On October 28, 2023, Danielle Fishel delivered a captivating performance on *Dancing With the Stars*, impressing both the audience and judges with a Halloween-themed Viennese waltz. Accompanied by her professional partner, Pasha Pashkov, Fishel took to the dance floor amid the Halloween festivities, earning a score of 33 out of 40. The performance featured a dramatic backdrop with Fishel ending the dance covered in fake blood, a detail she thoughtfully communicated to her young sons prior to the show.
Fishel, 44, expressed her delight at having her two sons, Adler, 6, and Keaton, 4, present for the Halloween night. They had previously attended the premiere and were excited to return in costume, with Adler dressed as Freddy Krueger and Keaton as a ninja. “They were like, ‘Mom, for Halloween, can we come to the show?’ I said, ‘Absolutely,’” Fishel told *Us Weekly*.
Ahead of her performance, Fishel felt it was necessary to prepare her sons for the more intense moments of the dance. “I did think, ‘Oh my gosh, I have to warn them that Pasha basically tackles me in this dance,’” she recalled. She reassured her children, who are fans of wrestling, that the encounter was choreographed and harmless. Her sons responded positively, giving her a thumbs up in understanding.
The judges, including Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli, and guest judge Cheryl Burke, responded favorably to the performance, awarding Fishel and Pashkov a mix of scores, including three eights and one nine. Following the performance, they gained an additional two points during the dance marathon relay. Pashkov reflected on their scoring strategy, noting, “We’re just going to commit. We have an amazing song… we’re very excited about the style and the song.”
Fishel is keenly aware of the challenges that come with competing on the show, especially as a contestant with no previous dance experience. Each week, she focuses on specific areas for improvement to avoid feeling overwhelmed. “When you have zero dance experience… if you were to take all of the things that you have to learn and to improve on and try to do them all every single week, you would just be completely overwhelmed,” Fishel explained.
Looking ahead, Fishel and Pashkov are preparing for *DWTS*’ Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night scheduled for November 4, where they will perform a solo number and participate in a team dance. Fishel hinted that the style of their next routine aligns well with the judges’ feedback from the previous performances. “It’s another opportunity to take what they said and really implement it and show them that we can do it,” she said.
*Dancing With the Stars* airs on ABC and Disney+ on Tuesdays at 20:00 ET, with episodes available for streaming on Hulu the following day. For fans looking to engage further, *Us Weekly* invites viewers to join the Bracketology DWTS fantasy league, allowing them to compete against other fans and editors while predicting which pairs will reach the finale in season 34.
