It seems that stars are always opening up veins on Dancing With the Stars and last night’s episode was no exception. By the end of the night, tears were shed, four (!) couples were tied for first place, and the judges were left with a tough decision as to which couple they’d save, sending the other duo home and off the competition series.
Dancing With the Stars — Here’s What Happened
Here’s a recap of the pre-dance packages, the dances, and the scores. Read on to see what happened and who ended their quest for mirror ball gold!
Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir and pro Britt Stewart: The duo danced a Salsa to On The Floor by Jennifer Lopez featuring Pitbull. Judge Derek Hough praised the costume and said Miss Jennifer Lopez would be proud. (Derek would know as they are judges together on that other dance show World of Dance that shall not be named.) Judge Bruno Tonioli likened the costumes Johnny and Britt wore to Bob Mackie. No higher praise. “Great performance,” Bruno said. “You win some, you lose some,” said Carrie Ann Inaba. Still, the dance wasn’t up to what they had done last week. The scores from Carrie Ann, Derek, and Bruno were: 7, 8, 7. 22 points out of 30.
Nev Schulman (Catfish) and pro Jenna Johnson: The pair danced a Jazz to Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch’s version of Good Vibrations. In the package, Jenna learned that Marky Mark and the actor Mark Wahlberg are the same person. (The more you know!) Bruno says the dance was deliciously “bonkers.” He compared their routine to an audition from the movie Fame. Lev wished his daughter a happy 4th birthday. Awww… That should add a point right there, but the couple didn’t need it as they earned triple 9’s. 27 points out of 20.
Monica Aldama (Cheer – not Cheers, btw, but Cheer – it’s about cheerleading) and pro Val Chmerkovskiy: The duo danced the Rumba to Have I Told You Lately by Rod Stewart. Monica recounts in the pre-dance package that she and her husband split, but then got back together. Everyone loves a love story with a happy ending. If they had a studio audience, they’d cut to hubby in the audience after the dance. Carrie says Monica has come into her own. Judges’ scores: 9, 9, 9, their highest yet. 27 points out of 30.
Disney star Skai Jackson and pro Alan Bersten: The two danced a cha cha to Say So by Dojo Cat, featuring Nicki Minaj. Oops. Skai’s foot slipped. Derek reassured that this happens. Carrie Ann says Skai’s foot was on the floor, so she won’t have to take a point off for that. Sadly, the trio got three 6’s. 18 points out of 30. Let’s hope this doesn’t do them in!
Football star Vernon Davis and pro Peta Murgatroyd: The pair danced a cha cha to Celebration by Kool & the Gang. Vernon worries that being in the bottom two last week means he might be facing his last dance this week. But fan bases galvanize usually once they know a couple is in danger. Fingers crossed he and Peta make it through. Vernon tearfully recalls losing his grandfather and going on to play a game later the same day in which he excelled. He dedicated his dance to his later grandfather. “The suit alone was almost hypnotizing,” Bruno said noting that Vernon’s timing was good but he needs to use the ball of his foot. Tyra confirms Vernon’s booty was in motion. Carrie Ann cautions that there were mistakes, so scores won’t be that great. Derek says he’ll give the pair a “10” for joy. Alas, it’s Dancing With the Stars and not Showing Joy With the Stars. Scores: 7, 7, and 7. 21 points out of 30.
Nelly and Daniella Karagach: The duo danced, perhaps the most graceful dance on DWTS, the Viennese Waltz set to Humble & Kind by Tim McGraw. “Beautiful, elegant, beautiful,” praised Carrie Ann. Derek said Nelly was masculine. Bruno said Nelly was turning into a swan and he was treating his woman like a goddess. Nelly said he was channeling his inner Bruno. Bruno said Nelly can channel him anytime. Scores: 8, 8, 8. 24 points out of 30.
Derek Hough and girlfriend Hayley Erbert perform a Paso Doble. In a word: WOW. Banks says they just shut the house down. Can this routine count to mirror ball No. 7 for Derek?
Jeannie Mai (The Real) and pro Brandon Armstrong: The two danced the Rumba to You Gotta Be by Des’ree. (This song played all the time back in 1994.) Bruno called her a smoldering siren. Derek asked Jeannie to work on her arms. Carrie Ann called Jeannie “stunning” and that she goes right to the edge but she needs to work on her transitions. Tyra says that Jeannie was tearing up and that she, Tyra, was also tearing up. “I’m crying, no, YOU’RE crying!” Judges’ scores were: 8, 8. 9. 25 points out of 30.
AJ McLean (Backstreet Boys) and pro Cheryl Burke: The duo danced the Samba to Mi Gente by J Balvin and Willy William. Their pre-dance video package gets a 10. It’s a funny segment talking about how often AJ says “I’m sorry” to Cheryl. It’s a LOT. Bruno says don’t be sorry! Carrie Ann calls the dance a breakthrough. Derek adds: “When in doubt, shake it out!” And that’s just what AJ did. Scores: 9, 9. 9. 27 points out of 30. This is anybody’s competition to win.
Chrishell Stause (Selling Sunset) and pro Gleb Savchenko: Chrishell and Gleb – also known as the hot couple on the show – danced Contemporary to Stars by Grace Potter & The Nocturnals. I always call this the ‘underwear’ dance given that couples wear loose clothing like they might wear to bed when they perform it. Chrishell’s pre-dance package was a tearjerker as she recounting losing both her parents over the last two years. Chrishell said she would have loved to have taught her mom the cha cha. She says she feels her mother’s calming presence before each dance. She shares their names: Renee and Jeff. (Side note: you’d swear there’s a studio audience tonight. Producers have gotten it down with the sound effects.) Carrie Ann praised Chrishell and her performance. Derek says he loves her intention but agreed with Carrie Ann that she still needs to watch where she points her feet. Emotionally engaging, said Bruno. “You did a great, great job,” he added. Scores: 8, 8, 8. 24 points out of 30. Their highest yet!
Kaitlyn Bristowe (The Bachelor, The Bachelorette) and pro Artem Chigvintsev: the duo danced the Samba to Sorry by Justin Bieber. Kaitlyn reveals in the package that she’s a Bieliber and that she dreams that she’s pals with the Biebs. The judges rave about their Samba. Bruno said Kaitlyn made it look elegant. Carrie Ann says she can’t take anything off but she wasn’t super impressed. The audience boos Carrie Ann. “Boo all you want,” Carrie Ann says. It’s either the other dancers and pros booing or a sound effect. Scores: 9, 9, 9. 27 points out of 30.
Justina Machado (One Day at a Time) and pro Sasha Farber: the couple danced the Viennese Waltz to She’s Always a Woman by Billy Joel. The show often saves the best for last so this could be a great number. In the pre-dance package, Machado says that she was too hard on herself when she was younger. (Seriously, weren’t we all?) Before the critiques start, Bruno says kudos must go to the pro dancers for teaching the stars. The DWTS fan in me applauds him. The cynic in me fears the show is running short and he’s been told to s-t-r-e-t-c-h. Scores: 9, 9, 9. 27 points out of 30.
Elimination: Tyra recaps the leader board: it’s a four-way tie for first place with a quartet of couples having scored 27 each. Vernon and Peta and also, Johnny and Britt are in the bottom two. Ouch. So much for fans galvanizing when they see their favorite is in jeopardy the previous week. Derek saves Johnny and Britt. Carrie Ann saves Vernon and Peta. This leaves it up to Bruno to make the choice as to who should be saved. He chooses Johnny and Britt. Tyra wants to hug Vernon and Peta, but alas, she can’t because of COVID and safety protocols. Next week: Halloween. Dancing With the Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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