Famous dances night brought the highest scores of the season — but still no perfect scores in sight. Looking ahead to next week, however, this tightly scored pack is going to lose not one but two stars.
After saying goodbye to NFL legend Doug Flutie and Karina Smirnoff, there are three couples tied for last place, none of whom really deserve to go home next. Read on to find out how your favorite stars did and tell us in the comments: which two couples should go home next week?
Kim Fields and Sasha Farber: 24
Giving her spin on a jive to Hairspray‘s “You Can’t Stop the Beat,” Fields was completely in her element, despite dancing through some ankle pain. Head judge Len Goodman thought she “captured the fun of Hairspray” and called the routine a “terrific opening to the show.” Bruno Tonioli said she got him dancing through their routine, but whispered as he pointed out a minor mistake. Carrie Ann Inaba said that Fields is “so consistent, sometimes it scares me” because she doesn’t want the Facts of Life star to get stuck in a rut.
Von Miller and Witney Carson: 24
Miller went “Bad” for his famous jazz dance to a Michael Jackson hit. The style of the routine was a perfect mix of Jackson’s flare and Miller’s own special pizzazz. Tonioli called the dance “badass!” and was thrilled to see some of Jackson’s signature difficult moves mixed in along with some other stylistic touches. Inaba thought he was “killing it” on the dance floor and said he brought his own style and flavor to the routine. Goodman was also a fan of the dance, calling it “terrific.”
Jodie Sweetin and Keo Motsepe: 25
Sweetin and Motsepe’s rehearsal for their Pink-themed contemporary routine was riddled with injuries. First she hit her nose and then she hurt her ankle and foot during one of the routine’s most iconic lifts, which Motsepe ultimately cut from the choreography in order to preserve Sweetin’s spot in the competition. And after all of that, they delivered one of the most emotionally charged performances of the season. Inaba said it was a difficult routine to watch but that they transformed the aggression into something artistic and beautiful. Goodman enjoyed that it had the same “confrontational feel” that the “Try” video had. Tonioli found the performance “incredibly demanding, [both] physically and emotionally.”
Paige VanZant and Mark Ballas: 28
After their original song and style fell through for legal reasons, Ballas and VanZant took on a jazz dance in the style of Austin Powers. For a dance and song that demanded stylistic nuance, they delivered in spades. Goodman almost scared the pair with his reaction, but concluded: “there is nothing about that dance I didn’t like.” Tonioli loved the “accuracy of the stylistic details” and especially enjoyed seeing hints of Fosse choreography included. Inaba continued the praise and said it was “by far one of my favorite dances.”
Nyle DiMarco and Peta Murgatroyd: 25
DiMarco and Murgatroyd performed a quickstep to “Hey Pachuco” in the style of Jim Carrey from The Mask. And while other stars had to learn specific stylistic touches for their dances, DiMarco had to learn an entire personality. Tonioli was bowled over by the routine, but the other two judges… not so much. Inaba thought DiMarco’s frame was broken and said that his routine was “not as crisp as I would have liked.” And then Goodman came out and was incredibly nitpicky about different dance styles and choreography, but finished his review with the caveat: “you never cease to amaze me.”
Ginger Zee and Val Chmerkovskiy: 24
Zee got “Nasty” for her Janet Jackson-inspired jazz routine that was as clean as can be, but lacked some of Miss Jackson’s signature attitude. Inaba said Zee was very well rehearsed, but she wanted to see more. Goodman echoed Inaba’s review that the Good Morning America anchor was “precise” but thought it “lacked a bit of attitude on occasion.” Tonioli thought there was nothing nasty about the performance and said she needed to “punch it much more.”
Doug Flutie and Karina Smirnoff: 21 Eliminated
Taking a departure from traditional ballroom, Flutie took inspiration from Slumdog Millionaire for his Bollywood dance to “Jai Ho.” The judges were a bit at a loss for how to critique it since, as Goodman admitted, the dance was outside of their culture, but he called the performance “jolly good.” Tonioli thought it was a “catchy number.” Inaba said that this was her favorite number of Flutie’s and she loved that it was evident he was having a good time during the dance.
Wanya Morris and Lindsay Arnold: 29
Here’s hoping it’s not time to say “Bye Bye Bye” to Morris, even though he’s performing a jazz dance to the NSYNC song by the same name. And despite being from a different boy band, he nailed the performance, earning a standing ovation from two-thirds of the judges. Tonioli called it “pure and brilliant” and said that nothing was missing from that routine. Inaba thought he “brought the stuff.” And Goodman, though he didn’t stand and clap, thought that Morris took a “great step forward towards the final.”
Antonio Brown and Sharna Burgess: 27
In one of the most surprising turns of the night, Brown delivered an incredibly sharp and high energy jive to the titular song from Footloose. But after falling to the bottom of the leaderboard last week, was it enough for him to stay in the competition? Inaba said he “killed it” and Tonioli said Brown proved he is a leading man. Goodman looked to the mirrorball trophy and said, “this competition is anyone’s to win or lose, it’s as much about the will to win as it is about the skill to win.”
Which two couples do you think should go home next week?
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