Dancing with the Stars celebrates its 500th episode as Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong earn their first perfect score of the season

LOS ANGELES – “Dancing with the Stars” celebrated its 500th episode on Tuesday night. The glitz and glamor of the ballroom began in 2005 and is now enjoying its strongest season yet.

The remaining six couples each competed against each other twice in this round: the first time, they performed their own interpretation of a memorable dance from the past.

Actress Chandler Kinney and her partner Brandon Armstrong earned the season’s first perfect score for their Argentine tango. When it came time for the second round, the “Instant Dance,” Kinney and Armstrong posted a second set of perfect scores.

So what was this “instant dance”? Each star had to blindly draw a dance style and was then given the song to perform to in front of the judges and fans. They only had five minutes to change, listen to the song and prepare a routine.

In the end, basketball stars Dwight Howard and Daniella Karagach were eliminated based on the combined results of the jury and online viewer voting.

“I had an amazing experience,” Howard said.

Karagach added: “A lot of people said we couldn’t do it, and we did it. And for me that’s a victory.”

The five couples who will reach the semi-finals of next week’s Len Goodman Mirror Ball Trophy: Danny Amendola and Witney Carson; Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson; Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten; Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong; and Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold.

“Dancing with the Stars” airs Tuesdays on ABC and Disney+.