‘Dancing With the Stars’ Week 8: ’90s Week Brings ‘Barbie Girl,’ Vanilla Ice and a Double Elimination

(SPOILER ALERT: This article reveals which two teams were sent home on Monday, Nov. 7)

“This past weekend, we lost Aaron Carter,” cohost Tyra Banks said at the top of Monday’s night show, remembering the pop star and Season 9 contestant who was found dead on Saturday at age 34. “The team here at ‘Dancing With the Stars’ recalls the energy and the fun that he brought to his show, to this ballroom and we offer our sincere condolences to his family.”

The eight remaining couples danced to hits from the ’90s on Monday, with live performances from Salt-N-Pepa, En Vogue, Vanilla Ice, and Kid ‘N Play.

After their individual dances, there was a three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard between Charli D’Amelio, Gabby Windey and Wayne Brady, while a bonus Relay Dance round left only Charli and Wayne tied for first.

The first couple sent home was Heidi D’Amelio and Artem Chigvintsev. The judges then had to decide whether to save Trevor Donovan or Vinny Guadagnino, and it was finally the night for fan favorite Vinny to bow out.

Kicking off the individual dances, Trevor wasn’t happy to hear he and partner Emma Slater had been assigned Aqua’s “Barbie Girl,” but, as Emma told him, the blond actor does look like a Ken doll. The judges loved it, with Len Goodman proclaiming it “lots of fun,” and Bruno Tonioli insisted “it wasn’t plastic fantastic, it was plastic fabulous!”

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Then Shangela took the stage as a fringe-clad Scary Spice for a Samba to Spice Girls’ “Spice Up Your Life” with partner Gleb Savchenko to possibly the loudest applause this season. Derek Hough faulted the drag star for some sloppy footwork, while Carrie Ann Inaba raved, “I must have missed something, because that was lit!” She gave the pair a 10, while the other judges all handed out 9s.

Next up, Wayne Brady got raves for his and Witney Carson’s hip Salsa to “Motownphilly” by Boyz II Men. The duo also earned their second perfect score of the season.

“CODA” star Daniel Durant danced to Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence” and halfway through, the music stopped for a few bars to show what it’s like to dance while deaf. A choked-up Derek said the routine — which earned the actor his first 10s — was “insanely powerful,” while Bruno said, “We all felt the sound of silence. What you do out here is so special. It is a gift to all of us.”

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Carrie Ann loved Heidi’s emotional dance to Alanis Morissette’s “Ironic,” even with the stumbles, which she said made it feel more real.

Val Chmerkovskiy, who was out last week after testing positive for COVID, returned for a spirited Samba with Gabby set to Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca.” Val, naturally, whipped off his shirt to the lyrics, “She’ll make you take your clothes off and go dancing in the rain.” Derek called it “the best samba ever,” and Carrie Ann said Gabby was just as talented as the original dancer in the 1999 music video. The perfect-scoring dance inspired both Derek and Bruno to take their shifts off as well.

Vinny hoped to finally win over the judges with his Tango to Haddaway’s “What is Love,” but earned only a 29 out of 40. Bruno had to have the “A Night at the Roxbury” homage explained to him by Derek, while Vinny was happy to realize he’d lasted longer in the competition that fellow “Jersey Shore” stars Snooki and The Situation.

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Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas’ fast-paced, sexy Tango to Blur’s “Song 2,” got a standing ovation from Carrie Ann and “put the go in tango,” according to Len. They also earned a perfect score.

Leaderboard: Individual Dances
Wayne Brady and Witney Carson – Salsa – 40/40
Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy – Samba – 40/40
Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas – Tango – 40/40
Daniel Durant and Britt Stewart – Jazz -39/40
Shangela and Gleb Savchenko – Samba – 37/40
Heidi D’Amelio and Artem Chigvintsev – Contemporary – 39/40
Trevor Donovan and Emma Slater – Salsa -35/40
Vinny Guadagnino and Koko Iwasaki – Tango – 29/40

Leaderboard: Individual Dances plus Relay Dances
Wayne Brady and Witney Carson – 45/40
Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas – Tango – 45/40
Shangela and Gleb Savchenko – 42/45
Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy – Samba – 40/40
Daniel Durant and Britt Stewart -39/40
Trevor Donovan and Emma Slater – 39/40
Heidi D’Amelio and Artem Chigvintsev – 35/40
Vinny Guadagnino and Koko Iwasaki – 29/40

The six remaining couples move on to the semi-finals on Nov. 14.

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