Zac Efron wasn’t in the audience of Dancing With the Stars to cheer on his brother Dylan Efron on Dedication Night — but he still got a special shout-out.
During the Tuesday, October 14, episode of the ABC reality competition series, Dylan, 33, and his partner, Daniella Karagach, performed a contemporary routine to “Rewrite the Stars” from Zac’s movie The Greatest Showman. Though Zac, 37, wasn’t seen in the ballroom, Dylan shared the stage with 5-year-old sister Olivia.
“I’m dedicating this dance to my little sister, Olivia. I wasn’t expecting to be a big brother … but immediately, I was inseparable from her,” Dylan gushed in footage from rehearsal.
Dylan got emotional while reflecting on the example Zac set for him. “Now, being able to dance to ‘Rewrite the Stars,’ this is a nod to my brother,” Dylan said, tearing up. “Zac’s always taken care of him and he did things that were so selfless. I wanna be that to Olivia, I wanna be the best role model I can.”
Dylan’s emotions carried through on Tuesday night, and his performance impressed the judges. He earned all nines, leaving him with a total score of 36 out of 40.
Zac has yet to be seen in the DWTS ballroom since season 34 began in September, but Dylan previously teased his plans to pay tribute to his family on Dedication Night.
“Everyone thought you were gonna do High School Musical tonight,” cohost Julianne Hough said during the October 7 Disney Night episode after Dylan and Daniella, 32, danced to “Life Is a Highway” from Cars.
Dylan replied, “I have something special for next week, if I’m still here,” as a shocked Daniella seemed unhappy he’d spoiled the surprise for viewers.
Zac memorably skyrocketed to superstardom after portraying Troy Bolton in the High School Musical franchise, which produced three films between 2006 and 2008.
After his Dancing With the Stars casting was announced in September, Dylan shared how his whole family reacted to his involvement with the show.
“My dad is super excited,” he exclusively told Us Weekly at the time. “He has little kids, [ages] 4 and 5. They’re all super excited. My mom was honestly just shocked. She’s just like, ‘Where’d this come from?’ My brother is supportive.”
Dylan mentioned that Zac attended a live Dancing With the Stars taping “a long time ago,” so the actor shared what his younger brother could expect from the experience.
“He’s like, ‘The best part is going to be those live shows,’” Dylan explained. “He was saying, like, it’s such a good feeling.”
As for whether Zac would join the rest of his family in rooting for Dylan in person at some point, the younger Efron teased, “We’ll see.”
Dylan also noted that he and Daniella wanted to stand on their own rather than make nods to Zac’s career in their dances, insisting, “We’re going to do our own thing.”
Dylan previously made his mark on season 3 of The Traitors, which he won alongside Gabby Windey, Dolores Catania and Ivar Mountbatten. However, he remarked on the different pressures of each reality show.
“This is way worse because this is the round table but I’m dancing,” he joked. “All I had to do is raise my hand at that one. This one’s like, get up on the table and dance.”
Dylan acknowledged that he’d “never” performed before Dancing With the Stars, but he was eager for the challenge.
“I immediately was like, ‘No way am I gonna do that.’ Those are the things that you need to reflect on and be like, ‘I’m saying no because I’m scared and I’m scared because this could be the best thing I’ve ever done,’” he told Us. “Stepping out of your comfort zone in that way is the best thing to do.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET, with new episodes streaming the next day on Hulu.
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