Tricks and treats! Dancing With the Stars' Halloween episode on Oct. 27 had spooky music, spider webs, and even zombies — not to mention the return of "scary" head judge Len Goodman. It also featured the first team dances of season 19, plus an elimination and a special announcement from Alfonso Ribeiro. Let's recap!
Tommy Chong and Peta Murgatroyd
Peta was having a hard time keeping Tommy on task this week, but they managed to pull off a decent quickstep to "That Old Black Magic." The judges were sufficiently bewitched, despite the fact that Tommy's form was less than perfect. "You're very easy on the eyes. You're very watchable," Len told him. "There's a charm about you that I love."
Score: 28 out of 40 (7 from everyone)
Lea Thompson and Artem Chigvintsev
Lea and Artem were really feeing the stress this week, and it showed. Lea was so focused on nailing all the steps that she lost some of her natural chemistry with Artem. "Honestly, you need to give yourself a break," Julianne Hough told her after their Argentine tango. "Try to remember the fun."
Score: 34 out of 40 (9 from Julianne and Bruno Tonioli, 8 from Carrie Ann Inaba and Len)
Bethany Mota and Derek Hough
Bethany broke through with her tango last week, but she lost something in rehearsals this week. By performance time, though, she was back to her fierce, fun-loving self. While Len thought there was a bit too much "production" involved in their paso doble, Julianne, Carrie Ann, and Bruno loved it. "You are fascinating," Carrie Ann raved afterward. "You became exactly what I think Derek envisioned. Flawless." Added Bruno: "A paso doble painted on a grand operatic scale — absolutely fantastic!"
Score: 39 out of 40 (9 from Len, 10 from everyone else)
Antonio Sabato Jr. and Cheryl Burke
After ending up at the bottom of the leader board last week, Anthony and Cheryl were hoping to put a spell on the judges with their Viennese waltz. "I don't think the spell worked," Carrie Ann lamented after the performance. "It makes me uncomfortable to watch you." Added Len: "It was okay, but it wasn't what I was hoping [it would be]."
Score: 27 out of 40 (6 from Carrie Ann, 7 from everyone else)
Michael Waltrip and Emma Slater
The judges really like Michael's personality, but they've never been crazy about his dancing — and this week was no exception. Though his jive with Emma was entertaining, it wasn't good. "You did your best, but it wasn't enough," Len told him. Quipped Julianne: "In the theme of Halloween, that was kind of a nightmare."
Score: 20 out of 40 (5 from everyone)
Janel Parrish and Val Chmerkovskiy
In honor of Halloween, Janel brought a touch of her uber-creepy Pretty Little Liars character, Mona, to the ballroom. All four judges were utterly charmed by her Viennese waltz to the theme song of the ABC Family show, with Carrie Ann raving that her "fluidity of motion" was great, and Julianne saying she looked "stunning."
Score: 31 out of 40 (7 from Len, 8 from everyone else)
Alfonso Ribeiro and Witney Carson
Alfonso was still recovering from his groin injury this week, and he suffered a few other ailments during rehearsal, but he and Witney managed a gorgeous rumba that Bruno called "captivating," and Len praised as "proper." Raved Carrie Ann: "The magic is happening."
Indeed it is. Alfonso's dance this week was accompanied by a special announcement — he and his wife are expecting another baby!
Score: 36 out of 40 (9 from everyone)
Sadie Robertson and Mark Ballas
Sadie and Mark's zombie-themed paso doble got an incredible reaction from the audience, but the judges were slightly less impressed. Carrie Ann said Sadie seemed off balance, while Len complained that there was too much going on with the extra dancers and the theatrics.
Score: 30 out of 40 (8 from Julianne and Bruno, 7 from Carrie Ann and Len)
Team Itsy Bitsy: Bethany, Janel, Lea, Michael
Team Itsy Bitsy — led by Bethany — performed a spider-themed routine to Iggy Azalea's "Black Widow," complete with a giant web. Julianne raved that they looked like "queens of the night," while Len said it was a "great dance performed very well."
Score: 36 out of 40 (9 from everyone)
Team Creepy: Alfonso, Sadie, Antonio, Tommy
Alfonso led Team Creepy in performing a freestyle routine to "Time Warp" from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. They were the underdogs going in — Team Itsy Bitsy had Derek, who has never lost a team dance — but they gave their competitors a run for their money. Julianne gushed that everyone looked great "individually," even if the synchronization was a little off, and Carrie Ann said she preferred their performance to Team Itsy Bitsy's.
Score: 32 out of 40 (8 from everyone)
Mostly by coincidence, all the members of Team Itsy Bitsy ended up being safe going into next week. All the members of Team Creepy, meanwhile, were in danger of being eliminated. It came down to Antonio and Cheryl and Tommy and Peta, but in the end, Antonio and Cheryl were sent home.
Tell Us: Was the right couple eliminated?
