Dancing With the Stars pro Daniella Karagach’s costume might have gotten caught on Ezra Frech’s prosthetic leg, but the pair didn’t let it stop them from completing their routine.
“A lot of samba rolls, a lot of practice, hours and hours over and over again. And then, of course, the one time we do it live, my prosthetic gets caught in her fringe,” Frech, 21, exclusively told Us after the Monday, November 2, Disney Night episode. “I literally … my heart dropped to the floor.”
Karagach, 33, jumped in to add, “You still nailed it. You nailed it.”
During the pair’s samba to “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid, the fringe on Karagach’s costume briefly got tangled in Frech’s prosthetic before unwrapping itself. While Karagach said she had “no idea” that it had gotten caught at the moment, Frech was internally worried about the situation.
“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ I was like, ‘Oh my gosh,’” the Paralympian, who was born without most of his left leg and hand, recalled, while Karagach added of her own reaction, “This is like resistance training. … The fact that it just unwrapped on its own is insane.”
Despite the wardrobe malfunction, Karagach and Frech ultimately received a 37 out of 40 from judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli and guest judge Cynthia Erivo.
“She’s such a massive icon, and she’s so knowledgeable in performance. So to have her here and say those things was out of a dream,” Karagach said of Erivo, 39, while Frech added, “Yeah, I completely agree.”
He continued, “I mean, she will go down as one of the most legendary guest judges, and she brought that energy. Everything she said, you could feel it. Her critiques and her comments are so valuable, period. So when she says something so positive about us, it means so much.”
The pair also received a perfect 40 out of 40 for their group dance number to High School Musical’s “We’re All in This Together.” Frech shared that he had “the best time” working with the group led by team captain Connor Wood.
“Getting to be around such talented dancers, such amazing human beings, we had a blast in the rehearsal studio. Literally so much fun, and we worked really well together,” he said. “And this dance was a fun dance. Our team dance was literally a fun dance. I was having a blast doing it.”
He continued, “They adjusted the choreography for me and put me in positions where I was comfortable. I just appreciate that so much. That consideration, that team chemistry, that’s what helped us go out there and put together a dance that we were all so proud of.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
