'Dancing With The Stars' week 9: Dance-by-dance recap, elimination
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Longtime fans of "Dancing With The Stars" made their voices heard for the latest round of competition. The individual routines were dubbed "America's Choice" and that meant fans had creative control of the evening. Viewers weighed in through social media on almost everything - from the dance and song to the costumes and set design.
For round two, each couple selected another pro dancer to join their team. These trios allowed the quarterfinalists to add extra points to their scores.
Here's a recap of the night's dances, from highest to lowest score:
JANEL PARRISH - 38 out of 40 for Quickstep; 39 out of 40 for Salsa trio; 77 out of 80 total
We saw tears in rehearsal when Janel worried about not getting the steps in the Quickstep. A very comforting Val Chmerkovskiy reassured her that she can do it and told her not to doubt herself. She does great. It's Val (or really, Val's shoes) that was the issue. He had a little stumble, but they both recovered like pros. They gave the audience the one thing they all wanted: a big ole kiss at the end! Julianne Hough and Carrie Ann Inaba both called it the best dance of the night. Bruno Tonioli said it was almost flawless. Len Goodman said it had all the right elements: hold, posture and movement.
Val drafted Keo Motsepe to join them in their Salsa trio routine. It was very tribal with a heavy drum beat and lots of Cirque du Soleil lifts. The judges loved it, with Carrie Ann calling Janel fearless, flawless and a formidable opponent.
VIDEO: Janel Parrish, Val Chmerkovskiy size up the competition
ALFONSO RIBEIRO - 37 out of 40 for Foxtrot; 40 out of 40 for trio Paso Doble; 77 out of 80 total
Fans wanted to see an elegant Alfonso, so they selected the Foxtrot and put him in a top hat and tails. The song was Robbie Williams' version of the classic "Ain't that a Kick in the Head" and it was a (near) perfect fit. Len praised their razzle-dazzle. Julianne called the couple elegant and vibrant. Bruno dubbed him "Alfonso Astaire." Carrie Ann was a bit of a wet blanket, saying while the dance was excellent she felt he could do more.
Maybe Alfonso and Witney Carson were saving up their energy for the second dance. Their Matrix-inspired trio Paso Doble with Lindsay Arnold was perfect. Even though the dance was to a Lil' Jon song, Len still said he was a fan. Julianne said they nailed it and praised their chemistry and passion. Bruno called it the ride of the night. Carrie Ann said this time around, the pizzazz smacked her right in the face!
VIDEO: Alfonso Ribeiro, Witney Carson talk getting a good night's sleep
SADIE ROBERTSON - 33 out of 40 for Jive; 40 out of 40 for trio Foxtrot; 73 out of 80 total
Sadie seemed excited by the fact they were straight up dancing this week. No zombies. No Adam and Eve. Just the Jive. Len liked it too, calling the dance "no stressing and no messing." He also commended Sadie for her work, letting us know that tall girls have it a little harder with dances like the jive. Julianne said she couldn't take her eyes off of Sadie. Bruno offered respect to Sadie for attacking a difficult routine.
Mark Ballas took a big risk, and he knew it, by choosing a pro dancer as their third. Emma Slater could have easily shown up Sadie every step of the way, but she didn't! Sadie kept up and looked absolutely elegant. Tears flowed when she realized she was getting a perfect score. Julianne said it was a risk, but so worth it. Bruno called her movie star stunning. Len said it the best trio of the night.
VIDEO: Sadie Robertson, Mark Ballas talk about their perfect score
BETHANY MOTA - 36 out of 40 for Viennese Waltz; 38 out of 40 for trio Argentine Tango; 70 out of 80 total
It's all about stripping away the facade and showing emotion for Bethany this week. She hasn't been comfortable with this in the past, but has slowly been inching her way toward exposure. Derek Hough choreographed a dance about heartbreak that was filled with emotion and the judges were impressed. Carrie Ann called it stunning. Julianne loved the connection. Bruno thought it was lyrical, fluid and emotive. Len liked it too, but wanted a "Fleckerl." (I looked it up, it's a particular dance move that's hard to describe).
It's great to see pro Tony Dovolani back in the ballroom. He was chosen as the third part of their Argentine Tango trio. The group had to struggle a bit in rehearsal with Derek's back troubles, but all was well for the performance. Carrie Ann called it dynamic and powerful. Len thought it was seamless. Bruno said this is how "Mad Max" would choreograph.
VIDEO: Bethany Mota learns to relax on 'DWTS'
LEA THOMPSON - 34 out of 40 for Samba; 36 out of 40 for trio Paso Doble; 70 out of 80 total
Emotions ran high with Lea and Artem Chigvintsev during rehearsals. They both worked hard and showed how much they really want to make it through to the finals. Definite kudos to the 53-year-old actress and mom who totally rocked her sexy, cat-like outfit. Bruno and Carrie Ann applauded the return of her confidence and told Lea not to let it go. Len thought they put the "sin" in syncopation.
Lea worked with "bookends" Artem and Henry Byalikov for their trio Paso Doble. She loved the chance to be a truly powerful woman who gets to boss around the hot guys. The judges praised the choreography, which put the focus on Lea, where it should be.
TOMMY CHONG - 29 out of 40 for Viennese Waltz; 28 out of 40 for Samba trio; 57 out of 80 total
Within the first two minutes of the show, we learned that Tommy and Peta Murgatroyd were safe and made it to the semifinals! Peta literally hit the floor when she heard the news, and the rest of the cast reacted with pure joy. Tommy isn't just a fan favorite, he's a cast favorite. They were assigned the Viennese Waltz and the style fit Tommy perfectly. Julianne called it a "proper" Waltz. Bruno thought their spins around the dance floor looked like a flowing carousel. Carrie Ann thanked him for teaching us that less is more and showing us that anything is possible! Len said "from one old geezer to another, you are my hero."
The trio dance was pure entertainment. Even the judges couldn't really speak about it. There simply wasn't much dancing involved. The sexy samba with Sharna Burgess added to the mix was fun for everyone. I'm sure they were thrilled to know they made it through for another week, because this dance wouldn't have helped them much!
VIDEO: Tommy Chong talks about begging for votes
With Tommy already safe, this week was really too close to call. One by one, Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews listed those who were also coming back for another week: Alfonso, Bethany and Janel. That left Lea and Sadie in jeopardy. In the end, it was Lea who was eliminated.
VIDEO: Artem Chigvintsev talks about the 'Lea secret'
Five couples return next week for the semi-finals! The couples will perform two different dance styles to the same song. One will be the original version of the song, the other will be an acoustic version.
