For Dylan Efron, using brother Zac Efron’s song during Dancing With the Stars’ Dedication Night was a no-brainer.
“It just made sense,” Dylan, 33, exclusively told Us Weekly after the Tuesday, October 14, episode. “It wasn’t even a thought. That’s like my favorite performance by Zac, so it was special.”
Dylan and partner Daniella Karagach performed a contemporary routine to Zac and Zendaya’s song “Rewrite the Stars” from The Greatest Showman. Dylan dedicated the dance to sister Olivia, who also joined in on the performance, and earned all 9s from judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli and guest Kym Johnson-Herjavec.
Dylan, for his part, admitted that he was “not at all” anticipating earning the highest scores of the night — and the season overall. “I was hoping for one 9,” he shared. “So we exceeded our expectations.”
Dylan Efron Tears Up Over ‘Selfless’ Brother Zac on ‘DWTS’ Dedication Night
Despite being at the top of the leaderboard heading into Wicked Night, Dylan explained that the “scores are always secondary” for him.
“We want to just go out there and do our best every week,” he shared. “And that’s really what we’re trying to do when we finish that dance. We want to feel like we left it all out there.”
In a clip from his rehearsals, Dylan opened up about why he dedicated the routine to 5-year-old Olivia. (Dylan and Zac’s dad, David, shares Olivia and son Henry with second wife Jenny.)
“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, getting emotional about his bond with Zac, 37. “Now, being able to dance to ‘Rewrite the Stars,’ this is a nod to my brother. 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 Efron Shares Sweet ‘DWTS’ Rehearsal Photos Featuring Sister Olivia
While Zac has yet to be in the ballroom this season, Dylan teased fans earlier this month that he had plans to pay tribute to his family.
“Everyone thought you were gonna do High School Musical tonight,” cohost Julianne Hough said during the Disney Night episode, where Dylan and Karagach, 32, performed a quickstep to Cars’ “Life Is a Highway.”
Dylan replied, “I have something special for next week, if I’m still here” as Daniella appeared shocked that he revealed their plans.
Before the season premiered in September, Dylan told Us Zac is “supportive” about his journey on the ballroom competition. According to Dylan, the High School Musical actor went to a live taping “a long time ago,” which left a memorable impression.
“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.”
While Dylan and Karagach are guaranteed to return for Wicked Night on October 21 — none of the remaining couples were eliminated on Tuesday — the pair don’t think he’ll be the last Efron family member to chase the mirrorball trophy.
“[Olivia’s] going to be my partner [in 10 years]. I’ll take her,” Karagach joked to Us, as Dylan added, “She’s better than me.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
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