“Dancing with the Stars” fans have spotted an Easter egg by contestant Scott Hoying in the background of week 4’s episode.
On the show’s “Disney Night,” the Pentatonix singer danced alongside his partner Rylee Arnold to “Bop to the Top” from the movie “High School Musical.” Hoying embodied the character of Ryan Evans, brother of the iconic Sharpay Evans played by Ashley Tisdale.
Hoying and Arnold were clad in outfits similar to those of the siblings in “High School Musical.”
But fans noticed Hoying took his dedication to the role even further in the show’s background.
A fan shared a TikTok video pointing out Hoying’s commitment. During his fellow contestants’ post-dance interviews, the singer could be seen in the background sporting a different hat.
Hoying opened up his performance in a fedora similar to the one from the movie. But after his dance, he was seen wearing a variety of hats, ranging from a simple baseball cap to a neon green newsboy hat.
One fan pointed out in the comments that each hat Hoying wore corresponded to hats from the movies.
The fan noted the hats resembled ones worn by Evans in the songs, “We’re All in This Together,” “I Don’t Dance” and “What I’ve Been Looking For.”
History of ‘High School Musical’ Hats
In “High School Musical,” character Ryan Evans sports several different hats, garnering a whole Fandom Wiki page dedicated to it.
Evans is seen in nine different hats in the first movie and 12 in the second.
The character was played by actor Lucas Grabeel, who also sported hats in the movie “Halloweentown High.” In a 2024 interview with Collider, Grabeel revealed the story behind the signature look.
Grabeel credited costume designer Tom McKinley with putting him in hats for the movies.
“I had done Halloweentown High a couple years before High School Musical with the same wardrobe designer as High School Musical and he put me in a bunch of hats,” he said. “Cause he was like ‘Oh you look good in hats’ and I’m like ‘I love hats!’ and they’re like ‘Great, less time in the hair and makeup trailer! Fantastic!'”
“When we came back and did High School Musical, he’s like ‘Okay so I know we didn’t [do as much] for Halloweentown [High] and all that, but I think Ryan should wear hats in every scene.’ And I’m like ‘Love. It!'” Grabeel told Collider.
Grabeel was in the audience the night of Hoying’s performance, according to PEOPLE. Hoying joined Grabeel in “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” playing his on-screen boyfriend.
Fans ‘Impressed’ by Hoying’s Commitment
DWTS fans shared their excitement at Hoying’s nod to the movie character in the comments of the TikTok video.
“They were playing into sharpay and Ryan the wholeee night I loved it,” one user wrote.
“I was so impressed with their commitment to the bit,” said another.
Many fans noted they hadn’t caught on to the Easter egg until they saw the social media post.
“Omg i didnt notice this is genius,” a TikTok user wrote.
“Omg I didn’t notice that! Thank you for pointing it out!” another person said. “How did I not notice this,” said another.
Week 4 Recap & Looking Forward
Hoying and Arnold danced a salsa to the iconic Disney song, earning sevens from each of the judges.
The couple was marked safe from elimination in week four’s episode. The pair are set to perform to Hoying’s song “Parallel” in a dance dedicated to his husband Mark.
Week five’s episode airs on October 14 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+. The show is streamed the next day on Hulu.
