The cast of Dancing with the Stars celebrated the hit Broadway musical and film Wicked on Tuesday night, with popular tunes, gravity-defying dances and performances that changed the dancers for good. Several cast members from Wicked and Wicked: For Good, including Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey and Michelle Yeoh, also made cameos via pre-taped video appearances, while director Jon M. Chu served as a guest judge, and even shared an exclusive, never-before-seen clip from Wicked: For Good’s number “Wonderful,” which, unlike the Broadway production, features Glinda in addition to the Wizard.

“We can’t wait to share with you the songs and magic of Wicked and Wicked: For Good,” Ariana began the show. Cynthia added: “Wicked is a beloved tale of two best friends who change each other’s lives for good.” Ariana invited the audience to “rejoicify” as the DWTS pro cast and troupe kicked off the evening with an epic performance to a medley of songs from the musical, including a few dance move Easter eggs for the hardcore fans. 

But the halfway point of the reality dance competition wasn’t good news for everyone. Pentatonix singer Scott Hoying and Rylee Arnold danced through life for the final time in the DWTS ballroom, bidding tearful but grateful goodbyes. “It’s meant everything. I’m so incredibly grateful for this,” Scott said. “Everyone, the cast, the crew, were so nice. Rylee is my favorite person in the world. I had so much fun, I learned so much. And it’s Wicked Night. The perfect way to go.” Rylee added through tears: “I couldn’t have asked for a better partner. I love you.” 

Here’s how all your favorite stars fared during episode 6, Wicked Night. (And yes, this means fan-favorite comedian Andy Richter survives another week.)

Scott Hoyi​​​​ng and Rylee Arnold

Dance: Contemporary to “The Wizard and I” 

Scott Hoying and Rylee Arnold perform during Wicked Night on DWTS© DisneyScott Hoying and Rylee Arnold perform during Wicked Night on DWTS

Scott has known Ariana for years and has previously performed with Cynthia (NBD). Oh, and he’s seen Wicked on Broadway “maybe 20 times,” so no pressure. “For me, this is the equivalent of Jordan Chiles finding out there’s a gymnastics night,” he said. He and Rylee kicked off the evening with an imaginative contemporary rendering of the film’s first song, though Scott’s execution of the choreography seemed to fall short throughout the dance. The judges unanimously agreed: Jon “wished some of the transitions were a little bit cleaner” and Bruno noted that Scott’s passion and enthusiasm may have hurt his ability to properly follow through on all of the moves. 

Scores: Carrie Ann: 7, Derek: 7, Jon: 7, Bruno: 7; Total: 28/40

Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy

Dance: Jazz to “What Is This Feeling?”

Alix may be best known as an influencer with millions of followers now, but she swears she had a musical theater phase growing up. “I am one of the worst singers there is, so I always got cast as, like, a tree,” she recalled. “So [now,] I get to live out my musical theater dreams.” That she did, expertly recreating Ariana’s mannerisms as Galinda, while Val rocked green eyeliner for his nod to Cynthia’s Elphaba. They, too, featured a small nod to the Wicked choreography, but the rest of the dance creatively told the story of two enemies trying and failing to coexist at school. Bruno dubbed the performance “delicious” and an ode to the “classic musical comedy” in the way the couple was able to infuse storytelling into their movements. “It wasn’t your most difficult dance, but it was your best dance,” Carrie Ann added. 

Scores: Carrie Ann: 9, Derek: 9, Jon: 8, Bruno: 9; Total: 35/40

Robert Irwin and Witney Carson

Dance: Jazz to “Dancing Through Life”

It was only right that season 34 heartthrob Robert got to play Wicked heartthrob Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey). And Jonathan himself helped introduce Robert’s dance, appearing alongside Cynthia and Ariana in a pretaped video to introduce his character: “He’s a rebel who believes its his resp to corrupt his fellow students. we larn theres more to him than meets the eye. but at first he is content just dancing through life.” Witney said they were “pulling out all the stops” to make sure she and Robert return to the top of the leaderboard, and that they did, with an action-packed jazz routine full of jumps, flips, spinning on library books (a feat that Jon pointed out isn’t as easy as it looks), and even throwing in a little worm action. Carrie Ann called the choreography “stunning” and “ambitious” and well-executed; Bruno said it “really was a joyful, theatrical treat,” and Derek suggested Robert hang up his zoo uniform to pursue a career on Broadway. 

Scores: Carrie Ann: 9, Derek: 9, Jon: 9, Bruno: 9; Total: 36/40

Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas

Dance: Quickstep to “Popular”

There was some controversy the last few days after fans complained online that they felt Whitney and Mark were getting preferential treatment with song choices, which Mark quickly (and humorously) cleared up on social media by revealing that “Popular” was actually their fourth choice for this week. But everything happens for a reason, it seems, because the two created an impossibly fun reimagining of the iconic number that garnered the first 10s of the season. Jon called the performance the perfect blend of technicality and art, while Carrie Ann noted how Whitney’s skills have improved over the course of the competition. “I feel like we are discovering a star before our eyes,” Derek said. “The way you animate, the way you perform, the way you draw us in… That was such a complicated routine. It was jam-packed. It was so advanced.” 

