Go back

Once Upon a Dream (DWTS Disney Week)

26m 29s

Once Upon a Dream (DWTS Disney Week)

The episode blends entertainment, product promotion, and cultural commentary in a dynamic narrative. It opens with a satirical critique of the "Lemonati" — a fictional force that has long dominated media and consumer products by elevating lemon over lime — and introduces 7UP’s new lime-lemon soda as a bold rebellion against this legacy. The story then shifts to a dance performance featuring a dramatic portrayal of Maleficent, where dancers embody an intense, toxic relationship to showcase passion, transformation, and confidence. Characters undergo physical and stylistic changes — including bold makeup, pointed nails, and new costumes — to fully commit to their evil persona, emphasizing self-expression and authenticity. The performance is praised for its emotional depth, creativity, and technical execution, with the team celebrating a 10 in their effort despite nerves and last-minute changes. The narrative is interwoven with product placements, such as Palmolive and Coca-Cola, which support the theme of everyday rituals and shared experiences. Humor, group dynamics, and personal growth are central to the episode, culminating in a triumphant performance that underscores the power of reinvention and joyful risk-taking. The conclusion reinforces the idea that transformation — whether in dance, identity, or culture — is both personal and revolutionary.

Transcription

4136 Words, 21327 Characters

English
For decades, a shadowy organization called The Lemonati has kept lemon on top and lime in the shadows. Look around, lemon-forward sodas, even lemon-forward songs. We ran the tracks, slowed them down, reversed them, and squeezed out the truth. That's lemon propaganda right there. But now, 7up is fighting back with their new lime-lemon soda. Join the 7 uprising. Flip the sip. Ugh, I hate Mondays. King's Hawaiian Cinnamon Swirl Bite? Taylor Hansen? Sure, I'll try one. Mmm. Hey, let's get back to work, please. But Taylor Hansen's making my day way better with these new soft and swirly King's Hawaiian Cinnamon Bites. Taylor Hansen? Nice. Try one. Mmm. King's Hawaiian Cinnamon Bites. There's nothing like it. It's so good. This episode is brought to you by Palmolive. Family time isn't just the big moments, it's weeknight dinners. Sitting around the table, everyone talking all at once. So when the plates are empty and the sink is full, use Palmolive Ultra. Palmolive's most powerful formula removes up to 99.9% of grease, leaving your dishes sparkling clean. And the new convenient pump makes cleaning even easier, so you can spend less time tackling dishes and more time together. Shop now at palmolive.com. This is so not me. Best idea wins. Somehow they just keep ending up being mine. I'll get Maleficent. And I look like fucking Jon Snow. I mean, what more do we need? Let's do this. Let's do it. Yeah. Time's just over. This is our first look at Maleficent. I don't know, this might be my favorite costume yet. This is so beautiful. Yeah, it's been really pretty. I'm so excited. The big horns. Yeah, the horns are being raised down. I feel like this was helping me channel my evil. I don't think you have much evil in you, so you have to channel a bit deeper. I'm calling you up. Oh. What do we think? So pretty. It's so good. We just have to work out the sleeves, how you, you know, so they don't get in the way. We can control them, obviously. Do you think we should have them more like sort of how Charlie's arms were? Sort of more. Which hers were like sort of just on the back end. Like open this part. They were open and then got gathered and then gathered. Yeah. Because it might be nice to have like a little opening here. Sleep there. Also, the beginning part might like this, so it might be good to have them attached. Yeah, attached. Exactly. Because I'm going to try something new. But Charlie's. Video, video. What we could try is we could gather, gather and leave a little so you get a bit of volume. Yeah. And if it's too much, we cut it away. Kind of like my wings. So when this skirt travels this way, this will travel that way. Okay. Which gives a lot of drama and a lot of flow. Should I just try like running with that on? I don't know. I don't know. For sure. What are you kidding? What kind of bald is this, you guys? This is my rendez. It will dance beautiful. Okay, great. