It was a night filled with high energy and one spicy Salsa as Dancing with the Stars celebrated the music of late legendary singer Whitney Houston!
Tuesday’s episode immediately kicked off with guest judge Billy Porter taking the stage to perform Houston’s hit song “How Will I Know?” beside the professional dancers. The stars and their celebrity partners were then introduced before co-hosts Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro entered the ballroom to also get in on the opening dance number.
After officially introducing Billy, who took his seat beside fellow judges Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba, the actor declared of the evening’s performances: “I will be looking for storytelling, I will be looking for connection and I will be looking for intention.”
Julianne and Alfonso also revealed the night would include a side-by-side dance-off, in which the celebrities and their pro partners would compete for extra bonus points.
With Whitney Houston Night in full swing, the competition between the remaining seven couples got off to a start.
Harry Jowsey and Rylee Arnold
Too Hot to Handle star Harry Jowsey called last week “a crazy roller coaster” after receiving low scores on his individual dance, but nabbing a perfect score on the group performance.
With a Viennese Waltz to “I Have Nothing” this week, Harry said he could relate to the famous tune. “I’m trying to open myself up, trying to share myself with the audience,” he told Rylee.
Wanting Harry to nail the elegant technique of the dance, Rylee brought Harry to ballet class. “I am completely out of my comfort zone but I want to show the judges I’m listening to their critique and I want to be a better dancer,” the reality star said.
After their dance, Derek said he saw “some breakthrough moments” for Harry but advised him to use more space on the ballroom floor. Billy pointed out how Harry has “grown exponentially” but noted the “seduction was at a 5 and I need to see it at a 10.”
Bruno advised Harry to “keep that bum under you” and don’t “shrink down” in his posture, while Carrie Ann focused on the positive, particularly how she’s “seeing true grace” from the reality star.
“There is a magic in your eyes, there’s a beauty opening up,” she concluded.
Before receiving his scores, Harry joked of his ballet class: “I was cramping up everywhere, I don’t know why they all do it … I just look like someone’s drunk uncle.”
Score: 28/40
Jason Mraz and Daniella Karagach
Reflecting on last week, singer Jason Mraz said his scores were “all over the place, so it’s bittersweet.” However, he said getting a 10 from guest judge Paula Abdul was a “career highlight.”
Focusing on his Samba to “Higher Love” by Kygo and Whitney Houston, Jason said he desperately wanted to impress the judges and felt the song choice could help him do so because it was similar to his own popular love song “I’m Yours.”
“We’ve taken on a more difficult dance to impress judges,” Jason said in his intro package, adding that he hoped “high risk, high reward pays off.”
Unfortunately, it didn’t work out the way he planned as Jason had a few missteps in the routine that the judges pointed out. “I love you, I loved it. Your character, your connection,” Billy said, before calling Jason’s mouthing of the words “distracting.”
Bruno said Jason had a “high content, high quality Samba,” but “messed it up four times.” Still, the judge told the singer, “I praise you for the quality of work you attempted.”
Carrie Ann recognized how Jason is “always going for the content,” but felt he’s “getting a little lost in the mix,” and she’d like to “see more snap” in his dance.
However, Derek commended Jason for performing a “proper Samba” and said he “had it all in there.” Of the mistakes his fellow judges pointed out, Derek said: “I must’ve blinked because I didn’t see them.”
Score: 33/40
Alyson Hannigan and Sasha Farber
Coming off a week in which Derek said she had her “best dance yet,” Alyson Hannigan said she “had to hold back tears, I was so happy because I can feel I’m improving.”
This week, Alyson had a Contemporary to “Greatest Love of All.” The song held extra significance to her as the actress revealed, “I had a really hard childhood and I was alone a lot … it was the first song that introduced self-love.” She added that Whitney “was the only person telling me to love myself … this dance is for that younger self.”
Later, Alyson addressed the overwhelming nature of the Contemporary routine. “The fact that there’s less rules and more emotion seems like it’s gonna be my wheelhouse … this song got me through so much and I’m gonna thank the song with this dance. I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to keep it together though.”
