"One of my favorites of the night": Peta Murgatroyd reacts to Dylan and Daniella's Freestyle routine in the Dancing with the Stars finale

Dancing with the Stars alum Peta Murgatroyd believes Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach’s Freestyle performance in the Finale was one to remember. 

In the November 28, 2025, episode of The Penthouse with Peta podcast, Peta shared her take on the Dancing with the Stars season 34 finale, which aired on November 26. While speaking about the Freestyle Round performances, and particularly, about Dylan and Daniella’s act, she said:

“I love this moment of having that high-volume Freestyle coming from Val and Alix, and then going and dipping into this contemporary. I welled up with tears. The song was sensationally picked by Dani [Daniella]. So good. It got me by the heartstrings. I loved it. It was one of my favorites of the night. I loved it.”

Dylan and Daniella danced to Something In The Heavens by Lewis Capaldi, for which they got a perfect 30 from the judges. 

While commenting on their performance, Peta said that she enjoyed Dylan and Daniella’s partnership and their onstage chemistry. Peta’s husband, Maks Chmerkovskiy, felt the same about Dylan’s Freestyle act in the finale, as he gushed about Dylan’s compatibility on stage with Daniella. 

Dancing with the Stars’ Maks Chmerkovskiy believes Dylan did not compete for the Mirrorball Trophy

What struck both Peta and Maks about Dylan’s performance in the Dancing with the Stars finale was his chemistry with Daniella. 

According to Peta, he did “a good job” at taking care of Daniella on stage, during their routine, admitting that his concern for his pro partner “touched” her. 

Maks agreed with his wife’s opinion, saying that he admired Dylan for that. However, he did not believe Dylan competed for the trophy. 

“To me, he did not compete for [the] Dancing with the Stars trophy. He came out and he really danced with DanI,” Maks said. 

To him, the chemistry Dylan shared with Daniella felt like watching them have their “own moment,” which he thought was not related to winning the competition.

Maks opined that their approach to the dance was not a “winning approach,” adding that Dylan was more focused on “dancing with the Dani.” However, he was appreciative of that. 

Although he could have pointed out the flaws, he preferred complimenting how Dylan danced with Daniella. 

“I can talk about underuse of water element and how I thought they should have played it, maybe it should’ve fallen from the top, and they should’ve been wetter, and this would’ve been sicker, and all of those things, but, yes, I think, forget everything and let’s just focus on how he danced with her,” Maks said. 

Peta chimed in, saying it was “rare” for pros to get partners with whom they had much in common. That said, both husband and wife agreed that Dylan was one of the “most-improved” contestants of the season.

What did the judges say about Dylan and Daniella’s Freestyle routine in the  Dancing with the Stars finale?

Before stepping out on the stage for his final dance, Dylan got emotional, saying he was not pleased with his performances in the first few weeks of the competition.

However, now that he had the opportunity to “capture people’s attention,” he felt he belonged to the show and wanted to prove that he deserved the trophy.

Daniella also praised him, admitting that she had never worked with someone who put so much effort into devoting themself to the show. 

Dylan’s effort paid off, as Bruno Tonioli described the dance as an “elusive quality of a dream.” Carrie Ann Inaba felt the same, pointing out that the dance's “emotionality was beyond.”

“You are such a good man. I’m speechless, well done,” Derek Hough said. 

Impressed overall, all three gave Dylan 10s. However, Dylan was unable to score the required votes. Consequently, he finished the season in fourth place. 

Stay tuned for more updates.