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Disney, here we come. So excited. Oh, God. The best place on earth. There's nothing else I'd rather be doing. I love your sweatshirt. Thank you so much. It's my favorite. Okay, so I'm very excited for today. We get to go to Disney. We're filming for Dancing with the Stars here. Here we go. Hey, guys. Let's get to the more important things. What is everybody doing? Okay, cool. Okay, thanks. I got a pin. It says, "My first trip to Disney." It says, "My first trip to Disney." And Val's also celebrating. I also got a pin. My first trip to Disney. Alex's first trip. Val's so excited for my first time in Disney. So excited. We're going to go on a ride. Honestly, I don't know where we're going. We are going to Splash Mountain, I think. Oh, are we? I think so, yeah. Well, goodbye to the blowout. Oh, no. We're going to Indiana Jones. That's where we're going. Oh. Uh-oh. Here we go. You seek the treasure of Mara. Glittering gold. Glittering gold. Glittering gold. Glittering gold. Glittering gold. Eat the treasure of Mara. Glittering gold. It is yours. You are mine. Today was a success. Got some big ol' turkey legs. Can I put my phone in the front? Oh, it's actually a really good valve. Delicious. Delicious. Here we go. Okay, a little better than that. Yeah, but it'll all look cool. All right, let's do this. All the bad guys. Yeah, and with storytelling and passion. Look in the direction that you're on. Is it bringing something out there? No, nothing is bad. This is a dance, like I said, you know, duck. A duck on the water. You see a duck. It's either flowing or it's drowning. As long as that bitch is not drowning, that means the dance isn't drowning. So you've got to do whatever it takes to make it work. Whatever you gotta do down here, to support all the artistry of the movement up here. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, this is not good. Not because of the way you're stepping on your feet, but because it's stopping your upper body from flowing. That's the reason why I stop. Definitely not. ♪ I'm gonna add another sound effect there. Let's get to the more pressing. Is it Earl Girls still, or is it the Vows Gals? I feel like we need to address this. Well, now that you brought it up, it's like there's a state, and then there's a city inside the state. So, here's Alex Earl, the Vows Girls are in there. So, Earl Girls run the town, Vows Gals are a part of them. They're becoming a big group. Yeah, they're about to be, they're the coolest part of town, I think. They're the cool kids, they're not overtaking the city yet. What do they have to do to overtake the city? And when you take that step to go down, don't take it literally forward towards me, take it forward away from you. Yes. We're gonna have distance. Thanks. Roll for us, please, 'cause I have a lot of ideas, and it'll be so much fun. I'm really confident in our couple, so I just want more chances to dance, and I feel like-- And we have to do our trick. And we still gotta do our trick. I forgot which one of you mentioned it, but she's gonna have horns on her head. Yup. How does that change the dynamic of the dance while you're preparing for the dance? Yeah, she's a great spinner, for instance, and I, you know, there's a lot of movement that we do that's, like, over her head turns that are out of play here. I won't be able to get it over the horns. But things like that, even that small element in a lot of the links that we have in the Vinnies Waltz, those intertwined arms are really beautiful. Those are the things that we can't use. So we need to find beauty in other things and adjust certain movement. But we're working on making her beautifully long limbs actually dance long, right? You could be big but dance small. You can be small but dance really big. I want her to dance fully. So one of the things are the arms. If I don't get them up, they're gonna hit my turkey legs. So this is my challenge for the week. But maybe it'll make me a better dancer. Hopefully the Maleficent's magic will make you a better dancer. This arm is ugly. It's almost my arm? My arm. Why is it ugly? Just so we're not using those words. It could be better. Yeah, why? Because I'm not putting my attention on it and I'm trying to think about the steps instead of dancing through gracefully. You asked me earlier in the week, "What's our wow moment?" That's our wow moment. The entire routine is a wow moment. You and I dancing next to each other is a wow moment. When we are intentional and when we are in it, not stressed about that wow moment that we have coming up. Every second is a wow moment. If you make it that way. So from here, my arms are here, or straight? Straight. Okay. Okay, let's