Despite her nerves, she kept it together — and nailed the routine. Bruno called their dance “simple, effective,” and noted how he “saw a different side” of Alyson “and I liked it!”
Carrie Ann was moved to tears by the routine, saying she felt like she “watched her real story.” Derek praised the “beautiful energy” that Alyson gives off and said the routine was so “special” because “you were dancing for you, and that draws us in.”
Billy also loved the routine, explaining that he “felt that” emotion and connection Alyson had to the song, and praised her for “not getting lost in it.”
Score: 33/40
Xochitl Gomez and Val Chmerkovskiy
Xochitl Gomez admitted she was “disappointed with the wardrobe mishap” after last week and said her scores “felt awful.”
“Having that happened really changed my energy,” she said, adding that she and Val “got comfortable” with their scores and need to step it up this week.
Xochitl was also coming off an ankle injury, which Val felt would “limit her” this week. Speaking to cameras, the Marvel star added: “This is the first week of rehearsals that I’m really worried I won’t be able to do this dance at 100 percent.”
But those worries appeared to be unfounded. After dancing a Tango to “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me),” Carrie Ann called their routine “flawless.”
Derek praised the dance, saying it “had power, intention, strength, direction.” He added, “I can tell you guys are going for gold, that was fantastic!”
Billy also raved about the “magical” performance and applauded Xochitl for how she “failed but got back up” last week, before telling them, “That was extraordinary!”
Bruno celebrated their routine, noting that the tango is Xochitl’s “superpower” and added that it was “dancing at its best.”
Before receiving the first perfect score of the season, Xochitl admitted to Julianne: “This week was tough … I don’t know what I’m doing … so I just take Val’s direction. I felt like a failure but looking at it tonight, I’m feeling pretty good!”
Score: 40/40
Barry Williams and Peta Murgatroyd
The Brady Bunch star Barry Williams said it was “disappointing” to get 7s last week because his scores went down and “at this point in the competition, our scores should be going up.”
With a Rumba to “Didn’t We Almost Have It All,” Peta warned Barry that hip movement would be crucial for the routine. This prompted Barry to call on his wife, Tina Mahina, who was a hula dancer. Over FaceTime, Tina offered some tips about the “lubrication” of his hips.
To cameras, Barry vowed: “I am certain the judges won’t wanna miss a second of this sexy Rumba.”
After their dance, Derek told Barry he “captured the hearts of America,” and praised his “figure-eight hips.” Though the routine wasn’t perfect, he called the overall performance a “great Rumba.”
Billy commended Barry’s storytelling ability, adding “You know how to show up and show out.” However, the actor felt the routine was “a little bit too easy” for Barry and pushed him to “do more.”
Wrapping up the judges’ comments, Bruno celebrated Barry for making “no mistakes” and having an “uninterrupted” focus, while Carrie Ann called the routine “really beautiful” and “one of your better dances.”
Speaking to Julianne in the skybox, Barry spoke about seeking the advice of his wife in rehearsals. “It was great, I wanna dedicate this dance to my wife,” he said. “She has been fantastically supportive throughout this contest. She showed up to rehearsal and brought her lifetime experience of dance and I think it helped elevate this dance.”
Score: 32/40
Charity Lawson and Artem Chigvintsev
After last week’s dance, in which she received 8s from the judges and was advised to increase her energy, Bachelorette star Charity Lawson said she was “frustrated.”
“8s are like 6s at the stage which we are at,” she said. “I’m at middle of leaderboard and I am not happy, at all.”
For this week’s dance, Charity and Artem were given a Viennese Waltz to “I Will Always Love You.” For Charity, the song made her think of her Bachelorette finalist and now-fiancé, Dotun Olubeko.
“I am grateful for a love like this because it’s beautiful. I am gonna emote my feelings into this dance,” she said, later adding, “I have to pull it off, it’s now or never at this point.”
After their dance, Billy said the “storytelling is great,” but called Charity’s arms were a “little Olive Oyl-y.” He also advised her to focus on “spotting in your turns.”
