Julia Stiles cried in her trailer after she and partner Ezra Sosa scored 16/30 for their Sept. 22 “The Door” tango on DWTS; she said Sosa sat with her as she processed the judges’ criticism. The pair were later declared safe and will return in Week 3.
Derek Hough gave them 6, while Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli each awarded 5. Tonioli cited stumbles that disrupted the dance’s flow; Inaba praised Stiles’ posture but said her control sometimes made the performance look stiff. Their season-opening quickstep had earned 18/30.
Stiles said she began the night more confident than at the premiere, but the live performance felt different from rehearsal. She said she is trying not to shut down when criticized. Sosa described her as a perfectionist and said mistakes are inevitable when celebrities learn a new dance each week; he was already focused on rehearsal for Week 3’s Yacht Rock Night.
