Soul Train Night on Dancing with the Stars is always a vibe — bell-bottoms, funk basslines, and contestants trying to channel decades of groove in ninety seconds. But Week 3 belonged to two athletes who couldn't be more different: a seven-foot NBA center and a bespectacled gymnast who somehow keeps stealing every scene he's in.
When a 6'10" Man Does the Cha-Cha
Picture this: Dwight Howard — a man who's spent his career dunking over people — sliding across the ballroom floor in sparkly boots doing the cha-cha. It sounds absurd. It kind of was. And that's exactly what made it work.
Partnered with Daniella Karagach, Howard threw himself into the Soul Train theme with the same energy he used to bring to All-Star games. Big smile, bigger moves, zero shame. His frame should've made the whole thing look awkward, but there was something genuinely fun about watching a guy that size commit so hard to hip isolations and sassy footwork.
Was it technically perfect? Not even close. Carrie Ann Inaba called out the rough spots, and the crowd booed her for it — which honestly says more about Howard's likability than his dancing. He's the kind of contestant you root for not because he's great, but because he's trying so visibly and having the time of his life doing it. The judges gave him a score that kept him safe, and that felt right.
The Gymnast Who Moves Like He's Done This Forever
Stephen Nedoroscik is a different animal entirely. Where Howard is spectacle, Nedoroscik is precision. Every week he walks out, delivers something clean and musical, and makes it look effortless — which, if you've ever tried ballroom dancing, you know is the hardest thing to pull off.
His Soul Train performance hit that sweet spot between athletic control and actual emotional storytelling. The judges gushed. The audience cheered. And somewhere on social media, a thousand people who'd never heard of an Olympic pommel horse specialist three weeks ago were typing "HE'S SO GOOD" in all caps.
What makes Nedoroscik compelling isn't just that he's technically sharp. It's that he seems genuinely surprised by his own success, which reads as humble and real on camera. That authenticity is gold in a competition show.
The Internet Has Thoughts
Twitter (or X, or whatever we're calling it this week) did its thing. Howard's fans split into two camps: the ones laughing with him and the ones laughing at him. The supportive crowd won out, flooding comments with heart emojis and "he's having fun and that's what matters" energy.
Nedoroscik's corner was less divided. People just flat-out love watching him. The phrase "dark horse" keeps popping up, and it fits — he's not the biggest name on the cast, but he might be the one people remember when this season wraps.
Where Things Stand
Week 3 reminded me why this show still works after thirty-plus seasons. You've got Howard, who represents pure joy and "why not?" energy, going up against Nedoroscik, who embodies quiet dedication and steady growth. Two totally different paths, both worth watching.
The competition tightens from here. Howard will need to clean up his technique or the scores will catch up to him. Nedoroscik needs to keep surprising people before "consistent" starts to mean "predictable." Either way, both of them have given this season a storyline that goes beyond celebrity spectacle — they've made it about the actual journey of learning to dance.
And honestly? That's the whole point.