Bruno advised Charity to “link” her movements but called the overall dance “beautiful,” and Carrie Ann clarified her previous feedback, saying it’s “more about the connection to the movement.” She pointed out how she “saw much more joy” in tonight’s routine.
Derek offered more feedback about Charity’s movement and energy and reminded her, “The reason we’re saying all this is because you are magnificent.”
Score: 36/40
Ariana Madix and Pasha Pashkov
Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix finished last week with the highest scores after the individual and team dances, so she was on a complete high. “I’m immune from the dance-off and I got my second 10 of the season so I am super, super, super pumped,” she told cameras.
Amid her busy schedule, including opening a sandwich shop, promoting a cocktail book and promoting Vanderpump Rules, Ariana reiterated: “Rehearsal is the top priority.”
After being assigned a Paso Doble to “Queen of the Night,” Ariana said she was happy not to have two dances this week so she could focus her entire attention on nailing this one routine. “When you’re at the top of the leaderboard, people are gonna say you don’t deserve it,” she said. “But we gotta show not only do we deserve to be there, but we’re here to stay!”
Following her dance, Bruno was brought to his feet and said Ariana “dominated that performance.” Carrie Ann said she loves how Ariana “does not miss a moment” and “attacks everything with everything you’ve got,” but felt there was some awkward movements in the routine.
Derek commended the “texture” in her body and said the routine was “fantastic,” while Billy also stood up and celebrated Ariana. “It was so clean, it was so sharp… that was one of my favorites!” he raved.
Score: 39/40
Dance-Off
Heading into the dance-off, Ariana and Pasha topped the leaderboard with 42 points, while Harry and Rylee sat at the bottom with 28. However, as mentioned earlier in the episode, Ariana and Pasha would not be competing in the dance-off due to last week’s exemption, but that didn’t mean they were automatically safe and urged fans to vote for them.
Alfonso then revealed how the dance-off would work. The couples would dance two at a time, side by side, and battle it out to be declared the “better” dancing pair. The winning couple would receive three bonus points added to their scores for the evening.
First up was Harry and Rylee against Alyson and Sasha. They danced a Rumba to “One Moment in Time,” and though the judges appeared to be split about who was better, they ultimately chose Alyson and Sasha as the winners.
The next round featured Jason and Daniella versus Barry and Peta. They danced a salsa to “It’s Not Right, But It’s Okay” — and Barry was determined to beat his fellow competitor at all costs.
He not only brought the energy but also passionately shook his hips and ripped his shirt open — and it paid off, with Carrie Ann declaring them as the winners. Afterward, Barry celebrated in the skybox and completely took off his shirt in excitement.
Finally, it came down to the last round: Charity and Artem against Xochitl and Val. They were assigned a Cha Cha to “So Emotional” and it appeared the competition was an even match-up. Ultimately, the judges decided Charity and Artem were the winners.
With the bonus points now added and heading into the results, the leaderboard generally remained the same with Ariana and Pasha at the top with a 42, and Harry and Rylee at the bottom with 28.
Results
Before announcing the results, Alfonso and Julianne revealed a special message from Taylor Swift ahead of next week’s Taylor Swift Night. In the short clip, Taylor said she was excited to watch the episode and honored they were celebrating her music, though she wouldn’t be able to be there in person because she’s currently on tour.
Then, the co-hosts revealed who was safe and moving into next week. Alyson and Sasha, Ariana and Pasha, Xochitl and Val, and Harry and Rylee nabbed the first four spots.
This left Barry and Peta, Charity and Artem, and Jason and Daniella standing, though they were not necessarily the bottom three.
Then, it was revealed that Barry and Peta were sadly being eliminated. After a night where he stepped it up in the ballroom and wowed with his shirt-ripping Salsa, the crowd was in disbelief by the results and began chanting his name in the ballroom.
“This has been the most wonderful experience of my life,” Barry said following the results. “Everyone here has made it a complete delight… and I knew I won from the first night.”
Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.
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