Scores: Carrie Ann: 10, Derek: 9, Jon: 10, Bruno: 10; Total: 39/40

Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach

Dance: Rumba to “I’m Not That Girl”

Dylan landed the highest score of the season (that far) last week, but doing the first Latin dance since week 2 (a performance he didn’t feel that he nailed) brought some pre-show anxiety. Painting a picture of the first hint at romantic sparks flying between Elphaba and Fiyero in Wicked, Dylan seemed plenty within his comfort zone in a dance that Bruno called “sensual,” joking that Dylan’s “hips are no problem at all.” Jon said he was “very impressed with how connected Dylan remained with the performance throughout. “You are being very strong in your movement. you are deliberate, intentional,” Derek added. 

Scores: Carrie Ann: 8, Derek: 8, Jon: 8, Bruno: 8; Total: 32/40

Andy Richter and Emma Slater

Dance: Jazz to “One Short Day”

Andy’s still here! The people’s princess survived all the way to the halfway point, and got an introduction from Michelle Yeoh (Madame Morrible) herself. “There will not be an episode of this show where I don’t think I’m going home,” Andy said, noting that he’s going to continue to fight for a spot in the competition as long as he can. “I definitely felt like, ‘well, I’m older now, I can’t do as much as I used to.’ And now, I’m like, ‘yes you can, you lazy bum.’ I just feel like a better person now. I feel more alive.” The comedian, 58, likely won’t ever land top scores on DWTS, but he is improving — Andy is noticeably lighter on his feet and perpetually the guy on the dance floor having the most fun. “Even the great Oz himself could not have created a better illusion,” Bruno said before Andy landed his first 7s of the season. “We are all bewitched. And, actually, you were on time. It’s a miracle!” 

Scores: Carrie Ann: 7, Derek: 6, Jon: 7, Bruno: 7; Total: 27/40

Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten

Dance: Contemporary to “Defying Gravity”

Elaine didn’t understand her scoring last week (a mix of 7s and 8s) despite great reviews. She’s also battling a foot injury that leaves her “feeling limitations,” much unlike the “unlimited” theme of her song. But everyone deserves a chance to fly, and Elaine got that chance Tuesday night with a theatrical performance to the musical’s biggest number. “Defying Gravity? My gosh, this will be the closest I’ll ever get to playing Elphaba,” Elaine said. “What an honor.” And the actress got pretty close to Elphaba in the gravity-defying dance, featuring synchronized spins, lifts, a shocking trust fall and a nod to the original Broadway production with Elaine flying high into the rafters of the DWTS ballroom for the grand finale. “There are moments that happen on the show that are magical, that no one will ever forget how it made them feel,” Carrie Ann said, noting that she “burst into tears” during the performance. 

Scores: Carrie Ann: 9, Derek: 9, Jon: 9, Bruno: 9; Total: 36/40

Jen Affleck and Jan Ravnik

Dance: Foxtrot to “As Long as You’re Mine”

Jan gave fans a laugh on Instagram Live earlier this week when he said he would be portraying the Wicked character “Alfredo” this week. (He meant Fiyero, but close enough.) Jen played Elphaba, a character that she said she especially relates to as a Latina woman who grew up in an extremely white area: “When I moved to Utah, I moved to an all-white high school… I felt like an outcast. But for me, being different is what took me the farthest.” She and Jan planned to “push it” with even more difficult choreography to finally push past the middle of the pack scores they’ve been receiving. Their dramatic, sultry foxtrot garnered compliments from the judges, but still not top scores. Derek appreciated Jen’s arms and execution, noting that taking on difficult choreography is less important that putting extra effort into existing movement. “It’s not what you do, it’s how you do it,” Bruno added. 

Scores: Carrie Ann: 8, Derek: 8, Jon: 8, Bruno: 8; Total: 32/40

Danielle Fishel and Pasha Pashkov

Dance: Argentine Tango to “No Good Deed” 

Judges have been hoping to see a different side of Danielle after last week’s performance, which she and Pasha aimed to bring this week with a moody performance that’s “so the opposite of Topanga,” as Danielle put it. “I do not want to go home this week,” she said. The dark, acrobatic performance featured some precise legwork on Danielle’s part that Carrie Ann called her “breakthrough” and Bruno called “pure, real Argentine tango” despite receiving the most difficult song of the night to choreography. “I want you to win this thing, so the thing I would give you is I wish the intensity grew at the end,” Jon added. 

Scores: Carrie Ann: 9, Derek: 9, Jon: 9, Bruno: 9; Total: 36/40

Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa

Dance: Rumba to “For Good”

The last song of the Wicked: For Good soundtrack rounded out Wicked Night, as Jordan and Ezra aimed to better their previously solid scores. The two had a moment of “holding space,” during which Jordan showed off a killer set of green acrylic nails that were done by Cynthia’s same nail tech. “I actually met Cynthia Erivo at Coachella,” Jordan added. If their lyrical, emotional performance is any indication how how much of a mess fans will be by the end of Wicked: For Good, we’re going to need to bring even more tissues than previously planned. “Cynthia would be proud,” Bruno gushed, before the judges awarded the couple a nearly-perfect score.

Scores: Carrie Ann: 10, Derek: 9, Jon: 10, Bruno: 10; Total: 39/40