Dancing With The Stars: Who Shone Bright On Dedication Night?

 

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Tonight’s “Dancing With the Stars” recap is dedicated to… the 10 couples who will continue on to compete after this week’s elimination! That’s right: No one went home!

As longtime viewers know, “Dedication Week” traditionally allows the show’s competitors to dance as tribute to someone special in their lives. It’s also usually a tissues-required episode, given the stories behind each dance and the emotions that run rampant as the competitors prepare and perform. And when the recipients of the dedications joined in on the choreography? Cue the waterworks!

Speaking of tears, Hilaria Baldwin shed quite a few following her (and partner Gleb Savchenko’s) ouster in last week’s episode. Despite a judge-approved quickstep to  “Cantina Band” from “Star Wars: A New Hope” and a 23 out of 30 score, voters decided it was time for the, how do you say?, author and wellness influencer to shuffle off to a galaxy far, far away.

Keep scrolling for our recap of all 10 performances, which were evaluated by the usual judges plus former pro Kym Johnson, then weigh in with your critiques in the comments!

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SAFE: Jen Affleck and Jan Ravnik

DANCE STYLE: Viennese waltz (to “Rescue” by Lauren Daigle)

Wow, that opening dip looked really gorgeous, but a bunch of the other moves (that pose with Jen’s mom, Maria, in the middle springs to mind) seemed rushed. Still, I agree with Carrie Ann: Jen seemed the most emotionally connected that we’ve seen her so far

JUDGES’ SCORES: 29 out of 40

SAFE: Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa

DANCE STYLE: Viennese waltz (to “Daughters” by John Mayer)

Major props to Jordan’s dad, Timothy, for being on the floor for nearly the entirety of her dance. He was so good! Which made me really happy, because Jordan just gets better every week, and this routine used him to highlight her strengths. There was also something so beautiful and elegant about the choreography and Ezra’s simple but poignant movements, particularly at the beginning. Beautiful all around.

JUDGES’ SCORE: 32 out of 40

SAFE: Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy

DANCE STYLE: Contemporary (to “Sparks” by Coldplay)

A stunning turn for Alix, who looked like a natural out there. If there was anything to critique, it was that sometimes she didn’t seem to know what emotion to convey with her face. “But who was watching her face,” you ask, “with that gorgeous extension and that depth of feeling in her moves?” And you’d be right.

JUDGES’ SCORE: 35 out of 40

SAFE: Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach

DANCE STYLE: Contemporary (to “Rewrite the Stars” by Zac Efron and Zendaya)

Can Dylan’s adorable little sister, Olivia, be part of the show every week? He was locked in in a way we haven’t seen previously, with a grace and strength (that insane lift!) with Daniella that perfectly complemented the tenderness and care he took with his little sister.

JUDGES’ SCORE: 36 out of 40

SAFE: Danielle Fishel and Pasha Pashkov

DANCE STYLE: Jive (to “Boy Meets World” by Twenty Cent Crush feat. Phil Rosenthal)

Aw, how cool: William Daniels, aka Mr. Feeny to Danielle’s Topanga on “Boy Meets World,” was both the honoree and the special cameo in her dance this week. The jive itself? Eh. But the nostalgia factor alone — including the theme song and the costumes — made it a fun watch.

JUDGES’ SCORE: 29 out of 40

SAFE: Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten

DANCE STYLE: Foxtrot (to “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love” by Natalie Cole)

I could’ve watched this routine —which included Elaine’s bestie, “Abbott Elementary” star Lisa Ann Walter — all night. It was smooth and fun and funny and sweet and held together way better than I expected! Side note: Not that I’m judging based on the costumes, but Elaine + that slinky metallic number = YES, MA’AM.

JUDGES’ SCORE: 30 out of 40

SAFE: Scott Hoying and Rylee Arnold

DANCE STYLE: Foxtrot (to “Parallel” by Scott Hoying)

Not gonna lie: For those first few moments, I was worried that Scott was going to try to sing AND dance this whole thing. Phew. I thought this was really beautiful, and was surprised at all of the “watch your lines” and “check your posture” comments from the judges: Is it just because Scott is so tall? Anyway, he and husband Mark were ridiculously cute, and they’re gonna be dads! The joy was palpable.

JUDGES’ SCORES: 30 out of 40

SAFE: Robert Irwin and Witney Carson

DANCE STYLE: Contemporary (to “You’ll Be In My Heart” by Phil Collins)

From the moment started Robert crying in the set-up package, I knew this number in honor of his mom, Terri, was going to wreck me. And it did! His bowed head in the opening pose, those perfectly in sync side-by-side movements — it gave “So You Think You Can Dance“ from the very first notes of the “Tarzan” cover (which is an incredibly high compliment, by the way).

JUDGES’ SCORE: 35 out of 40

SAFE: Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas

DANCE STYLE: Contemporary (to “Heal” by Jamal Roberts)

No shade to Whitney’s husband, Conner… but I’m totally going to blame him for this being a rare stumble for her. Not even a wind machine could have saved this one, which felt very piecemeal instead of the slick, semi-pro vibe Whitney’s been giving off all season. My favorite part was when it was just Whitney and Mark on the floor, and sadly, that part was very short. I know, I know: WHY DO I HATE LOVE? The judges, as you can see below, didn’t agree.

JUDGES’ SCORE: 33 out of 40

SAFE: Andy Richter and Emma Slater

DANCE STYLE: Salsa (to “Jump in the Line” by Harry Belafonte)

This number was pretty strong before Richter’s daughter, Cornelia — to whom he dedicated his performance — showed up. And after she sashayed onto the dance floor, well, the kid’s cuteness just superseded everything. Seriously, though, I was so proud of how strong and centered Andy was in the opening moves of this one! We love progress!

JUDGES’ SCORE: 24 out of 40

Read the original article on TVLine.