Harry Shum Jr.’s sudden scream in the middle of his Dancing With the Stars Viennese waltz looked spontaneous on television. Jenna Johnson says the explanation existed all week in rehearsal, it simply did not make the final package.
Shum and Johnson performed a Viennese waltz to the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” during Sept. 22’s Viral Hits Night. Near the climax of the routine, Shum broke away, faced the camera and let out a full-throated scream before Johnson pulled him back into the choreography.
A day later, Johnson explained that the moment grew out of a much longer rehearsal conversation about anxiety, pressure, self-doubt and the feeling of reaching an emotional breaking point. With 14 couples still competing, she said the packages shown before each performance had been shortened and much of that discussion never aired.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, he called the scream “therapeutic” and said it gave him a chance to audibly release emotion that dance usually asks him to express without words.
The Conversation Behind the Scream Never Made It to Air
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Johnson jokingly introduced her explanation as the story behind “the scream that was heard around the world.” Then she explained what viewers had missed.
There were still 14 couples entering Week 2, something ABC confirmed in its official preview. Johnson said that made the rehearsal packages unusually short.
She and Shum had spent time discussing the emotional meaning they wanted to attach to “Iris,” including feelings of anxiety, pressure, doubt and not belonging. Us Weekly also reported Johnson’s explanation that their conversation eventually turned to what happens when those emotions build until someone feels close to breaking.
Johnson said her own instinct in those moments is sometimes to scream whether into a pillow, alone in the car or anywhere she can physically release the tension. That idea became part of the choreography.
Before committing to it, Johnson asked Shum whether they should “go crazy.” He was willing to follow her there. Johnson later told Entertainment Weekly that Shum’s willingness to commit fully to unusual creative choices is one of the things she values about their partnership.
The Scream Comes Near the End of Their ‘Iris’ Waltz
The completed performance takes on a different shape once that rehearsal context is restored. Shum and Johnson begin the waltz in a restrained place before the movement becomes progressively more physical and emotionally unsettled.
At approximately 1:55 in the performance, Shum separates from Johnson, turns toward the camera and screams. Johnson then pulls him back into the dance.
Shum said afterward that the scream gave him space to release something that dance usually communicates silently. He also connected “Iris” to yearning, belonging and the question of whether someone feels entitled to occupy the place they are in.
He said he hoped the routine might encourage viewers to take ownership of their emotions instead of allowing other people to dictate how they should feel.
Johnson Knew Viewers Would Be Divided
“You either loved it or you hated it,” she said in her video, making clear that she was comfortable with the polarized response. Parade documented both sides of the reaction, with some viewers saying the scream pulled them out of the dance while others thought it completed the routine’s emotional arc.
Shum leaned into that interpretation himself. In a comment beneath Johnson’s explanation, he wrote that a “primal scream” can become necessary when someone has spent a lifetime feeling confined by a particular frame, according to Entertainment Now.
Johnson said the full-body scream was actually her favorite part of the performance. Shum’s zipper had been down during the routine. He later confirmed the wardrobe mishap, while Johnson joked about viewers going back to spot it.
The Judges Gave Shum and Johnson 18 Out of 30
The scream generated more attention than the score, but the judges were also trying to push Shum technically. Shum and Johnson received three 6s for a total of 18 out of 30, a three-point drop from their 21-point premiere performance. TV Insider independently confirmed the score and judges’ feedback.
Derek Hough described the waltz with his required one-word critique: “beautiful.” Bruno Tonioli praised Shum’s abilities as a performer and dancer while saying the routine still needed work.
Carrie Ann Inaba focused on the contrast between Shum’s expressive movement and his ballroom frame. She said he looked strongest when he let himself go emotionally but became more hesitant when returning to traditional hold, creating an imbalance she wanted him to bridge.
The audience booed the criticism, prompting Inaba to push back and remind viewers they could disagree while still voting. Shum, for his part, defended her right to give the critique and told the crowd that he wanted to hear what she had to say.
The 18 points left Shum and Johnson tied with Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong, Jackson Olson and Emma Slater, and Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik. Jenna Dewan, Ezra Frech and Amber Glenn topped the night with 21 each.
The Routine Also Connected Back to Shum’s ‘Glee’ Years
He told Entertainment Weekly that the ideas of voice and belonging reminded him of Mike Chang, his Glee character from 2009 to 2015. Mike initially occupied a quieter place in the ensemble and was known primarily as a dancer before the series gradually allowed him to sing, speak more and take up a larger part of the story.
Shum also connected that experience to being Asian and to Glee‘s broader interest in people learning to accept the parts of themselves that make them different.
His participation in DWTS comes with another layer because viewers already know he can dance. ABC’s official biography describes Shum as a dancer and choreographer whose career included the Step Up films, The LXD and performances with major recording artists before acting became his primary work.
ABC News likewise notes that Shum began professionally as a dancer before his breakout acting roles. He and Johnson topped the men’s premiere with 21 points for a cha-cha to Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Let’s Groove.”
Shum has pushed back on the assumption that prior professional dance experience automatically translates to ballroom and Latin technique. He has said the vocabulary, posture and mechanics are different from the styles he spent years performing.
Shum and Johnson Are Switching to a Jive for Week 3
The pair survived the Sept. 22 elimination that sent Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten home, leaving 13 couples in the competition.
Dancing With the Stars returns Sept. 29 for Yacht Rock Night. The show’s official voting page confirms the Tuesday 8 p.m. ET return on ABC and Disney+, while the Season 35 schedule continues to list Tuesday as the regular live night.
Shum and Johnson will move from the emotional restraint of a Viennese waltz to a jive set to Daryl Hall & John Oates’ “You Make My Dreams Come True.”