‘Dancing With the Stars’ Week 8: It’s a Double (Elimination) Feature on Movie Night
Warning: This recap of Week 7 of Dancing With the Stars contains spoilers.
Like a little popcorn with your Paso? You’re in luck because Monday was Dancing With the Stars Movie Night. Horror, westerns, romance, salsafied sci-fi… the Oscars have nothing on this glitzy, two-hour extravaganza, which also featured a dance-off (two extra points were awarded to each winning couple), immunity for the highest scorer, and the season’s first double elimination.
Guest judge Mandy Moore (no, no, not the This Is Us mom, the LaLa Land choreographer!) joined Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli, and Carrie Ann Inaba to give a thumbs up (and thumbs down) to the movie-themed dances, and ousted pro dancer Maks Chmerkovskiy was back in the ballroom, this time to perform in the old Hollywood opening number.
But first, let’s spoil the ending by revealing the two unlucky couples who flopped at the box office. Nancy Kerrigan and Artem Chigvintsev danced a pretty perfect tango to the Roy Orbison classic “Oh, Pretty Woman,” but it couldn’t save them from elimination this week. Ditto for Nick Viall and Peta Murgatroyd, whose “Dangerous” Argentine tango got rave reviews from the judges (Bruno told the reality star it was his most “mature” dance to date), but couldn’t make up for last week’s scores and viewer votes.
Kerrigan said her time on the show was “amazing,” and Viall said it was “the best time” of his life. Besides meeting Vanessa, he means. Hey, at least he was voted off just in time to film Bachelor in Paradise for the second time if needed.
Here’s how the rest of the couples scored on this most moviest of nights.
Normani Kordei and Val Chmerkovskiy: 40/40 +3
Finally, a perfect score that means something! Just one week after Heather Morris’ perfect 40 sent her packing, Normani’s foreign film-themed Argentine tango was award-worthy. “The Academy Award for best dance goes to Normani and Val,” Bruno declared. Carrie Ann agreed, saying the Fifth Harmony singer deserved immunity. “It’s an honor to watch you dance,” she said.
Rashad Jennings and Emma Slater: 37/40 + 2 points
Oh the horror! Rashad made his scary-eye face for a Paso doble to “O Fortuna” by Carl Orff, but Carrie Ann was more concerned with his posture. Luckily, Len loved the dance (he called it “epic”), and Bruno described the routine as a “monster mash,” which we guess isn’t a bad thing to say about a horror-themed dance.
Simone Biles and Sasha Farber: 37/40 + 2 points
Representing the silent film genre, Simone and Sasha danced a Charleston, and Len was blown away by how the young Olympian went back in time to the 1920s. “Great characterization,” he said, although he added he would have liked to have seen “a bit more swivel” on the Charleston part. “You are incredible,” Mandy added. “It felt like at times you were on auto pilot.”
David Ross and Lindsay Arnold: 32/40
MLB star David Ross had some reservations about doing a sci-fi salsa — “It sounds like a bad Mexican meal,” he said — but he pulled it off. Sure, Mandy Moore called him out for his flat footedness and Bruno said his moves were a bit like R2D2 and C3PO. And even Carrie Ann admitted it wasn’t the “smoothest salsa. But Len said the routine was “filled with fun, filled with content.”
Bonner Bolton and Sharna Burgess: 29/40 + 2 points
Surprise, surprise, the pro bull rider got a western theme this week, complete with a saloon, broken whiskey bottles, and a poker game gone awry. Bonner and Sharna’s Paso doble to the delightfully familiar “Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes” by Aaron Copland came with mixed reviews — it was Carrie Ann, not Len, who pointed out that half the number wasn’t dancing—but Mandy Moore told the star he held his own in a busy routine that could have lost him.
Dancing With the Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC. Watch clips and full episodes of DWTS for free on Yahoo View.