Now that's more like it! Week five of Dancing With the Stars' 19th season — the switch-up week — was a tumultuous one, with lots of mistakes and brutal honesty from the judges. This week, everyone reunited with their usual partners, and order and harmony were restored to the ballroom. It was a joyful night, full of well-deserved praise, until the elimination at the end of the show. Let's recap!
Jonathan Bennett and Allison Holker, in jeopardy
After two weeks in a row of straight sixes from the judges, Jonathan was really feeling the pressure to prove that he deserved to stick around. And once he buckled down in rehearsal, he was able to do exactly that.
Carrie Ann Inaba praised his jazz performance (to guest judge Pitbull's Men in Black 3 song "Back in Time") as his "best dance so far," while Julianne Hough raved that he'd finally delivered the improvement and range they'd been looking for all along. Added Bruno Tonioli: "The man in black got his mojo back! You were slick, sharp, and I really hope you stay."
Score: 32 out of 40 (8 from everyone)
Janel Parrish and Val Chmerkovskiy, in jeopardy
Fans have been speculating all season about whether Janel and Val are more than just dance partners, and their bickering during rehearsal this week did nothing to quiet that chatter. Val teased that he couldn't sum up his relationship with Janel in one little sound byte, and she admitted it was tricky to keep their personal "feelings" — "whatever they may be" — from interfering in their work.
Bruno, for one, thought their passion for each other improved their samba, but Pitbull wasn't feeling the heat. Julianne, meanwhile, marveled at the difficulty of their routine, and praised Val for his "traditional" and competition-worthy choreography.
Score: 33 out of 40 (9 from Julianne and Bruno, 8 from Carrie Ann, 7 from Pitbull)
Tommy Chong and Peta Murgatroyd, safe
Tommy thought he and Peta needed to "recharge" before their foxtrot this week, so he took her to a sweat lodge in the desert for a little "back to nature" experience, complete with a cameo from Cloris Leachman. It worked — his performance wasn't perfect, but it was a delight to watch.
Carrie Ann raved that he was in "great form, absolutely smooth and debonair," while Pitbull quipped that he was "the most interesting man in the world." Julianne — who said last week that Tommy seemed tired — even predicted that he "could be in the competition for a very long time."
Score: 28 out of 40 (7 from everyone)
Antonio Sabato Jr. and Cheryl Burke, safe
Antonio and Cheryl were thrilled to be back together after last week's switch-up — until Cheryl's mom called with the news that her father had had a seizure. She was understandably shaken up, but she threw herself into the routine when her dad texted to tell her that the thing that would make him happiest was to see her perform. "Stay strong for me, and I'll be there with you in spirit," he wrote.
The judges appreciated Cheryl's choreography, and Antonio's effort in executing it, but his form wasn't quite up to their standards. Even Pitbull, who has no ballroom experience, noted a few issues with Antonio's salsa.
Score: 28 out of 40 (7 from everyone)
Sadie Robertson and Mark Ballas, safe
Mark had the unique challenge of choreographing a rumba — a famously sexy dance — without compromising any of 17-year-old Sadie's conservative ideals or making her and her family uncomfortable. Her mom was a little worried about some of the more "intimate" moves, so Mark tweaked the routine accordingly. The result was a gorgeously elegant, lyrical rumba that played out, in Julianne's words, like a "beautiful story about falling in love."
Score: 35 out of 40 (10 from Pitbull, 9 from Carrie Ann, 8 from Julianne and Bruno)
Lea Thompson and Artem Chigvintsev, safe
Artem really wanted Lea to pass Alfonso on the leaderboard, so he choreographed a very intricate salsa routine — too intricate, according to Carrie Ann, who scolded the pro for pushing Lea to play to someone else's strengths instead of her own. Julianne agreed with that critique but told Lea she's "still the girl to beat," as long as she trusts herself and her partner.
Score: 32 out of 40 (8 from everyone)
Michael Waltrip and Emma Slater, in jeopardy
After receiving the lowest scores of week five, Michael needed a little encouragement — which he got from the NASCAR community in Talladega. He and Emma returned to the dance floor with more confidence to perform their Argentine tango, and the judges ate it up. Carrie Ann said she felt for the first time like she was "watching a champion," and Julianne teared up as she talked about finally seeing the real Michael.
Score: 30 out of 40 (8 from Carrie Ann and Julianne, 7 from Pitbull and Bruno)
Bethany Mota and Derek Hough, safe
Bethany and Derek's rehearsal schedule was interrupted this week because of a YouTube convention in Australia, but they managed to pull together an incredible tango at the last minute, after something like only seven hours of rehearsal. "That was sharp. That was everything a tango should be," Julianne raved. Added Carrie Ann: "You were headed for a 10 [until that one slip-up]. Girl, that was ridiculous."
Score: 36 out of 40 (9 from everyone)
Alfonso Ribeiro and Witney Carson, safe
Alfonso was struggling this week to overcome a groin injury he suffered during The Carlton, but he fought through the pain to perform a fiery, fast-paced salsa to "Booty" by Jennifer Lopez — who was in the audience to support guest host Leah Remini, filling in for World Series-bound Erin Andrews. Bruno called the dance "infectious," while Carrie Ann rewarded a job well done with 10 slaps on the butt. Only Julianne said she wished there had been more salsa, but even she gave it a 9.
Score: 39 out of 40 (9 from Julianne, 10 from everyone else)
In the end, though, one couple had to go home. It came down to Janel and Val, and Jonathan and Allison — but ultimately, Jonathan and Allison just didn't have the viewer votes to make up for their low scores. "I had the best time of my life," the Mean Girls star said in his goodbye.
Tell Us: Do you think the right couple went home? Which pair are you rooting for to win the Mirrorball?
