Team USA Gymnast Jordan Chiles Dazzles On ‘Dancing With the Stars’

The duo performed a stunning rumba to “For Good,” and the emotion was palpable. Judge Bruno Tonioli, never one to mince words, called it “drop-dead gorgeous.” Carrie Ann Inaba was so moved she declared it “perfection” and her “favorite night of all season.” Even the guest judge, “Wicked” director Jon M. Chu, was blown away, crashing their backstage interview to rave, “You guys killed it. You know how hard that song is to do?”

The scores started rolling in like a highlight reel. A 10 from Inaba. Another 10 from Chu. A third 10 from Tonioli. The energy was electric. Chiles and Sosa were ecstatic, their celebration so wild that the live feed had to hit the bleep button. It was the kind of raw, uncontainable joy you see after a game-winning touchdown.

Hough’s Holdout: The Quest For More Emotion

Then came Derek Hough. While he praised the routine as “stunning” and acknowledged her technical prowess—”When we say be more grounded, that’s what we’re talking about”—he followed it up with a critique that drew a playful “na na na” from a disagreeing Inaba. “Now I want to see the emotions even more,” Hough said, before holding up a 9.

A 39 out of 40 is an incredible score, tying the season-high. Yet, you can’t help but feel that single point was the difference between a dominant victory and a legendary one. It is like a pitcher throwing a one-hitter; spectacular, but everyone’s left talking about the one that got away.

Final Thoughts

For Chiles, this performance was a breakthrough. She admitted to being “scared” to show a more passionate side, but she left it all on the floor. Chu saw the same fire in her eyes that he saw at the Paris Olympics, telling her, “You want to win this thing, I can tell.”

She may not have gotten the perfect 40, but Chiles made one thing clear: she’s not just here to compete; she’s here to win. And if she keeps delivering performances with this much heart and skill, that Mirrorball Trophy is well within her reach. Hough just gave her the fuel she needs for the final push.