‘Dancing With the Stars’ Week 3: Vegas, Baby!
Warning: This recap of Week 3 of Dancing With the Stars contains spoilers.
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, except when it’s on Dancing With the Stars. For Week 3, it was Vegas Night, baby, and aside from being one of the worst ideas for a DWTS theme week ever (OK, maybe Prom Night takes that title), it was a chance to cram every Sin City cliché imaginable into a two-hour show, from smoky casinos to wedding chapels to feather-clad showgirls.
There was also a Hough sighting. DWTS golden boy Derek Hough may have defected to a J.Lo dance show, but the ABC celebrity ballroom competition will always have a special place in his heart. And so will any chance to plug his upcoming MOVE-Beyond tour with kid sister Julianne. So, yeah.
Of course, the glittery spectacle didn’t end without a casualty.
In two short weeks, Charo waged a war against the DWTS judges, telling Bruno Tonioli that he better give her bigger numbers if he wants to see his next birthday. But now, Charo’s reign of terror is over.
While she went from a cuchi-cuchi screaming crazy woman to a subdued bride goin’ to the chapel this week, it was too late: Charo cashed out. After she was given her walking papers, the feisty flamenco guitarist said she had a good time this season, then issued some parting words to the Italian judge: “Bruno, I see you in the parking lot!”
While Dancing With the Stars will now be cuchi-free, here’s how the rest of the couples did this week.
Normani Kordei and Val Chmerkovskiy: 34/40
Jackpot! Looks like jet lag suits this couple well. Normani’s foxtrot with Val came after a trek to Hong Kong, and it was instantly Bruno’s favorite dance of the night. Sure, Carrie Ann Inaba had to call out a lift penalty, but Julianne thought this dance was beyond ballroom-worthy. “That was a number you see on Broadway or on a tour,” she said.
Heather Morris and Alan Bersten: 33/40
Maks Chmerkovskiy is still out of commission with a calf injury, so Heather danced with troupe member and fellow SYTYCD alum Alan Bersten this week for a “Toxic” tango that got rave reviews from the judges. “You brought the ballroom to Britney!” Carrie Ann cheered, while Len Goodman praised the duo for going “all in.” (See what he did there?) Proud papa Maks was standing by in the skybox for the scores (you just know he’d rather poke his eyes out with a craps stick than stay away), and he made it clear that Alan shouldn’t get too comfortable because he’s planning a full comeback by next week.
Nancy Kerrigan and Artem Chigvintsev: 33/40
Ricky Martin turned up to tell Nancy how to shake her bon bon, but it was Artem who went all fanboy when the couple met the Latin pop singer. The mentoring must have helped, though, because Kerrigan killed it with a sassy samba. “Your bon was bouncing about like a ball on a roulette wheel,” Len raved. “Best dance I’ve seen all season!”
Simone Biles and Sasha Farber: 32/40
Simone may have committed the biggest sin in Sin City this week: She didn’t know who Elvis was. Is that even legal? But the Olympic gymnast got over that fast, pulling off a crazy “Viva Las Vegas” quickstep complete with a supersized roulette wheel as a backdrop, thank you, thank you very much. Still, “lift police” Carrie Ann docked the duo one point.
David Ross and Lindsay Arnold: 31/40
The retired Chicago Cub channeled Magic Mike for a jazz number that had him stripping down to red skivvies and ripping open his shirt to expose hilariously fake abs. “It was tongue-in-cheek but really good,” Julianne said of the dance. As a side note, Grandpa Rossy also revealed that baseball stars like to twerk in their undies in the locker room. Who knew?
Rashad Jennings and Emma Slater: 28/40
Rashad had a hard pill to swallow after the judges determined his samba with Emma went wrong. Bruno called out the NFL star for losing his footing, while Len said he was just plain flat-footed. “Don’t beat yourself up, you’ll be back,” Len predicted. Time for a time-out in the cabana!
Nick Viall and Peta Murgatroyd: 26/40
Nick Viall is the king of ABC’s reality TV schedule (DWTS is his 5th primetime stint on the network), so it’s only fitting that he had a “regal presence” (Carrie Ann’s words) during his “Poker Face” tango with Peta. The Bachelor star admitted that he’s an “average schmuck who spent more time looking for love the past few years than dancing” (ya think?), but at least Len saw “improvement in the movement” this week.
Erika Girardi and Gleb Savchenko: 26/40
Gleb promised his jive with Real Housewives star Erika Girardi would have elements of a circus side show — and he didn’t even have to bring Lisa Rinna in to do it. Still, Len was looking for more jive and fewer tricks during the glitzy act, while Julianne said the reality star was “a little wobbly” and lost timing.
Bonner Bolton and Sharna Burgess: 24/40
Bonner’s broken neck means there’s no lifts and no big tricks allowed, so his Charleston with Sharna was a little low energy (and a little out of sync). Still, Carrie Ann gave the pro bull rider props for trying, even if her compliment came in a backhanded way. “I do appreciate that you really went for the Charleston,” she said. “You didn’t do it that well, but you didn’t give up.”
Mr. T and Kym Herjavec: 24/40
Mr. T was clearly a de facto member of the Rat Pack back in the day. But “debonair”? That’s something new. Bruno said the former A-Team star “cleaned up very well,” for his completely out-of-character foxtrot. The tuxedo-wearing star even melted Len’s icy heart enough for the grumpy judge to call him a “gentle giant.”
Dancing With the Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC. Watch clips and full episodes of DWTS for free on Yahoo View.
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