(SPOILER ALERT: This article reveals the team that was sent home on Monday, Oct. 24)
All 10 remaining couples danced exclusively to songs by Michael Bublé on Monday night, who also subbed in as a very generous guest judge. The pop vocalist also performed “Sway” and “Higher,” to which Derek Hough choreographed a sexy film-noir performance.
But the highlight of the night was Shangela, who channeled Lady Gaga at the Oscars as she and partner Gleb Savchenko tangoed to “Hollywood.” With so many comments throughout the competition about keeping her legs “crispy,” she surprised judge Len Goodman with a fried chicken breast she’d kept in her cleavage (hygienically sealed in a baggy, happily), then presented a surprised Tyra Banks with another. Goodman pronounced the dance “finger-licking good” and her best of the season so far.
The season’s frontrunner, Charli D’Amelio gave the audience chills as she danced a foxtrot to “fever” with partner Mark Ballas. Len loved her “swing and sway” and said it was “fantastic,” while Bublé told Ballas, who choreographed, that it was “effortless, mesmerizing and expressively erotic.” Bruno said he was “delirious,” Derek raved he “would give it a 12 if I could,” and Carrie Ann said, “every line was a masterpiece.” With the extra judge on board, Charli’s first perfect score was a 50 out of 50.
Country singer Jessie James Decker ended up in the bottom two despite a spirited salsa and was sent home when the judges chose to save Trevor Donovan instead. “Putting myself out of my comfort zones, this is one of the scariest things I’ve ever done.” She called the whole experience a “blessing” and said she might add a little dance to her future shows.
Although Gabby Windey’s rumba to the song “Home” didn’t impress Carrie Ann as much as last week’s perfect-scoring dance, Bublé told her that was the sexiest his song had ever been and Len punned on the song’s title when he told her, “There’s no way you’re going home tonight.”
Vinny Guadagnino tried hard to impress the judges with his Cha Cha, but they all give him 7s, except for Bublé, who gave him an 8. “I like having an extra judge out there,” said the “Jersey Shore” star of the more forgiving guest scorer. The fan favorite was saved again by audience votes, despite being dead last on the leaderboard.
Carrie Ann raved that she hadn’t “seen a dancer like you in a long time” to Jordin Sparks after she and Brandon Armstrong danced to “You Make Me Feel So Young.” Bruno dubbed it “a feel-good foxtrot.”
Heidi D’Amelio, who was saved by the judges last week, earned her first 10 of the season and ended up tying for second-place with Gabby. Her samba had “more precision than a Rolex watch,” according to Bruno. Len loved it so much, he declared that if Heidi ended up in the bottom two again this week, “I’m gonna show my bum in the supermarket.”
Wayne Brady had only a few days to learn his quickstep after exhaustion and a 24-hour bug forced him to miss rehearsals. “I was born for this,” he insisted after he and Witney Carson were able to perform as scheduled. Bublé, who gushed about how much he loved the actor and comedian, awarded him a 10.
Daniel Durant and Britt Stewart’s foxtrot, danced to “Feeling Good,” inspired Bublé to tell the “CODA” star, “I have a mancrush… My new hero” and praised the actor’s timing despite being unable to hear the music.
Here are the leaderboard scores for Week 6:
Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas – Foxtrot – 50/50
Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy – Rumba – 46/50
Heidi D’Amelio and Artem Chigvintsev – Samba – 46/60
Shangela and Gleb Savchenko – Tango – 45/50
Wayne Brady and Witney Carson – Quickstep – 44/50
Jordin Sparks and Brandon Armstrong – Foxtrot – 43/50
Daniel Durant and Britt Stewart – Foxtrot – 43/50
Trevor Donovan and Emma Slater – Foxtrot – 42/50
Jessie James Decker and Alan Bersten – Salsa – 41/50
Vinny Guadagnino and Koko Iwasaki – Cha Cha – 36/50
