Courtney Act Makes ‘Dancing With the Stars’ History While Out of Drag

Courtney Act has been serving every week on Dancing With the Stars: Australia and this week, her performance made history.

For the first time since entering the competition, Courtney danced her routine out of drag as Shane Jenek, making it the first time two male-presenting dancers have danced together on the Australian version of the hit show.

Courtney posted video of the routine, a foxtrot/tango to Britney Spears' "Toxic," on her Instagram.

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Courtney and her partner Joshua Keefe were one point short of a perfect score with 29 out of 30 points.

Courtney has previously said that she'd want to perform as Shane if she were to be cast on Strictly Come Dancing, the British predecessors to Dancing With the Stars. "I would want to be Courtney and dance with a male partner," Courtney told the Daily Star in 2018. "And then halfway through the series I'd come out as Shane and there would finally be same-sex dancing on the show." As this was the penultimate episode, this was Courtney's last chance to perform out of drag as she told Gay Star News she wants to be "in drag and all glittery for the finale."

Courtney Act's same-sex dance comes three years after America's Next Top Model winner Nyle DiMarco brought the first same-sex dance to the American version of the hit competitive dancing show. In 2018, the show's Italian version, Ballando con la Stelle, featured a same-sex pair, gay fashion designer Giovanni Ciacci and his dance partner Raimondo Todaro. The two were a hit with audiences, though one shady judge did give them a score of 0 for one of their dances, claiming the two men lacked chemistry.

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