Daniella Karagach pulled off a Halloween miracle and saved her partner from elimination. And this is how Dwight Howard repays her? The 6’10” NBA legend has been on a low score run for most of Dancing With the Stars season 33. Going into Halloween night, Karagach was under some pressure to keep them in the running for the Mirrorball. However, DH tried to alleviate some of the pressure with some Halloween spirit which Karagach shared.

While recording some spooktastic moments for the between-rehearsals-behind-the-scenes, Howard snuck up on Karagach wearing a scary mask. We’d really rate his sneaking-up skills a 5 on a scale of 10. But with his massive frame and the mask, 5’3″ Karagach had a huge reaction. She fell to the floor screaming, but Howard was courteous enough to hold her up.

She did, however, scream, “Are you crazy?” Interestingly, she was telling the cameras before the prank that, “the guy just always commits.” Dwight sure did commit to Halloween.

The interesting bit, if DWTS viewers recall, is the context behind Howard’s Halloween night performance. The Mirrorball-winning choreographer crafted a dance based on Howard’s fear of the bogeyman. And some commenters under Karagach’s post pointed out he’s wearing a bogeyman mask in his prank. So does that mean his fear has been conquered?

Howard really did go into the night’s performance with confidence. And Karagach had a huge part in that, along with sending him to the top 6.

Dwight Howard’s new Halloween milestone

Daniella Karagach is a favorite of the judges and viewers for good reason. She’s one of the few choreography geniuses who makes her partner’s physical strengths shine. It’s how she led Iman Shumpert to the win in season 30. Shumpert is physically different from the NBA center she’s paired up with but Karagach rose to the challenge.

Along with taking inspiration from Dwight’s fears, she choreographed a routine with lifts and spins that showcased the NBA champ’s athleticism and height.

The judges loved it, even the hard-to-impress Carrie Ann Inaba gave her first 10 of the season. The feedback had Karagach in tears.

Karagach expressed they focused on positivity and manifestation to break their score of drought. Howard finally got his best performance in the ballroom so far. Despite landing in the bottom, he was saved from elimination.

Bachelor Nation was wildly disappointed to see Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber go in his stead. But NBA fans rallied behind Howard, highlighting that he’s shown remarkable improvement. Howard is still in the running for the trophy and we’re on the edge of our seats waiting to see if he keeps his high-score streak going.