Prince Night on “Dancing With the Stars” became an emotional milestone for Dylan Efron, who finally had his whole family in the ballroom. His parents, Starla Baskett and David Efron, and his sister had been fixtures in the audience all season. On November 18, Zac Efron joined them at last, smiling from the crowd as he cheered on his younger brother.
“It meant everything,” Dylan told E! News. “I grew up watching him do stuff like this. So, the fact that he’s now watching me do this is crazy to me.”
The 33-year-old star added, “It means the world to me.”
Why Zac’s Arrival Meant So Much to Dylan
Extra caught up with Dylan and Karagach after “Dancing with the Stars” Prince Night, where Dylan received a special boost from big brother Zac Efron in the audience.
Dylan shared how it felt to make the finals, saying he was “Shocked, happy, stoked, nervous about this week.” Daniella added, “We need to rewatch that reaction video because I can’t remember how that felt.”
Dylan admitted the moment caught them completely off guard. “We weren’t expecting to hear our names, and it shocked us,” he said.
Why the surprise? Efron explained, “We were at the bottom, but we gave it our all, but we didn’t know. You just never know. Everyone’s so talented.”
Looking ahead to the final week, Karagach said, “I’ve never had a doubt in Dylan, but I feel like now more than ever, we can just relax and have fun and just dive into it fully.”
Dylan also talked about his family’s support and was asked whether having his big brother Zac in the audience made him nervous.
Fans had been wondering why Zac had not attended earlier episodes to support Dylan and pro partner Daniella Karagach. Curiosity grew after the brothers’ 5-year-old half-sister, Olivia, made a memorable appearance during the show’s Dedication Night in October.
That week, each celebrity honored someone special. Dylan chose his little sister to perform “Rewrite the Stars,” sung originally by Zac and Zendaya in the 2017 film “The Greatest Showman.” He explained the nod at the time, saying Zac has “always taken care of me, and he did things that were so selfless.”
Dylan later told Extra that Zac remained supportive, even off-camera. “Hey, he’s doing his thing,” he said, noting that the actor stayed in close contact despite not appearing in the ballroom.
Dylan and Daniella Deliver Two Prince-Inspired Routines
Zac’s arrival coincided with one of Dylan’s biggest nights of the season. He and Karagach performed two routines as one of the six semifinal pairs. Their tango to Prince’s 1984 hit “I Would Die 4 U” earned them a 27 out of 30. They followed with a cha-cha to the artist’s 1986 track “Kiss,” scoring a strong 28 out of 30.
Throughout the performances, Zac could be seen smiling, clapping, and bouncing Olivia on his lap as he watched Dylan dance. The family responded enthusiastically to both of Dylan’s high-scoring routines.
Even though Dylan and Karagach ended the night at the bottom of the leaderboard with a combined 55 points, they advanced to the next round.
Dylan Reflects on Making It to the Next Round
After the show, Dylan told People that he and Karagach have approached each week as if it could be their last. “We’ve treated every week like it’s our final week, but this one is our final Wednesday rehearsal, Thursday rehearsal,” he said. “So I’m just going to enjoy every moment and give it my all.”
“Dancing With the Stars” airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+. New episodes stream the following day on Hulu.
