The 'Selling Sunset' star tells ET that getting into character definitely helped her earn her best score yet.
Chrishell Stause brought Cinderella's story to life on Monday night's episode of Dancing With the Stars. The Selling Sunset star and her partner, Gleb Savchenko, were a Disney Night dream on the dance floor.
"We all know Cinderella had a rough start, so I really relate to her in many ways," Stause said in a pre-taped package that aired ahead of her performance. "It's the ultimate rags to riches story. Cinderella was dreaming of a different life. That's what I was doing, watching soaps, wishing I could be one of those glamorous girls on TV. I auditioned, and I ended up booking the role. It changed my life."
The pair performed a Waltz to "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" from Cinderella, and earned praise from judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough.
"Gorgeous! You really look like the ultimate Disney princess," Tonioli raved.
"You're together. You guys are stunning. You guys are like, magic together!" Inaba added, encouraging Stause to work on her shoulders. "Well done."
Hough agreed. "This was a beautiful dance," he marveled.
Savchenko and Stause's score of 22/30 was a big improvement over their last two dances; they earned a 13/30 for their Tango during the premiere, and 18/30 for their Rumba on last week's episode.
Speaking with ET via Zoom shortly after her Disney Night performance, Stause admitted that slipping into her beautiful Cinderella costume definitely helped her be a little more confident in the ballroom this week.
"To be honest with you, it really helped me dance better," she shared. "With the costume, the gloves and the tiara, I really felt more graceful. I really felt like I was putting that character on like the outfit. I feel like it really helped me feel the movements, when the dress is pushing out and looking so beautiful."
"The goal was to get a 7," added Savchenko. "I said, 'Listen, if we can get just one 7, I will be so happy.' And we got an 8 and I was like, 'What is going on? Who are you?'"
Last Friday, Stause shared on Instagram that getting ready to channel Cinderella was a "full circle moment."
"I am SO excited I get to be Cinderella for a night! Is this real life-don’t wake me up if not😜" she wrote. "Make sure to vote so I can go home in a carriage and not a pumpkin 😅
#TeamSellingIt #DWTS #reallifecinderellastory #reallifecinderellamoment."
Nerves seemed to settle in a few days later, however, as Stause revealed over the weekend that her trip up the stairs had her a little worried about a possible blunder during the live show. But by Monday, Savchenko appeared fully confident in their ability to kill it on the dance floor, and that's exactly what they did!
During Dancing With the Stars' Top 13 Night next week -- airing at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC -- Stause and Savchenko will perform a Foxtrot to "Adore You" by Harry Styles. As we patiently wait to see if they'll be able to top their Disney Night routine, tune into Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday to hear more from the season 29 couples.
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