'Dancing With the Stars' Week 9: Which Duo Went Down on Trio Night?
SPOILER ALERT: This recap reveals the elimination results of Week 9 of "Dancing With the Stars."
Who says three's a crowd? On Monday's "Dancing With the Stars," the six remaining celeb contestants paired up with an extra partner for the highly anticipated trio dances. Previously ousted pro dancers Mark Ballas, Peta Murgatroyd, and Sharna Burgess were back, as well as troupe members Henry Byalikov, Gleb Savchenko, and Witney Carson, for a round of spectacular threesomes.
Also back this week: Judge Len Goodman, who jetted to the UK last week to judge the British dancing competition "Strictly Come Dancing." And the head judge was back with a vengeance. Before the show, he tweeted:
Couples last week you got a pass. I'm back, I'm grumpy, watch out !! #dwts
— Len Goodman (@GrumpyLGoodman) November 11, 2013
But Goodman's grumpiness was only part of the story on Monday night. The live show also featured another shocking elimination when high-scoring couple Elizabeth Berkley and pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy became the seventh couple to be cut from the competition.
Watch Berkley's performance from last week:
The couple's demise came after they danced a perfect Salsa Trio with troupe member Gleb Savchenko. The hot, hot, hot dance had all of the judges pulling out their "10" paddles, but it wasn't enough to save the duo from elimination.
After her elimination was announced, a clearly stunned Berkley said, "I'm sad. Definitely there was some more things we wanted to do, but I am honestly beyond grateful for this. This was one of the biggest gifts and blessings in my life and I want to thank everyone, especially Val."
See Berkley's elimination:
The former "Saved by the Bell" star — who spoofed one of the most iconic scenes from her '90s sitcom on the TV dance competition — added that she hopes to share more of her newfound love for dance in the future. Chmerkovskiy added that he doesn't need a trophy, and that he just wants his partner to love herself as much as everyone else loves her.
Before that ballroom buzzkill, the celebs and pro dancers were buzzing with excitement over their solo and trio dances. Here are the highlights:
Derek Hough and Amber Riley kicked things off with a quickstep, but the actress couldn't shake her knee problems this week. All three of the judges criticized the "Glee" star for her loose top lines, and Goodman said, "It needed to be a bit cleaner… polish it up!" But after the couple's Salsa Trio with Ballas, Carrie Ann Inaba gushed, "You guys are like the dream team!"
The judges praised Leah Remini and Tony Dovolani's "badass proper tango" (Bruno Tonioli's description), with Goodman telling the "King of Queens" alum she "brought the flavor" to the dance. For their Jive Trio with Byalikov, Remini, and Dovolani danced to the Twisted Sister song "We're Not Gonna Take It," but they did take the judges kudos and another 27 points.
[Related: The Dramatic Past of the 'Dancing With the Stars' Season 17 Cast]
For their first dance, Corbin Bleu and Karina Smirnoff waltzed their way to a 10 from Tonioli, but the couple's second dance — a Jazz Trio with troupe member Carson — was the night's standout performance. Inaba proclaimed, "That may be the best routine I've ever seen in all 17 seasons of 'Dancing With the Stars,'" before comparing Bleu to the late jazz choreographer Bob Fosse. The dance received a perfect score.
Jack Osbourne and Cheryl Burke danced an almost-perfect Viennese waltz (Tonioli was the holdout!), but their jungle-themed Samba Trio with Burgess had a few problems. The judges concluded Osbourne was overwhelmed by his two female partners, and dinged him accordingly.
[Photos: Check Out 'DWTS' Performance Pics]
Bill Engvall does his best dancing when he plays a character, so pro partner Emma Slater set him up for a 1950s-themed Charleston. Unfortunately, the judges started yackety-yakking about how bad it was. "You got into trouble at the laundromat again," Tonioli said. "You put the Charleston on the wrong cycle and you forgot to set the timing." Goodman's critique was even more brutal: "That wasn't good," he said. "No swivel, it was wooden." The couple earned the lowest score of the night with 21 points, and it was a repeat with their Salsa Trio with Murgatroyd. The candy-themed dance garnered some not-so-sweet comments from the judges (Inaba put it bluntly: "That was so weird") and another low score. Still, Engvall survived elimination. Bottom line: The comedian must have one heck of a fan base.
Here's the full list of scores from Week 9 of the "Dancing With the Stars":
Jack Osbourne and Cheryl Burke (29 out of 30 points, 25 trio points)
Corbin Bleu and Karina Smirnoff (28 out of 30 points, 30 trio points)
Leah Remini and Tony Dovolani (27 out of 30 points, 27 trio points)
Elizabeth Berkley and Val Chmerkovskiy (26 out of 30 points, 30 trio points)
Amber Riley and Derek Hough (24 out of 30 points, 27 trio points)
Bill Engvall and Emma Slater (21 out of 30 points, 21 trio points)
"Dancing With the Stars" Season 17 airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.