The 805 Hit the Ballroom

Some hometown kids make it big and never look back. Harry Shum Jr. keeps getting the whole 805 to show up for him. So on Oct. 13, we left Humdinger for the real thing: the Dancing With the Stars ballroom, live, in the studio audience.

Quick refresher if you're new here. Harry's family moved to Grover Beach when he was 8, and he graduated from Arroyo Grande High in 2000. Before Glee, before the movies, he was a Central Coast kid who could dance. This season he's partnered with Jenna Johnson, and every Tuesday the Central Coast has been treating his Dancing With the Stars run like a home game.

Front row energy

Week 5 was the night. Harry and Jenna hit a samba to "Yeah!" by Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris, and the judges gave it 33 out of 40, good for third on the leaderboard. Hearing that crowd go up in person hits different than any living room.

After the show, Harry posed with the crew right there on the floor, under the mirrorball. Same energy he brings to every routine.

We made the broadcast

Then came the part nobody planned: Connect the Coast's Lorde Sanctus showed up right there on the national broadcast, cheering in the crowd. The 805, on national TV.

Lorde and the Connect the Coast crew have been throwing Harry's watch parties at Humdinger all season. Seeing it from the room was a whole other level.

Seeing the start of Harry's dance journey culminate in his top-tier performances on a global stage makes me so proud! | Lorde Sanctus

Inside the ballroom

The whole cast lined the ballroom staircase under blue stage lights, and for one night, a corner of that room belonged to the Central Coast.

The run so far

Harry's not just surviving. He's climbing.

Week 1, cha cha to "Let's Groove": 21 out of 30, the top score of night one. Week 2, Viennese waltz to "Iris": 18 out of 30, safe. Week 3, jive to "You Make My Dreams": 24 out of 30, tied for the top score. Week 4, tango to Mariah Carey's "It's Like That": 24 out of 30, a song he actually danced in the original 2005 music video for. Week 5, the samba we saw live: 33 out of 40. And Week 6, a foxtrot to John Mayer's "Stop This Train" on Dedication Night: 36 out of 40, his best score yet, with four straight 9s.

From cha cha to four 9s. That's the dance journey Lorde is talking about.

Tonight: Horror Movie Night

Tuesday, Oct. 27 is Week 7, Horror Movie Night, and it's a double elimination. Two couples go home. This is the week the 805 votes as one block.

Here's the play: vote at 5, watch at 8. Voting opens at 5 p.m. Pacific with the live East Coast feed and closes before the West Coast broadcast even starts, so you can't wait until the show. Vote at dwtsvote.abc.com (18 and up) and text HARRY to 21523. Then pull up to the free watch party at Humdinger Brewing, 116 W. Branch St. in Arroyo Grande: doors at 7:30, show at 8.

Everything in one place, from the vote links to the scorecard and the rest of the ballroom photos: hit Harry Shum Jr. HQ at connxct.club/dwts.