see. Pull me off balance. Yeah, but you've got long-ass arms. We were just trying to figure out the story we wanted to portray in the dance. You already took my wings. I already hate your guts. And then it's kind of like, "I hate you." A little bit of love, and then like, "I really hate you." And then I still kill you at the end. Right. Almost like toxic relationship back and forth feel is more fun. Yeah. She just wanted to get into it, you know? Right away. She's like, "I want to be evil." So I don't want to be nice. Best idea wins. It's not about my idea or your idea. These are all our ideas. Best idea wins. Best idea wins always. Somehow they just keep coming. You've ended up being mine. - Yeah, how do I make more woof on, like after this, like the woof. - Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof. - Yeah. - Okay. - That's what I really want to do this week, is prove to everyone that I can be a versatile dancer and be a different character. - I think so far, you know, you also had like, choppy, quick, like, fun movement. This is really the first time you get to be very legato and just stretchy, and that's sometimes even harder, so. - Well, for me, 'cause I'm a little stiff sometimes. - I said nothing. - I got some big shoulders, so we're gonna have to-- - You don't have big shoulders. - They are prominent. - You just need to do push-ups. Like, build some pec muscles. - I know, it's kind of hard though. All the plastic. - Next step in the getting ready process for this dance is we are gonna get some long ass nails. - So this is very-- this is very out of my comfort zone, but we're really just gonna go for it. I think it's gonna be fun, and it's gonna help me feel evil and witchy. - I'm so excited. But we're gonna do them really pointy, so hopefully I don't, like, stab Val with them, but I want them to be, like, daggers. - How do you like it? - I love it. That's perfect. This is so fun. This is literally the sweetest thing ever. She got me toys for Asia to bring home, and she got me balloons. That's a 10 on it, so we're manifesting a 10 this season. And guys, I don't recognize myself. I love these nails so much. I'm just like, this is so not me. Like, I'm looking at myself and I'm like, whose fingers are these? But I feel like I wanna channel, like, Lady Gaga. I feel like she's so good at being so dramatic, and she always has, like, crazy nails. So I'm thinking, like, even my moves I do in the dance, like, this is just gonna make them better. - Okay, I'm excited. I just need to get into character. - Hi. - Hi, Cory. - Start heading to the dance. - Okay, go ahead. - All right. - Hi, good morning, everybody. - Hey. - Hi. - How are you? - Oh my gosh, you're too close. - So we're gonna run through the dance really quick. So this is the last time we get to do it before dress rehearsal. So we had some last minute changes last night, so have to remember those. - You guys change dances that way? - Not late. - Well, just a few little tweaks. Like, we added, instead of three spins, we're doing four. Instead of, like, one of the moves, I wanted to, like, find the camera. Once you see the camera blocking, I kinda changed where I spin to, like, look in the camera. Like this. - Wait, are you playing Sleeping Beauty? - Oh, yeah. - You better believe it. - We have a third member of our dance. - I'm serving a blonde wig this week, just for Alex. - Just so we can kill her off. - Literally, I die in the first, or I fall asleep. I fall asleep in the first three seconds. - So what happened was, we blew the entire budget on last week's number. So they were like, "You're getting nothing." - It was worth it. - How do we make something for Sleeping Beauty? - Trio night. - You're going down. - Anything for this team. - She takes a good nap during our dance. But, like, keep me walking off at the end when they're getting all tens. Me rolling over and, like, slowly walking off. - Drag yourself. She's killing it this week. - So is the only prop your wife? - The only prop my wife. - My wife. - This is our prop, yes. - Applause. Dancing the Viennese waltz with her partner, Val Tchaikovsky. - The Lemonati has spent decades keeping lemon on top and lime in the shadows. Their lemon agenda has infiltrated everything, even our music. That hit song named after the color of lemons? Not a coincidence. Big Lemon has been pulling strings in the industry for years. Think about it. But now, 7UP is fighting back with their new lime lemon soda. Now lime comes first. 