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Dancing With the Stars Season 19 Movie Night Recap: Two Perfect Scores, One Surprising Elimination

Dancing With the Stars season 19
Movie night on Dancing With the Stars brought the first two perfect scores of season 19, plus an elimination that surprised even the judges and hosts

Lights, camera, dancing! Monday, Sept. 29, was Movie Night on Dancing With the Stars, which meant that the remaining 11 celebs and their pro partners had to come up with choreography to songs from famous films like Back to the Future, Rocky, Ghost, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Austin Powers in Goldmember. The resulting routines were fun, inventive, and bursting with movie magic — but at the end of the night, one couple had to go home. Let's recap!

Randy Couture and Karina Smirnoff: In Jeopardy

Moments after they learned they were in jeopardy, Randy and Karina had to take the floor for the first dance of the night, a paso doble to "Eye of the Tiger" from Rocky. "There's a parallel between my mixed martial arts career and the whole Rocky series," Randy said in his intro package. "I know Sylvester Stallone, so to create an homage to one of his legacies…it's gonna be very cool."

It was indeed very cool — in the fans' eyes, at least. The judges, on the other hand, weren't impressed. Julianne Hough questioned where the "strong, charming, leading man from week one" had gone, while Bruno Tonioli took issue with Randy's timing and lack of shaping. Guest judge Kevin Hart, meanwhile — filling in for head judge Len Goodman — thought it was "a hell of a performance." 

Score: 26 out of 40 (7 from Carrie Ann Inaba and Kevin, 6 from Julianne and Bruno)

Alfonso Ribeiro and Witney Carson: Safe

"I came here to learn ballroom," Alfonso said. "But it's a lot harder than I thought." Indeed, he and Witney struggled to prepare for their Austin Powers in Goldmember-themed quickstep this week to Beyonce's "Hey Goldmember." At one point during rehearsal, Witney complained about having to "carry [his] fat ass" across the floor.

By performance time, though, Alfonso was more than carrying his own weight. Bruno praised his "swinging '60s vibe" and said his ballroom stance was getting better, while Carrie Ann marveled at how "totally smooth" his movements were. Julianne noted that he needed to work on his frame in hold, but Kevin raved, "You murdered that, brother."

Score: 32 out of 40 (8 from everyone)

Related: PHOTOS: All the season 19 contestants

Betsey Johnson and Tony Dovolani: Safe

Betsey was feeling a little more confident after her successful week two routine, but she worried she wouldn't be able to keep up the good work. "This week, I'm doing a contemporary dance, whatever that is," she said in her intro package, as the cameras showed her practicing various lifts with Tony. "I'm very unpredictable, and in this dance, you cannot be unpredictable." 

That may be true, but no one could have predicted Betsey's transformation from wild child designer to elegant ballroom dancer. After her routine to "Unchained Melody" from Ghost, Carrie Ann said it was "confusing" to watch — because Betsey looked like one of the pro dancers. Kevin Hart, meanwhile, likened her to a 21-year-old and joked that he had "the hots" for her. "You just dropped it like it was hot!" he exclaimed.

Score: 29 out of 40 (9 from Kevin, 7 from Carrie Ann and Bruno, 6 from Julianne)

Lea Thompson and Artem Chigvintsev: Safe

Lea and Artem took DWTS fans back to the past with a Back to the Future-themed cha cha and intro package, complete with a replica of the DeLorean time machine. "We are recreating the prom, only Lorraine is all grown up," Lea said, referring to her character in the 1985 Michael J. Fox-starring classic.

Aside from one little slip of the hand, Lea and Artem's choreography went off like clockwork. Julianne praised Lea's versatility, while Bruno raved that the "Power of Lea" was "on splendid display." Only Carrie Ann wasn't a fan, telling Lea, "Unfortunately, I think this was not your best dance at all. You were very uncertain on your feet." 

Score: 31 out of 40 (7 from Carrie Ann, 8 from everyone else)

Related: PHOTOS: Jaw-dropping DWTS makeovers

Michael Waltrip and Emma Slater: Safe

Michael and Emma brought Robin Hood and Maid Marian to life with a Robin Hood-themed dance to "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You." The judges weren't sold on his samba in week two, but Michael promised he'd "win 'em over" with his waltz in week three. He did indeed win 'em over — and then some. Julianne gushed that it was his "best dance ever," while Bruno said that his hard work was paying off. Added Carrie Ann: "I was mesmerized."

