Tatyana Ali survives tough ‘Dancing with the Stars’ critique as Cynthia Erivo prepares to join judges

Tatyana Ali advances on Dancing with the Stars after a 28-point Horror Movie Night performance, while Cynthia Erivo is set to guest judge Disney Night.

Tatyana Ali is still in the running for the Mirrorball Trophy after a challenging night on “Dancing with the Stars,” where her latest performance drew sharply different reactions from the judges. The actress and her professional partner, Jan Ravnik, made it through a double elimination on Oct. 27, even after guest judge Shirley Ballas delivered one of the night’s lowest scores.

Ali and Ravnik performed a paso doble inspired by the horror film “Sinners,” dancing to Miles Caton’s “I Lied to You.” The routine earned 28 out of 40 points, with Ballas awarding the pair a 4 while Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli each gave them an 8. The scores reflected a divide between the performance’s theatrical impact and the judges’ assessment of its technical execution.

In its live coverage of Horror Movie Night, USA TODAY reported that the judges praised Ali’s intensity but raised questions about how clearly the routine demonstrated the paso doble’s defining elements. Inaba called it Ali’s most powerful dance yet, while Hough praised her ability to command attention. Ballas, however, argued that the choreography lacked enough recognizable paso doble technique.

That criticism did not send Ali home. Her performance was part of a tense episode in which the judges’ scores and audience votes from two weeks were combined. After no couple was eliminated during the previous week’s Dedication Night, the competition returned with two exits instead of one.

Tyler Cameron and professional partner Sharna Burgess, along with Jackson Olson and Emma Slater, were eliminated. Ali and Ravnik advanced, leaving eight couples in the competition.

Ali’s survival sets up another week of competition as the show shifts from horror-inspired choreography to a Disney-themed episode. That upcoming installment will bring Cynthia Erivo to the ballroom as a guest judge, adding a new name to the panel for the next round.

ABC announced Erivo’s appearance ahead of the season’s Disney Night broadcast. The actor and singer, known for her work on stage and screen, will join the judging lineup for the episode scheduled for Monday, Nov. 2.

For Ali, the challenge now is to turn the judges’ mixed feedback into a stronger showing in the next round. Her Horror Movie Night score left her among the lower-scoring couples of the evening, but the result also showed that a single judges’ score does not determine who stays. Audience voting and the competition’s combined scoring helped decide which couples continued.

With the field narrowing and Erivo set to join the panel, the next episode will offer Ali another opportunity to show growth as the competition moves closer to its finale.