7UP, flip the sip. - It's Alex Earle. - I just don't think I was counting. - You don't need to count. - We're going, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. - One more time, that was really, really good. - Get in there, you can't look down. You're out, just go for it. Yeah. - I was going too fast there. - It just gets excited and jumpy instead of like strong, stretchy, and giant ugly steps. - Okay. - You know? It gets a little like fairy. - Giant ugly steps. - Disney fairy tale waltzy, but that's not proper technique. - Okay. - So your performance is good. It's just, to the floor. You know, you're asking me like, what would they say? That's another thing they would say. - Okay. - That's literally verbatim what someone like Derek could say. - Okay. - When you get up, can you practice that right now? - Mm-hmm. - A little better. So you're still helping yourself, but not very sharp. - Two, two, two, one, two, yeah. - Moral of the story, that was excellent. Let's do that again. - Yeah, but I could be better, and I will be better. I'm only half baked Maleficent right now. When she's full, she'll be out to play. - The queen will come out. - She's coming out. I don't know if she's a queen. This one is. That was so cringy. - What else do you want me to remember? - Whenever we come into each other's space, be intentional with that. Less sweaty, lovey, and more direct and in my face. - Yeah. Beautiful, she's ready. This bitch needs her horns. I have to transform, 'cause Alex can't look like this, but Maleficent can. Do we have a piece coming out? - Yeah, I think so. - Should we do this like here, or maybe like that? - Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. - So we chopped real hair from Val. - Shave with my armpit. - Maybe we do one like on the side. I don't want it to look too here, so it's not like sideburns, but like. If we cut it, you just see like a little bit, but like. - Oh, like a bangs kind of situation? - Yeah. - You just want to see like a little something? - Yeah. - I think it feels good. - I mean, you look amazing. Thank you so much. - Oh, you're welcome. You're the best. - Look at Maleficent. - There you three are. - Oh my God, you look incredible. - This is so good. - It's like sexy colonial. Okay, love that. - Bye. - Bye. - Okay, so we do the last bit. Be our guest. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 1, stop. - We're now starting over the base with the makeup, but I feel really good. I think with now I'm not like, I was worried with like making facial expressions because it was like just a little tight. So now we can really. - So sleeping beauty. - Ready to get put in a sleep coma. My king and queen. ♪ Every rose has its thorn ♪ ♪ So long ♪ ♪ Oh God ♪ - About to grab the bull by the horns. - That's how we should do this. - Yeah. - I know that's the problem. Trying to compete. - That's hard. Let's go, get back there, witch. Here we go. I think you can go, boom. And then just pick a hip and yeah, just. - No, no, no, don't do that. - You could even just do this in front. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. - That's better. - Yeah. What? Give it. Give it. Three, four, five. Okay, so what happens is you gotta take a step around. Step around. Yes. One more time. That's right. And then here to the camera. And then. Cool. Let's go have fun. - Ooh. Is it ready for you? - Yep. - Thank you. - Thank you. - Hey. I'm gonna give yourself to you. - That looks great. - That looks good. - Yay. - Yes. - Four. - Yes. That turn. It doesn't matter about the camera. - Okay, okay. - I need you to do that turn. - Okay. - Beautiful. Yes. Didn't change your head all the time. Or did you? Yes, pivots. Two things. That turn. - Yes. - Level of my life. - Yes. - That turn. - Yes. - And here. It's a different energy. Here. Snap. - Snap. - Different energy on the groove. - Snap. - Snap. And then that. And then the second one is literally the only other one. Doom, doom, doom. Better. No, not so. - What? - It's like. It's like. - What? - You know what I'm saying? - What? - It came in and you're like you gotta come in and fucking breathe that shit. - What? - That's it. Those are the only two moments. Like watch. Like here. It's gotta be like, you know, fucking passion. Sorry, sorry. - It's all good. Thank you. - It's good. Let's cut your dress. - This looks great. I mean, you got fucking cheekbones for days. It's amazing. - Exactly. - You look so good. - Yeah, thank you. - This is so hot. - Hi. - Hi. - Don't hug me. - I don't want to get any. - I'm not going to hug you. - How are you? - You look good. - You look beautiful. - I'm so excited. - Rachel, how