Dancing With the Stars‘ Disney Night started with a bang — and an expert recovery from one performer who slipped in the opening number.
“You guys, I just ate it on national television,” dancer Diego Pasillas teased in an Instagram video on Monday, November 2, laughing off the now-viral moment.
Pasillas’ upload went on to show a clip of the Newsies-inspired number. While charging into the ballroom, Pasillas lost his footing and fell to the floor, kicking one leg up into the air. He popped up effortlessly, leading some viewers to believe the moment was choreographed.
Backstage, Pasillas gave a glimpse of what the routine was supposed to look like in that moment before laughing about the mistake again.
“LOLLLL the show must go on💀🤣,” he teased in the caption.
Pasillas also shared a supportive message from a fellow social media user, who said “the recovery was amazing” and noted it was a learning opportunity for young dancers.
“This means the world to me 🥹🙏🏼,” Pasillas wrote alongside the screenshot.
Despite the stumble, Pasillas didn’t miss a beat in the high-energy medley, which kicked off the night celebrating Disney on Broadway. Along with Newsies, the opening number featured performances inspired by The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and The Greatest Showman.
Guest judge Cynthia Erivo joined Bruno Tonioli, Derek Hough and Carrie Ann Inaba as the remaining eight DWTS couples took one step closer to the season 35 finale.
Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson earned their second perfect score of the season, with Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy meeting them at the top of the leaderboard. The contestants later split up into teams — joined by cohosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough — adding the results to their individual scores from throughout the night.
In the end, Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa were sent home. The pair earned 33 out of 40 points for their paso doble to Hamilton’s “Satisfied” as the actress battled an injury in rehearsals.
“It’s been an incredible experience,” she told Good Morning America after the show. “I’ve learned so much, physically, mentally, emotionally. And I’ll always have that.”
Sosa praised how his partner was “able to open up and be present” during the competition. “I can say I’ve never enjoyed teaching someone more than her,” he added. “I feel like the luckiest guy to share this experience with her.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
