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“I walked off that dance floor, I just felt distraught,” The Agency’s CEO, Mauricio Umansky, said on Tuesday night of his performance during week 2 of Dancing with the Stars that earned him the night’s lowest score from the judges.
“I need to deliver this week.”
And deliver, he did. During Season 32’s third episode, which aired on Tuesday, Umansky performed what appeared to be a flawless routine that showed he deserved to be in the running for the Mirrorball trophy.
Umansky explained how, just before he went on stage last week, a trailer for The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills that addressed details about the upheaval in his marriage went live. Seeing his kids in the audience after seeing the trailer — having not spoken to them about it — threw off his mental focus.
“I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a failure like that where I’ve blacked out,” Umansky added.
“I want you to reframe this because the salsa you did at the end was really extraordinary,” Umansky’s dance partner, Emma Slater, told him during rehearsal for their performance on Tuesday.
Week 3 on the show was Motown Night, and the dance the pair was slated to perform was the foxtrot, a dance performed “in frame,” Slater explained.
“Mauricio can use me, I’ve got his back and in that, he can release his mind,” she said.
“This week, I really need to redeem myself,” Umansky told cameras. “I know I have it — I really just want to conquer this thing, it’s so important.”
Slater and Umansky glided across the stage during their performance, shimmering in silver sequin and glitter outfits as they danced to The Spinners’ Working My Way Back to You. In significant contrast to the previous week, Umansky kept his step and sailed along smoothly.
“Oh, he’s back!” host Alfonso Ribeiro said as Umansky and Slater were cheered on by the audience, which included Umansky’s family and friends.
“Mauricio is back on track!” judge Bruno Tonioli told Umansky afterward. “And I have to say, I respect the amount of work you put into this. You were so concentrated on getting it right … He’s not Fred Astaire yet — not yet, but welcome back.”
“Now I know why last week was so frustrating for you,” judge Carrie Ann Inaba said. “Because you can dance like that? That was amazing. You are very smooth … It was jam-packed with elegance and suavecito! I know ‘suave’ was last week, but it was suave as heck. Sell me some real estate, Mau.”
Judge Derek Hough had the most critical words to say to Umansky, but still admired his incredible rebound from the week before.
“You came back so strong,” Hough said. “That was such a lovely dance. Yes, there’s lots of work to be done on the frame, on the footwork, on the smoothness, on the gliding across the floor. But, massive improvement, man. Well done. Way to come back.”
During Motown night, Good Morning America’s Michael Strahan served as a guest judge, and offered his respect for Umansky’s comeback.
“I can’t imagine having what happened to you last week and coming out this week and dancing the way that you just danced,” Strahan said. “Because it’s so hard to overcome and get out of your own head. You did it masterfully tonight.”
While awaiting the judges’ scores, Umansky expressed his support for Israel and the conflict that erupted in Gaza over the weekend.
“Tonight, I stood by Israel, and I danced for Israel, and we gave it our all,” he said.
Despite receiving praise for his comeback, Umansky’s score from the judges was less than what he and Slater seemed to expect — they received 23 out of a possible 40 points, placing them in third-to-last place based on the judges’ scores alone among the evening’s competing couples.
By the time audience votes had clocked in however, Umansky and Slater were declared safe from elimination and were not among the last three couples remaining on the potential chopping block for the night. Ultimately, Tyson Beckford and Jenna Johnson were sent home.
Week 4 of Dancing with the Stars will be “Disney 100 Night.”
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