do you have Alex coffee? - I stole it from your trailer, sorry. Guys, I'm so excited. The nerves are starting to settle in. Oh, hey, baby. We're partying without you. Good to see you, guys. You look amazing. Thank you. We just took a shot in her trailer. Thank God. Yeah. You look amazing. I'm so jealous. I love you guys. I love you. I'm starting to get like, when I get anxious and quiet. Deep breath. Okay, love you. I'll be right out. She's like, if she goes just like this. So excited. Confidence. Remember confidence. Don't forget who the fuck you are. I have confidence. I have confidence. It's coming out. No confidence. You guys vlogging? Yes. Vlog, vlog. Wow. This is amazing. It looks like real. Mr. Zootopia. Jungle chic. Wait. My brother just, got a little snake, a little python. No way. He wants to be like you. That is amazing. Well, say hi to your brother. Hello. What's his name? Thomas. Hi, Thomas. Hi. He's gonna freak out. Oh, that's so sweet. He loves you. Your dance is killer this week. Your dance is so sweet. No, it's like amazing. Let's do this. Let's do this. Yeah. Woohoo. Uh oh. Aurora. Where did she go? Aurora's coming back. Aurora took a break. She's sleeping. How are you feeling? I'm ready. I'm up first. You guys' dance is so fun. I'm happy to go first, too, because I actually get to watch it. Yeah. You, I feel like, will enjoy the show a lot more. Yeah. Every time I see you, you're like, I just want to get it over with. I do, I do. Hi. But I love you actually went into character. I just like, went to stagecoach. The light side and the dark side. I know. Like, who else can we play with? They look good. How are you feeling? Good. Good. I'm excited, too. Oh, yeah? It's so good. It's so good. You feel like you're on the right. Yes. Yeah, do you get sick? Yeah. These lights are so good. You make me sick when you dance. Sick? Yeah. You guys are nauseating to watch. We're doing some great, beautiful dance. Picture it. Uh-oh. Ryan. Where? Ryan. Mucho gusto. You look amazing. I'm freaking out. You look so good. Thank you. You ready to bop? I'm excited. I'm ready to bop to the top. You are going to bop to the top. I'm the leader, Brian. Please vote. Thank you so much. What is this for? Yours? Yeah. Oh, I wasn't ready. Okay, don't vote. Never mind. Never mind. I'm a little nervous, but excited. And I think this is my favorite dance we've done yet. Vote for us. Is she a fairy or is she a goat? We'll never know. Your jokes are something else. Here, why don't you stand front and center, hands on your hips, looking like a baddie. Where are you? I'm behind you, just-- He's afraid. Cute. I'm giving 8th century A.D. chic. Hey, we fucking did it! Whoo! We did it! Okay, time to celebrate. Sleeping was a 10. I couldn't hear anything and I was like, "Did it start?" And then I was like, "Oh, no, it didn't start." But whatever. You were right. You were just giving, like, intention. I was like, "Uh-huh." But my hair was kind of like. My homie will never text me. He was like, "Bro, great fucking dance." Really? You're on. Stop, that's so sweet. Like, never, never, never. That's how I know it was good. When my friends don't watch the show, text them. She's going! The things I do. It's a true partner right there. All right. Did you guys love the show? It was so fun. Congratulations. It was amazing. And you did so great. It couldn't have gone worse. It was my favorite dance. It was incredible. Seriously. We were, like, chills, crying. We're gonna bang out this press really quick and then we'll do dinner. You can meet me at the trailer. There's a tequila bottle in there. Aww. Oh, we already did? That was awesome. You were so amazing. Cheers to Alex! Cheers to Alex! Should've been 9s across the board. She was incredible. 10s in our hearts, but she'll get them next week. She looks like a 10, she's a 10, she's always a 10. There we go. Is everyone ready? Now everyone grab a pin and rip it off of him. Dinner in the horns! You're not dinnering in the horns. This is in the horns! Well, what a fantastic night. Oh my gosh. It was amazing. Couldn't have gone better. Thank you guys for coming. Maleficent, out. Coca-Cola. For the big. For the small. The short. And the tall. Peacemakers. Risk takers. For the optimists. Pessimists. For long distance love. For introverts. And extroverts. The thinkers. And the doers. For old friends. And new. Coca-Cola. For everyone. Pick up some Coca-Cola at a store near you. Ugh, I hate Mondays. Taylor Hansen? Sure, I'll try one. Mmm. Taylor Hansen? Nice. Try one. Mmm. Bites, ba-choo-ba-dah. Thank you.

