Dancing With the Stars recap: Look who got the season's first perfect score
DWTS: Tiger King's Carole Baskin Eliminated During Disney Night
Week three of the competition saw the celebrity contestants and their pro dancer partners dancing to songs from Disney films
It’s villains night on Dancing With the Stars and I had an evil thought: Would someone dare to deliciously recreate Sean Spicer’s infamous, Democrat-orchestrated moment from 2019 when he donned the neon green blouse and banged on the bongos? But the celebs weren’t looking to recreate those kinds of rapscallions on this Halloween-themed night; it was all about the celebs and their scary memories, Derek Hough playing Jekyll and Hyde with his commentary, and A.J.’s “hard-headed” partner surviving a wicked fall. Boo-ya!
Now before Tyra’s costumes get even bigger than the ballroom, let’s get on with the show.
Monica Aldama and Val Chmerkovskiy: The cheer coach is excited to “keep learning” even though the enthusiasm level she displays in those rehearsal packages barely registers a .9 on the Richter scale. On Monday, she played Nurse Ratched in a jazz routine that gave Val a chance to show off his mad skills. But where’s the character, Monica? “I got more of a mild chill, and I’ll explain why!” exclaimed Bruno Tonioli. “Of course, great leg extension… the thing with jazz is it always comes from the body. Think Fosse. Every move came through. You have to express that.” Score: 22 out of 30
Kaitlyn Bristowe and Artem Chigvintsev: Just once I want to hear a celeb say, I hate this character! No way am I wearing that ugly wig and costume! But no, the bachelorette simply loves Cruella de Vil and her Dalmatians because that gives her an opportunity to talk about her adopted poochies. So did she mean for her paso doble to go to the dogs? “It was another not great dance of yours,” admitted Carrie Ann Inaba. Score: 24 out of 30
Jeannie Mai and Brandon Armstrong: Apparently, Hannibal “wrecked” the cohost of The Real, who snuck into the theater as a kid to watch Silence of the Lambs. So who better to honor with her paso doble? (Too bad the theme wasn’t ‘60s sitcoms; she looked absolutely sick in that I Dream of Jeannie getup during the rehearsal package). Going from a tied-up maneater to a dancing vixen at the start of the number was a bit nutso, but it still earned Jeannie the top spot on the show so far. “Jeannie, you absolutely ate up that paso!” said Derek Hough. “That was a great, great paso.” “You made a meal out of that!” growled Tonioli in response. Score: 25 out of 30
Chrishell Stause and Gleb Savchenko: The Selling Sunset broker was instructed by her partner to thrust her “tits forward” as Maleficent. But he wasn’t trying to be a boob — he wanted her to look petrifying in their worthy paso doble. “You are in your element! Talk about storytelling in its finest,” said Inaba. “That was cinematic,” said Hough. “You tapping into that villain… the simplicity of it called for it… overall, everybody is crushing it tonight!” Score: 26 out of 30
A.J. McLean and Cheryl Burke: The popular pro had a close call during Sunday’s rehearsal when she hit her head on the dance floor. A cold compress seemed to do the trick, as Cheryl returned in fine form to dance a Psycho-inspired tango with a man who wore a black dress and six-inch Louboutins at his wedding. Now that’s scary. “A.J., wow. I’m truly impressed. That was a really difficult routine and every movement was great,” said Inaba. “My God, well done.” Score: 26 out of 30
Justina Machado and Sasha Farber: Though she hates Halloween, the actress found a kindred spirit in Sissy Spacek’s Carrie and the love she had for her high school teacher (yeah, Betty Buckley!). That made for an awkward transition to Justina’s childhood instructor Mrs. Madison, but hey, whatever it takes to keep you kids in school. Let’s tango! “Your frame is exquisite. You travel across that floor. You move so much, and that means you are in the correct position,” said Hough. “You can never be hoppy or steppy in the tango, it loses that quality,” said Tonioli. “Otherwise so powerful.” Score: 26 out of 30
Johnny Weir and Britt Stewart: Still smarting from last week’s “dumpster fire,” the skater vowed to “come back so much harder” with his Dracula-inspired Viennese waltz. Turns out he has an affinity for vampires, partly because of their “beauty esthetic” but mostly because of a blood sucker agent who once told him he can’t be gay if wants to be a successful skater. Bite me, you terrible 10 percenter! “You floated through that like a dream. You are a rock star,” said Inaba. “Struggle is what makes you stronger.” Score: 27 out of 30
Skai Jackson and Alan Bersten: The Disney star is feeling the heat; she teared up during rehearsal while practicing their Chucky-inspired Argentine tango. I would be too, my tater tot: The competition is fierce. “I am so proud of you, you had the roughest road in this competition,” said Inaba. “Last week, I absolutely felt for you. This week, I feel for you,” said Hough. Score: 27 out of 30
Nelly and Daniella Karagach: Hey, Nightmare on Elm Street doesn’t freak out Nelly. He thinks Freddy Krueger is a scream, so he donned a scissor hand (and some icky makeup) to cut the rug to “Can’t Feel My Face.” Hilarious! “Nelly, what is going on, that was by far your best dance! Everything you did was so dramatic!” said Inaba. “That was definitely not a nightmare on the dance floor,” added Hough. Score: 27 out of 30
Nev Schulman and Jenna Johnson: Catfish trivia: Nev and his dad are superfans of the New York City ballet! He also likes him some Swan Lake. So this paso doble is for you, pop. (Also, breaking news: I’m starting to think Nev will never let his chest hair grow long again.) “I love this piece and you lived up to the expectation,” said Tonioli. “From beginning to end, gorgeous... I was like, oh my God, it’s so good!” Score: A perfect 30!
Monica and Val and Jeannie and Brandon were the bottom two couples. Tonioli voted to save Jeannie; Hough picked Monica, and Inaba had to make the hard choice. She booted Monica.
There will be two dances performed by the celebs next Monday and a double elimination!
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