Last night, Dancing With The Stars held a special Taylor Swift-themed night, where each of the teams performed a routine to a selection from the pop star’s catalog.
One of the groups, Jason Mraz and dancer Daniella Karagach were shocked when they received a perfect score (40/40) for their tango to “Don’t Blame Me,” from Swift’s 2017 album, Reputation (as People notes).
“I was more nervous tonight than I was on the first night because I have that experience of forgetting moves,” Mraz told the judges after the performance, as he felt he had struggled in the previous weeks, but was now fueled by the power of the Swifties. “I went home and pet my cat, I cried a little bit, I meditated, I did my yoga and I’m here,” he added.
TONIGHT on Dancing with the Stars: A Celebration of Taylor Swift, it’s a Swiftie soundtrack and we could dance to this beat forever more! 💃🕺 Tune in live at 8pm EST on @ABCNetwork and @DisneyPlus. BYO party shoes and living room dance moves.#DWTSxTaylorSwift pic.twitter.com/12JyvBZuSV
— Taylor Nation (@taylornation13) November 21, 2023
Even the judges had some Swift jokes prepared, as Bruno told Mraz, “Reputation restored! You are back with a massive hit!”
Mraz had practiced with Karagach, but it’s also worth noting that he’s also been a duet partner with Swift herself — giving him some confidence when it came to the competition. Way back in 2011, he joined Swift on stage during the Speak Now tour stop at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The two did a duet of his hit 2008 song, “I’m Yours.”
Revisit Mraz and Swift’s duet below.
here's some footage of jason mraz and taylor swift performing i'm yours together at a concert back in 2011.
swifties text "jason" to 21523 #dwts pic.twitter.com/kk5PMuayaR
— sarah 🌻🍉 | 🇭🇷🇮🇹🇨🇭 (@taylorwthelays) November 21, 2023