Podcast Summary

Key Points:

  1. The Lemonati, a shadowy organization, has long promoted lemon over lime in culture, media, and products, influencing everything from music to soda.
  2. 7UP is countering this trend with a new lime-lemon soda that puts lime first, symbolizing a shift in consumer preference and a challenge to the Lemonati’s dominance.
  3. The show features a creative dance routine portraying Maleficent, blending evil, dramatic character transformation, and physical choreography to convey a toxic, passionate relationship.
  4. A central theme of the episode is transformation and self-expression, as dancers adopt new personas, including bold makeup, nails, and costumes, to embody strength and confidence.
  5. The narrative combines real-world product marketing (e.g., Palmolive, Coca-Cola) with entertainment, using humor and character development to engage viewers.
  6. The team’s success is celebrated through fan reactions, social media buzz, and high praise for their performance, especially the "Sleeping Beauty" number.
  7. The episode highlights collaboration, improvisation, and emotional growth, with characters evolving through shared challenges and creative adjustments.
  8. Underlying messages include challenging norms, embracing personal identity, and using performance as a form of empowerment and self-discovery.

Summary:

The episode blends entertainment, product promotion, and cultural commentary in a dynamic narrative. It opens with a satirical critique of the "Lemonati" — a fictional force that has long dominated media and consumer products by elevating lemon over lime — and introduces 7UP’s new lime-lemon soda as a bold rebellion against this legacy. The story then shifts to a dance performance featuring a dramatic portrayal of Maleficent, where dancers embody an intense, toxic relationship to showcase passion, transformation, and confidence.

Characters undergo physical and stylistic changes — including bold makeup, pointed nails, and new costumes — to fully commit to their evil persona, emphasizing self-expression and authenticity. The performance is praised for its emotional depth, creativity, and technical execution, with the team celebrating a 10 in their effort despite nerves and last-minute changes. The narrative is interwoven with product placements, such as Palmolive and Coca-Cola, which support the theme of everyday rituals and shared experiences.

Humor, group dynamics, and personal growth are central to the episode, culminating in a triumphant performance that underscores the power of reinvention and joyful risk-taking. The conclusion reinforces the idea that transformation — whether in dance, identity, or culture — is both personal and revolutionary.

FAQs

The Lemonati is a shadowy organization that has spent decades promoting lemon over lime, influencing culture and products through propaganda.

7UP is countering The Lemonati's lemon-focused agenda with a new lime-lemon soda that puts lime first, symbolizing a reversal of the established dominance.

'Flip the sip' represents a shift in preference from lemon to lime, challenging the long-standing dominance of lemon in beverages and pop culture.

The Maleficent costume represents a dramatic character transformation, allowing the dancer to embody a powerful, evil persona and explore themes of duality and intensity.

The dancers work through challenges in movement and expression, ultimately finding confidence, creativity, and emotional depth in their performance as a team.

The dance incorporates a back-and-forth dynamic that mirrors a toxic relationship, with shifting emotions of love, hate, and conflict, adding dramatic depth to the performance.

Chat with AI

Loading...

Pro features

Go deeper with this episode

Unlock creator-grade tools that turn any transcript into show notes and subtitle files.