Despite performing a beautiful contemporary dance that earned them a perfect score on Monday night’s Dancing with the Stars, duo Frankie Muniz and Witney Carson were convinced they would be going home.
“I’ll tell you this. We were pretty sure we were going home tonight,” Muniz told Us Weekly after the live episode.
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“We expected it,” Carson agreed. “I can usually tell. I usually have an instinct. I guess I was really wrong.”
The pair ended up receiving an outstanding score, while competitors Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev, as well as Vanessa Lachey and Maks Chmerkovskiy, were sent home in a surprise double elimination.
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The perfect score for Muniz and Carson is motivating the former child star to try even harder for victory next week.
“I feel like I’ve been motivated from every week. Even when we had the Disney week, we had two 10’s and a nine — having that great score motivated me for the next week,” Muniz added. “Every week is continuing to motivate me, but especially this week. I didn’t want to go out on that note. I wanted to come out and do the best I can. I want people to see that I’m working hard, and I’m not the guy who makes mistakes. It happened, but this was amazing. I’m thrilled. I never thought I would see a perfect score, never mind two, and it’s amazing. I don’t know. I love it.”
#TeamFrannyPack will be joined by former DWTS winner Alfonso Ribeiro next week for a trio dance, and Carson said she hopes his energy will help Muniz.
“He doesn’t get nervous, and I don’t know what goes through his mind when he does that,” she added. “Hopefully, that can rub off on Frankie a little bit — not be so neurotic and crazy.”
“We’ve been friends for years, and we have the same work ethic. I’m not afraid of him not wanting to put in the time to make the trio dance as good as it can be,” the Malcolm in the Middle star said. “So I think we’re going to be good. No, he’s really good. That’s the only thing I’m a little afraid of because I had to keep up with him.”
Dancing With the Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
Photo Credit: Instagram / @dancingabc
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“Reverse the Curse” – Back from tribal, tensions rise following the exit of a particularly historic player. The final five immunity challenge ends in a showdown and features one of the closest finishes the show has ever seen. Jeff reveals the outcomes of the remaining in-game fan votes and how they impact the final stage of the competition. Then, one castaway will be crowned Sole Survivor and awarded the $2 million prize, during the three-hour live season finale, on SURVIVOR 50, Wednesday, May 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ Premium plan subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*. Jeff Probst serves as host and executive producer. Pictured: Aubry Bracco Photo: Robert Voets/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
