NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Entertainment

Dancing with the Stars NZ episode 9: A night of 80s throwbacks and epic comebacks

Bethany Reitsma
By Bethany Reitsma
Senior lifestyle Writer·NZ Herald·
22 May, 2022 08:45 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Kerre Woodham and Jared Neame are back on the dance floor. Photo / Supplied

Kerre Woodham and Jared Neame are back on the dance floor. Photo / Supplied

OPINION:

Being handed the reins to recap tonight's episode of Dancing with the Stars feels a little bit like being asked to commentate on the Hunger Games.

Maybe it's the glittery costumes, the cast dropping like flies because of Covid-19, or the fact that I'm stepping into the role of reviewer because Jenni has gone bush.

But the brutal fight to the death - I mean, elimination - will have to wait until tomorrow night. Tonight, we got not one, not two, but three epic comebacks to the Dancing with the Stars stage.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

With Eric Murray and Rhys Mathewson having tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this week, previously eliminated contestants Alex Vaz and Kerre Woodham got the call-up to return to the competition.

And while Woodham is here for a good time, we know that Vaz will be reaching for that glitter ball - he won't have to reach that far, have you seen how tall he is?

Tonight's semi-final took us on a journey through the decades. Brodie Kane and Enrique Johns were the first to hit the dance floor with a tango, and boy did Kane bring the ferocity with this one. The pair wowed with a move I like to call one arm, one leg, one nod of the head - you get the picture - and cemented their status as ones to watch for the finale.

Alex Vaz is here for the long haul - but is his shirt? Photo / Supplied
Alex Vaz is here for the long haul - but is his shirt? Photo / Supplied

Alex Vaz and Brittany Coleman returned with a sizzling samba and the reality star's hips did not lie. Never one to miss the chance to whip off his shirt, Vaz showed us just how excited he was to be back by throwing it at the judges.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Judge Lance Savali was so flustered by this he compared their dance to "watching a sex scene with your parents and you don't know where to look" - while Elektra Shock advised Vaz to spread his legs a little wider on the dance floor. Vaz, maybe it's time to give Chris Hipkins a call?

Dave Letele and Kristie Williams treated us to another tango to Haddaway's What Is Love. Letele melted our hearts as always with a shout-out to his beloved wife for supporting him on his Dancing journey. But as noted by the judges, he lacked a bit of confidence with his moves tonight.

I can't be the only one who said a prayer for Brad Coleman's eyes when he and Jazz Thornton took to the stage with a cheeky cha cha to Lady Gaga - her high pony had the power to slay just as much as her moves. These two Just Danced their way to one of the highest scores of the night.

Kerre Woodham and Jared Neame are back on the dance floor. Photo / Supplied
Kerre Woodham and Jared Neame are back on the dance floor. Photo / Supplied

Kerre Woodham and Jared Neame returned with the bang Elektra Shock was asking for back in week 2 with an energetic quickstep. Woodham couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she glided around the dance floor in a black ball gown and matching Bridgerton-esque gloves. Turns out when you don't have time to think, something great can happen.

Three's a crowd, but not on Dancing with the Stars. The third epic comeback came during the second half of the night which featured two 80s-inspired trio dances.

Fan favourite Sonia Gray, who was eliminated in week one, returned to dance a cha cha with Letele and Williams. The judges gave them a 24 out of 30, proving they should have kept Gray in the competition from the beginning.

Fan favourite Sonia Gray returned. Justice for Sonia. Photo / Supplied
Fan favourite Sonia Gray returned. Justice for Sonia. Photo / Supplied

No one asked for Clinton Randell to take to the dance floor in a backless waistcoat tonight but that's what we got, as the show's host joined Brodie and Enrique for their trio dance.

Turns out their third was originally going to be Woodham, but they had to rethink when the radio host returned to the competition. The question on all of our lips was "how desperate were you?" which Randell conveniently asked for us - but they seemed to impress the judges, earning the highest score of the night.

Tomorrow night we'll see three more trio dances from Vaz, Jazz and Kerre, followed by an elimination. May the odds be ever in their favour.

The judges' leaderboard

Brodie Kane and Enrique Johns: 26/30, and 27/30 in dance two

Jazz Thornton and Brad Coleman: 26/30

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Alex Vaz and Brittany Coleman: 23/30

Kerre Woodham and Jared Neame: 22/30

David Letele and Kristie Williams: 22/30, and 24/30 in dance two

• Dancing with the Stars airs Sunday 7pm and Monday 7.30pm on Three and ThreeNow.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Entertainment

Premium
Opinion

Opinion: Stop blaming Jaws for ruining movies

20 Jun 06:00 AM
Entertainment

The Kiwi adventurer who tried to stop the Titan OceanGate disaster

20 Jun 01:00 AM
Entertainment

Lorde releases new single ahead of Virgin album

19 Jun 10:47 PM

Help for those helping hardest-hit

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Entertainment

Premium
Opinion: Stop blaming Jaws for ruining movies

Opinion: Stop blaming Jaws for ruining movies

20 Jun 06:00 AM

OPINION: Why Jaws isn't the villain in the film's blockbuster evolution.

The Kiwi adventurer who tried to stop the Titan OceanGate disaster

The Kiwi adventurer who tried to stop the Titan OceanGate disaster

20 Jun 01:00 AM
Lorde releases new single ahead of Virgin album

Lorde releases new single ahead of Virgin album

19 Jun 10:47 PM
Premium
From Jacinda Ardern to Air NZ: 32 of the best lifestyle and entertainment stories of the year so far

From Jacinda Ardern to Air NZ: 32 of the best lifestyle and entertainment stories of the year so far

19 Jun 10:00 PM
Inside Leigh Hart’s bonkers quest to hand-deliver a SnackaChangi chip to every Kiwi
sponsored

Inside Leigh Hart’s bonkers quest to hand-deliver a SnackaChangi chip to every Kiwi

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP