It was a fight to the finish as the top 10 “Dancing with the Stars” contestants battled for first place, which ended with the season’s first four-way tie in the top spot.
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Unfortunately, Lamar Odom’s run came to a close. Odom, who couldn’t shake finishing in the bottom of the group every night, was sent home by judges Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli — choosing to spare “Queer Eye’s” Karamo.
As part of ABC’s “Cast from the Past” week, there was a new addition to the judge’s table on Monday night. Past competitor and season 17 fan favorite Leah Remini returned to the show as a guest judge — and grated Len Goodman’s nerves.
With 40 points up for grabs on Monday, the night featured a variety of well-known songs including Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary” and Shawn Mendes’ “If I Can’t Have You.”
Ally Brooke, Hannah Brown, Lauren Alaina and Kel Mitchell tied for first and earned straight eights across the judges’ table — scoring 32/40. However, because last week’s totals also counted, Brooke technically earned top spot with a combined 56/70.
Brooke also wowed the judges with her intense jive, which she credits to her dance partner Sasha Farber making the former Fifth Harmony artist attend his specialized stamina boot camp to whip her into shape.
Brown, who failed to impress the judges last week, embraced the fierce “Hannah Beast” for her aggressive Paso Doble with partner Alan Bersten. The perpetually cheerful “Bachelorette” star was challenged not to smile once during her performance to Icona Pop’s “I Don’t Care” and succeeded, which earned her praise from the judges’ table for controlling her emotions.
Mitchell was, by far, the most improved dancer of the night. He was in danger of being sent home last week after being voted into the bottom two with Odom, but was saved because contestant Ray Lewis had to withdraw due to an injury. The experience served as a wake-up call for Mitchell, who obviously worked hard to not have history repeat itself — as evidenced by his energetic and precise cha-cha-cha with partner Whitney Carson.
An emotional announcement came from James Van Der Beek, who tied in third with Karamo with a score of 28/40. Van Der Beek happily announced he and his wife are expecting their sixth child, and also revealed the married couple previously went through several miscarriages. However, the family focused on the positive and celebrated the happy news with hugs and tears.
The “Dawson’s Creek” star channeled his excitement over the new baby into a delightful and spring-themed quickstep to Katrina and the Waves’ “Walking on Sunshine.” While all four judges praised Van Der Beek’s dancing skills, Judge Len urged him to focus on the little details instead of big and flashy moves — causing him to slip from last week’s second-place finish to third.
Dancing with the Stars returns next Monday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. The top nine will celebrate all things Disney next week, starting off with an opening number at Disneyland for the theme “Disney Night Magic.” The live episode will also feature a glimpse of Disney’s upcoming “Frozen II” with a special performance of the song “Into the Unknown.”
Here are the current standings:
- Ally Brooke, former Fifth Harmony singer, with Sasha Farber — 32/40 with a combined score of 56/70
- Hannah Brown, “The Bachelorette” star, with Alan Bersten — 32/40 with a combined score of 53/70
- Kel Mitchell, actor and stand-up comedian, with Whitney Carson — 32/40 with a combined score of 52/70
- Lauren Alaina, country singer, with Gleb Savchenko — 32/40 with a combined score of 52/70
- Sailor Brinkley-Cook, model, with Val Chmerkovskiy — 31/40 with a combined score of 54/70
- James Van Der Beek, “Dawson’s Creek” actor, with Emma Slater — 28/40 with a combined score of 51/70
- Karamo, “Queer Eye” reality TV personality, with Jenna Johnson — 28/40 with a combined score of 44/70
- Kate Flannery, actress from “The Office,” with Pasha Pashkov — 26/40 with a combined score of 50/70
- Sean Spicer, former White House press secretary, with Lindsay Arnold — 21/40 with a combined score of 46/70
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