Grab your popcorn – because it’s movie night on Dancing With the Stars! On the Monday, October 23 episode, the celebrities were tasked with performing routines that captured the spirit of various movie genres. Adding to the fun, Shania Twain joined as a guest judge – and yes, she was just as bubbly and nice as you expected.
Early on, it was revealed that Nick Lachey and Peta Murgatroyd, Terrell Owens and Cheryl Burke, and Victoria Arlen and Val Chmerkovskiy were in jeopardy. They didn’t find out until later, however, whose journey for the Mirrorball trophy had come to an end. Here’s how it all went down.
The Good
Despite being in jeopardy, Terrell and Cheryl brought their A game to their spy movie-themed jive. Len Goodman said Terrell had style, though his dancing wasn’t perfect. Bruno Tonioli, meanwhile, loved Terrell’s charismatic swagger and Carrie Ann Inaba said the routine was just plain “hot.” Terrell and Cheryl ended the night with a solid 37 and continued their upward climb.
Right on their heels were Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev, whose foreign film-themed Argentine tango wowed the judges. Len praised Nikki for letting some of her tenderness show through. Carrie Ann said Nikki was close to looking like one of the pros and Shania loved the sensuality of the performance. In the end, Nikki and Artem earned 9s across the board.
Tying with them were Vanessa Lachey and Maksim Chmerkovskiy. They performed a quickstep in the spirit of the classic Hollywood musical, which Shania said was full of “sass, humor, and class.” Vanessa was pumped to break out of her streak of 8s.
The Bad
There was quite a gap between the good and the not-so-good. Victoria and Val, who had been on a hot streak for the last few weeks, stumbled tonight with their sports movie-themed paso doble. Val was worried that Victoria wouldn’t be aggressive enough, and it turned out she did seem to lack some of the required intensity. Though the judges were nice with their comments, they gave her 8s and one 7 (from Shania no less!), landing them at 31.
Tying with them were Frankie Muniz and Witney Carson, whose jazz routine with an animated movie theme was full of fun — and mistakes. Though the judges loved the energy and cool psychedelic feel, they had to take off points for all of the wobbles and bobbles.
The Worst
Despite his joyful spirit, Drew Scott still struggled with the actual dancing during his action hero paso doble with partner Emma Slater. Fellow Canadian Shania thought Drew did a great job, and Bruno declared that “it was like Mission Impossible meets The Matrix.” Drew and Emma ended the evening with a meager 30.
At the very bottom, however, were Nick and Peta. In rehearsals, Nick was frustrated because he could tell he was the worst dancer in the competition despite how hard he was working. Unfortunately, tonight was no different. Bruno described his Western-themed routine as a post-apocalyptic samba (that was a compliment) but he also thought it looked a bit forced. Carrie Ann told him his growth trajectory was “slow and steady” but definitely heading in the right direction. Still, Nick finished with only 26 points.
The Best
Yet again, Jordan Fisher and Lindsay Arnold dominated the dance floor, this time with a dramatic rumba. The judges loved how fluid their movements were, though Len picked on Jordan’s flouncy hand gestures, which Lindsay argued were part of the drama. Ultimately, they received 39 out of 40.
Beating them out for top prize were Lindsey Stirling and Mark Ballas, whose sci-fi Argentine tango was literally perfection. Mark played a mad scientist and Lindsey was his cyborg female creation. Len thought the choreography was “phenomenal” and the dancing was “brilliant.” Bruno then declared it the best dance of the season. They got a perfect 40.
The Gone
Finally, it was time to find out which couple was going home. Not too surprisingly, it was Nick and Peta. “I came not a very good dancer. I’m going to leave not a very good dancer,” Nick said with a smile. “Now I get to play dad again and I get to come and support my wonderful wife.”
Tell Us: Did the right couple go home?
Dancing With the Stars airs Mondays on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.
