handed the mic to Carrie Ann Inaba for the judges' feedback. Inaba was visibly emotional as she praised the performance, saying, "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 continued, "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]."
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Guest judge Chu talked about his experience directing both 'Wicked' and its upcoming sequel, 'Wicked: For Good,' saying, "It was pure ascension... We talked a lot about that in the movie. It's not about control; it's about surrender to your own power, and I felt that." Derek Hough revealed a personal exchange he'd had with Hendrix, sharing, "We had a little chat after last week's show," explaining that she "shared a few things with me, and so I know that you're pushing through some things."
With that in mind, he concluded that Hendrix was truly "defying the odds." Before the scores were announced, Bruno Tonioli praised the performance with his signature flair, exclaiming, "Darling, you went into orbit tonight... You had the toughest number because it’s the highest and the biggest in the show, and you killed it." Notably, this week's 'Dancing with the Stars' scores were combined with last week's Dedication Night, as per Variety. After totaling the scores from both weeks, Andy Richter remained at the bottom of the leaderboard, while Whitney Leavitt returned to the top. Once the viewer votes, totaling over 100 million across the two weeks, were factored in, Scott Hoying was eliminated from the competition.