“I had an amazing experience. Daniella is an amazing partner. I’m glad that she was here for me. The show meant so much.” After his elimination, Dwight Howard poured his heart out for his journey, and his partner, Daniella Karagach. At the time she shared, “You know, a lot of people said he couldn’t do it, and we did it. For me, that’s a win.” But did her recent comments mean something else?

The Emmy Nominated Choreographer wrote, “Sorry but he killed it 🔥,” on her Instagram story. The post was about their second performance from the 500th episode special. “@dwighthoward and @daniellakaragach with a 🔥 Paso Doble for #DWTS500th! 🤩 #DWTS,” read the caption. She also left a comment appreciating her dance partner under the DWTS’ post: “Nailed it @dwighthoward.”

During the special episode, the pairs had to perform twice, one with their regular routine, and the other was a tricky challenge.

‘The Instant Dance Challenge’ meant every pair would receive a song and dance style and have only 5 minutes to prepare. They performed Paso Doble on ‘Victorious’ from Panic! At The Disco. The judges noticed how quickly Dwight Howard learned the steps, but they thought the dance had timing problems. This is why with two 7s and one 8, the total score was 22, the lowest of the night.

Maybe Daniella Karagach is just appreciative of the partner, despite the low scores. As the judges pointed out, learning on the whim is not easy, especially if the partner is former NBA champion and 6 foot 10. With his larger-than-life structure, and close to no experience of dancing before, the journey so far has been commendable.

Was Dwight Howard’s elimination unjust?

Many viewers opine the challenge was a bit stressful, not just for the dancers, but for the viewers as well. Some do not even want it back on the show. So if we were to leave it out, how was Howard for the evening? The Paso Doble was the final act for the pair on the show, but before that, they performed their regular routine. Dwight Howard and Daniella Karagach chose ‘Argentine Tango‘ inspired by the Season 23 performance on ‘Santa Maria (Del Buen Ayre)’ by the Gotan Project. Judge Carrie Ann, rated 8. She wanted to see more dancing from the NBA Champion. The other two judges rated 9 each.

The total score of 26 was also the lowest from this round, and their 22 from the next, meant others performed better. DH12 and Karagach received a total of 48, 3 short of the next pair with 51. In many previous episodes too they had the lowest scores but were saved by audience votes.

Earlier on a podcast, Dwight Howard even accepted that he forgot a few steps and improvised instead. So, no doubt the 3x DPOY was improving, maybe not at the pace to match with the other contestants. Nevertheless, Karagach is proud of her partner. “I’m proud of us @dwighthoward one of my fave @dancingwiththestars seasons yet. Week to week we faced different challenges thrown at us apart from our height difference being the biggest one…I’ll always be there for you. See you at the finale💜 Thank you to all who’ve believed and supported us. We are so grateful! #doubled 🤝✨”

The pair will be back on the finale, albeit not in the running for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.