Dancing with the Stars Season 33 is in full swing, with last night’s installment treating avid viewers to “Oscars Night.” Last night's double elimination, saw Tori Spelling & Pasha Pashkov and Anna Delvey & Ezra Sosa head home. A star who managed to avoid that fate was beloved Family Matters cast member Reginald VelJohnson. The 72-year-old actor put on a show alongside partner Emma Slater, as they paid tribute to VelJohnson's Die Hard. In the process, the actor also paid tribute to co-star Bruce Willis with a familiar f-bomb.
Reginald VelJohnson and Emma Slater performed a Paso Doble set to “Ode To Joy,” which was famously featured in the aforementioned action flick. The routine famously featured a cop car on stage as well as a dummy meant to replicate the over-the-top death of Die Hard’s big bad, Hans Gruber. It was a fun performance, which you can see in the video clip down below:
As a result of their action movie-themed showing, the two DWTS stars earned a total of 15 points from the judges, which bumped up their two-week total to 31 points. It was too perfect that the Posse actor danced to “Ode to Joy,” which is employed in the 1998 action flick when Gruber and his goons finally break into the vault at Nakatomi Plaza. The icing on the cake is that at the routine ended with the actor saying John McClane’s famous “Welcome to the party, pal” line.
The funniest of the tributes to Bruce Willis and his renowned action hero, though, arrived during Reginald VelJohnson’s confessional before the routine. While expressing his love and admiration for Willis, VelJohnson humorously dropped a famously F-bomb-laced line to address those who assumed he’d be eliminated in Week 2:
It was my first big film that I was in. … It was an experience I’ll never forget. … [Willis] was very kind to me in my first major role. I thanked him for that, I always will. … This week, it's a tribute to my friend Bruce Willis. If you think I'm going out on double elimination, then 'yippee-ki-yay mother fucker.’
That couldn’t have been timed better, and I love that Reginald VelJohnson still has so much love for Mr. Willis (who he even once used to get out of a traffic ticket). This DWTS tribute comes at a very bittersweet time, as Willis is currently battling frontotemporal dementia. During this stretch of time, the Pulp Fiction star’s family has shared consistent updates on his condition, and many of his famous friends have sent well wishes to him as well. Arnold Schwarzenegger shouted out Willis in a particularly sweet way while speaking with CinemaBlend.
I’m not sure that many would disagree that Bruce Willis’ performance in one of the best action movies of all time will never be forgotten, especially with Reginald VelJohnson and others paying tribute as they have. Overall, this DWTS performance not only signified a fun moment for the show but a glowing reminder of VelJohnson’s appreciation for his co-star. And, quite frankly, this fan loved seeing it.
Check out new episodes of Dancing with the Stars, which air on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC amid the 2024 TV schedule. You can also stream episodes with a Disney+ subscription. And, for any action junkies out there, Die Hard can be streamed with a Hulu subscription.