Score: 28 out of 40 (7 from everyone)

Antonio Sabato Jr. and Cheryl Burke: In Jeopardy

Len's advice to Antonio last week was to not "overthink" the routines, so Cheryl made it her mission to force him to "let go" and have fun with their routine, a foxtrot to "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" from Guardians of the Galaxy. Unfortunately, whatever she did only semi-worked. Though Carrie Ann said he looked good, she also noted that he was "stiff in places that are a little strange."

Score: 29 out of 40 (8 from Bruno, 7 from everyone else)

Sadie Robertson and Mark Ballas: Safe

In spite of her own opinion that the dance was a little boring, Us Weekly's DWTS photo blogger wowed the judges with her Viennese waltz to the "Married Life" theme song from Disney-Pixar's Up. Carrie Ann said it was her "favorite dance" so far, while Kevin raved that it was "seamless." Bruno added that he was "totally and utterly charmed."

Score: 32 out of 40 (8 from everyone)

Jonathan Bennett and Allison Holker: In Jeopardy

Newbie pro Allison was feeling a little discouraged after Len's comments last week that her choreography didn't have much "substance," but she bounced back after a quick pep talk from Mark Ballas. His encouragement gave her the boost she needed to come up with a sexy, Great Gatsby-themed tango to Beyonce's "Back to Black."

Julianne said Jonathan needed to work on his frame but assured Allison she'd done a "great job" with the content. Added Bruno: "That's a very hard track to track, but you did it, and you got the intense melancholy of The Great Gatsby."

Score: 32 out of 40 (8 from everyone)

Janel Parrish and Val Chmerkovskiy: Safe

Janel and Val were feeling pretty good about their West Side Story-themed jazz routine to "America," but two days into rehearsals, producers called with a caveat: They could use the song, but they couldn't do any moves that resembled the choreography in the movie. "The challenge now is to do West Side Story without it looking like West Side Story," Val said. 

Challenge accepted — and totally crushed. Julianne gave Janel a standing ovation, raving, "I felt like I was watching a full-on Broadway show. Honestly, that wasn't just a good dance — you just opened up so many doors to your career. In my opinion, that was perfecto." Bruno had high praise, too, telling the Pretty Little Liars star, "My darling, this is your star-making turn."

Score: 40 out of 40 (10 from everyone)

Tommy Chong and Peta Murgatroyd: Safe

Chong continued to exceed everyone's expectations this week, performing an Argentine tango that the judges described as "unforced, languid, and sensual." The Argentine tango "is about two people sharing a story, and the story could not have been better told," Bruno raved of the routine, set to music from Scent of a Woman. Carrie Ann echoed the sentiment, telling the comedian, "I mean this as a true compliment — it was like watching Yoda dance. You are the real deal."

Score: 34 out of 40 (10 from Kevin, 8 from everyone else)

Related: PHOTOS: Before they were on DWTS

Bethany Mota and Derek Hough: Safe

Bethany was really feeling the heat from Derek as they rehearsed their jazz routine to "Singin' in the Rain," especially after Patricia Kelly, wife of the late Gene Kelly, paid them a visit. "Gene Kelly is one of Derek's heroes, so he's putting a lot of extra pressure on himself and by extension me," Bethany said nervously. Derek himself said he felt like the routine had to be "perfect," which was asking a lot of his partner.

Clearly she was up for the challenge, though. Bethany and Derek earned the second perfect score of the night, not to mention high praise from all four judges. "Mission impossible? Mission complete. That was ridiculously insanely good," Carrie Ann gushed. 

Score: 40 out of 40 (10 from everyone)

In the end, one couple had to go home. It came down to Randy and Karina, Antonio and Cheryl, and Jonathan and Allison. Antonio and Jonathan were saved, leaving Randy the odd man out. Fans in the ballroom went quiet as the results were announced, and all four judges gave Randy a standing ovation. "Judging by the reaction in the room, I'm shocked," co-host Erin Andrews said. "Tom is shocked, too." 

Tell Us: Do you think Randy deserved to go home this week?

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