Arike Ogunbowale and Gleb Savchenko perform next, dancing the foxtrot to “What About Us” by P!nk.
Bruno Tonioli says the heels helped her posture and praises their connection. Carrie Ann Inaba says the dance touched her, while guest judge Rashad Jennings says Ogunbowale is beautiful. Len Goodman praises the footwork and choreography. They score a 33.
Watch Arike Ogunbowale and Gleb Savchenko’s Powerful Foxtrot
The competition is heating up in the ballroom as the eight remaining couples hit the dance floor tonight. On Monday, the athletes will dance a quickstep, foxtrot, Viennese waltz, cha cha, salsa or paso doble in round one, in addition to performing a team dance in round two. Season 24 Mirrorball champion Rashad Jennings serves as a guest judge tonight. Two couples will be eliminated at the end of the episode. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lindsay Arnold are currently at the bottom of the leaderboard with 17 points. At the top of the leaderboard are Josh Norman and Sharna Burgess and Adam Rippon and Jenna Johnson, who earned 24 points for their dances during last week’s premiere.
Dancing with the Stars Social Media Reactions
Arike looks so damn beautiful! #dwts
— gee (@allrealitychat) May 8, 2018
Arike girllll u just killed that absolutely beautiful #DWTS
— Katie Newswanger (@NewswangerKatie) May 8, 2018
You continue to inspire me @Arike_O. Beautiful program @Gleb_Savchenko. You bring out her glory. #DWTS
— Lois Elfman (@LoisElfman) May 8, 2018
.@Arike_O just took over the dance floor like a different woman. So powerful and graceful at the same time💪🏾💃🏽#DWTS
— overeducated cat lady with no bumble matches (@xtinamox) May 8, 2018
Awww, @Arike_O and @Gleb_Savchenko's Foxtrot was really sweet! I like the message Arike told… so beautiful! #TeamMirrorBallers #DWTS #DWTS26 #DWTSAthletes
— DWTS Interact (@DWTSInteract) May 8, 2018
so beautifully performed, and so proud of @Arike_O! she danced so gracefully and wore those heels #dwts
— sandra☽ (@WitneyCarsonFan) May 8, 2018
Arike and Gleb, that was breathtaking, well done! #DWTS
— Karol-Ann Antille (@KarolAnnAntille) May 8, 2018
Ogunbowale is a Notre Dame women’s basketball player. According to ABC, “Ogunbowale is a junior at Notre Dame and member of the women’s basketball team, who recently won the 2018 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament. She was also named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player this year. During her college career, Ogunbowale has earned multiple honors, including: Naismith Trophy Top-30, NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Performer, NCAA All-Regional Team, WBCA All-Region Team, ACC All-Tournament First-Team, EspnW National Player of the Week (11/21/16), Preseason WNIT Tournament MVP and ACC Player of the Week.”
“Dancing with the Stars: Athletes” is hosted by Tom Bergeron and sports broadcaster Erin Andrews. The judging panel is composed of ballroom experts Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli. Their scores, along with America’s votes, determine who gets to stay and who is sent home as couples vie for the coveted Mirrorball trophy during the special, four-week season.
The current contestants include Olympic figure skaters Adam Rippon and Mirai Nagasu, NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Notre Dame basketball player Arike Ogunbowale. The remaining athletes competing this season include Chris Mazdzer, Jennie Finch, Josh Norman and Tonya Harding.
The all-athlete edition of “Dancing with the Stars” airs every Monday night at 8 p.m. on ABC.
What did you think of their performance tonight? Sound off in the comments section below!
Photo credit: ABC