Warning! The following contains spoilers from the Dancing With The Stars episode “Dedication Night.” Stream the episode with a Disney+ subscription, and read at your own risk!
Dancing With The Stars always gets the tears flowing on “Dedication Night,” and Season 35 was no exception. With a Heath Ledger tribute from Julia Stiles, as well as other touching moments between contestants and the people who inspired them, there was no shortage of sweet moments. This made one weird moment stick out like a sore thumb.
The ABC series is a great vehicle for promoting movies on the upcoming 2026 schedule, especially if former cast members are in the movie. In theory, DWTS was the perfect time for Season 32 winner Xochitl Gomez to promote The Cat In The Hat, but the execution couldn’t have been any sloppier.
Dedication Night Featured A Tribute To Heath Ledger, A Gender Reveal, And More
It was speculated for weeks that Julia Stiles might pay tribute to the late Heath Ledger on Dedication Week, but I don't think anyone saw a 10 Things I Hate About You reunion happening. The actress ended her routine onstage with former co-stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gabrielle Union, Larisa Oleynik, Susan May Pratt, and Andrew Keegan.
It was a highlight of the night, but not the only thing Dancing With The Stars did that fans loved. Tatyana Ali's tribute to James Avery with Alfonso Ribeiro was a great Fresh Prince of Bel-Air nod, and I loved hearing the rest of the cast talk about their parents or others who helped them along the way. Tyler Cameron even confirmed his fiancé's pregnancy and did a live gender reveal for the audience to enjoy.
The Cat In The Hat Promotion Came At The Worst Possible Time
Immediately after the gender reveal, Xochitl Gomez and Brandon Armstrong jumped into this wild dance routine meant to promote The Cat In The Hat. It was colorful, there were Thing 1 and Thing 2 creatures, and a CGI Cat dancing in the background. It was jarring, and totally off-brand for everything we saw during the episode to that point.
It felt like a misstep for the film's marketing, which is no doubt still recovering from the whole evil Cat In The Hat hoax from September. The movie's release is still a couple of weeks out, so why not do that dance on any other night that isn't the most emotional episode?
Perhaps Dancing With The Stars needed to fill time, especially since no one was eliminated. Unfortunately, it puts all the more pressure on the Halloween episode, which will result in a double elimination. Perhaps that's why the show didn't wait on the Cat In The Hat moment, though I really think it should've. If nothing else, I certainly won't forget that it's in theaters soon.
Dancing With The Stars continues on ABC on Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. This season is flying by, and I'm beginning to wonder who will be around on finale night. This Halloween episode should make that clearer, so we'll see who gets sent home!
