Julia Stiles had a little feedback of her own after Ezra Sosa turned up the pressure in the rehearsal room. The actress and her “Dancing With the Stars” partner hit a rough patch while preparing for Horror Movie Night, with Sosa’s tough coaching pushing Stiles to speak up about how she works best. By the time they cleared the air, there were apologies, a little reassurance, and one very blunt suggestion: Sosa needed some sleep.
Their Argentine tango ultimately earned a disappointing score, but the pair still escaped a double elimination that ended the competition for two other couples.
Julia Stiles Pushes Back During A Tense ‘DWTS’ Rehearsal
According to Page Six, the tension started as Stiles and Sosa rehearsed their Argentine tango to “The Dogs Attack” from the 1976 horror film “The Omen.” Sosa knew they had competition. With Jenna Dewan and Amber Glenn tackling the same dance style, the pro wanted Stiles ready to deliver and warned her to “be prepared.” But his determination to sharpen the routine soon created friction.
As Sosa corrected her technique, including reminders about “no heel leads,” Stiles became visibly overwhelmed. The 45-year-old actress eventually stopped to explain why his approach wasn’t helping. “I just don’t respond well to frustration,” Stiles told him. “What gets the best work out of me is to not be like, ‘You’re doing it wrong! You’re just doing this, and you’re just doing that!’”
For Stiles, the problem wasn’t being asked to improve. It was how those corrections were coming across.
Ezra Sosa Admits He Was ‘Being Too Hard’
Sosa recognized that he had taken the pressure up a notch too far. During his confessional, the 25-year-old acknowledged that he was “being too hard” on his celebrity partner, explaining that his expectations came from knowing what she could accomplish. “I want to push her because I know her excellence,” he said. “I know what she can bring to the table. And I just don’t want her to be disappointed when we perform this routine.”
Back in rehearsal, Sosa apologized and admitted he had been “pushing too far.” Stiles, however, made it clear that she wasn’t looking for him to tiptoe around her. “It’s not your job to protect my ego or babysit me. I can handle it.”
Then came the affectionate jab that summed up their exhausting rehearsal. “I love you. You don’t have to apologize. I think you need to get more sleep, because you’re a cranky b-tch when you’re tired,” she said.
Sosa didn’t argue with that assessment. “I’m just tired,” he said.
Julia Stiles Survives A Difficult Night In The Ballroom
Unfortunately, working through their rehearsal tension didn’t translate into a big score. Stiles and Sosa received 26 out of 40 for their Argentine tango, with Derek Hough describing the performance as a “low” in her Season 35 journey.
Still, the judges’ scores weren’t the end of their story. The pair survived Tuesday’s double elimination, while Tyler Cameron and Jackson Olson were sent home alongside their respective professional partners, Sharna Burgess and Emma Slater.
Elsewhere in the ballroom, Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson had a very different night, earning the season’s first perfect score. Their contemporary routine received a 10 from every judge, along with enthusiastic praise.
“I could literally taste the fear, like being trapped in a nightmare,” Bruno said.
Carrie Ann added, “That was the Contemporary we’ve been waiting for. Bravo!”
Derek praised the physical performance, telling them, “The way you portrayed it and contorted your body was fantastic.”
Shirley was equally impressed: “I’ve never seen anything like that. I loved it.”
Carrie Ann Inaba And Val Chmerkovskiy Clear The Air
The night also brought a separate moment of reconciliation involving Carrie Ann Inaba and Val Chmerkovskiy. In footage obtained by PEOPLE, the judge and professional dancer were seen talking and hugging after the October 27 episode, following the controversy surrounding his response to her earlier critique of Johnson, his wife.
As their conversation attracted attention, Inaba addressed the people watching. “So everyone’s staring. We are coworkers, and we are completely cordial. We are good, okay?”
Chmerkovskiy later told PEOPLE that speaking with Inaba brought a sense of relief. “It felt cathartic relief, you know?” he said. “I think it was just really important for me to make sure that she feels safe and knows that, firsthand from me, I want nothing but love for her.”
The controversy began after Inaba flagged a lift in Johnson and Shum’s Super Bowl Night performance on October 13. Chmerkovskiy subsequently posted a since-deleted TikTok comment referencing Will Smith’s infamous Oscars slap. “You almost saw the Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night.”
He later apologized, called the remark a “poor decision,” and served a one-episode suspension, missing Dedication Night on October 20.
Following his return, Chmerkovskiy emphasized that he wanted Inaba to hear his feelings directly. “I want nothing but joy for her, and as much as the world might say otherwise, I want her to know how I feel, not how others want me to feel, but how I genuinely feel,” he told PEOPLE. “I will have nothing but love for Carrie Ann. I have nothing but respect for what she has to say.”
Catch new episodes of “Dancing With The Stars” Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC and Disney+, with next-day streaming available on Hulu.
