Muy caliente! The Monday, October 17, episode of Dancing With the Stars featured a Latin theme and guest judge Pitbull. While some celebrities sizzled with seductive routines, others looked like fish out of water. Overall, Pitbull charmed with high scores and a genuine smile, but even he couldn't save one couple from going home. Read on for the highlights, the lowlights and the final verdict.
Some Like It Hot
Jana Kramer and Gleb Savchenkowere so hot on the dance floor that they literally had to take a cold shower to cool down. Though the singer initially struggled with the idea of being sexy, she quickly overcame her angst to perform an Argentine tango with Gleb that started on black satin sheets, ended with them getting soaked and left the judges (almost) at a loss for words.
"Now that is chemistry!" Julianne Hough declared. "Holy cow!" Julianne went on to say that Jana "owned" the dance, and Bruno Tonioli dramatically fell out of his chair onto the floor. Carrie Ann Inaba said Jana was dancing "as if she were going to take that Mirrorball Trophy," and Pitbull invited Jana to strip out of her dress and toss it to him. (She didn't.) For their efforts, Jana and Gleb nabbed a 40, the only perfect score of the night.
Just behind them were James Hinchcliffe and Sharna Burgess, whose rumba dazzled the judges and earned them a 38. Like Jana, James had trouble channeling his sexy side, but to deal with this he created an alter ego named Ricardo. Dancing as Ricardo, James felt comfortable keeping things hot and heavy — and boy, did he succeed. At the end of the routine, Carrie Ann was basically overheating, while Julianne declared him "hands down the best male dancer" they had ever had on the show.
Back at the Bottom
It was, once again, a rough week for Ryan Lochte and Cheryl Burke. Despite the Olympian's best attempts to master the salsa, he came up short. In his video package, Ryan complained about the fast steps, comparing learning them to taking the SATs. (It's hard to imagine Ryan stressing or studying for the SATs, but maybe he did.) What Ryan lacked in dancing ability, he tried to make up for with a spray tan and glow-in-the-dark body paint, but those visual distractions only went so far. The judges praised how much he committed, but Carrie Ann noted there wasn't any real musicality (which was a nice way of saying he was terrible).
Joining him at the bottom were Terra Jolé and Sasha Farber. Though Terra did her best to bring the sexy to her paso doble, it just wasn't her comfort zone, and it showed. During practice, Sasha tried everything he could think of to bring out the fierce side of her by badgering her and poking her but to no avail. Julianne said it wasn't her best dance, and Carrie Ann said her intensity was "one-dimensional." Pitbull said she "may have overthought it" but still gave her an eight. Terra was happy enough with that score that she sang a few lines of "I Know You Want Me," and everyone was happy — well, except for Sasha and Cheryl, probably, since they both got 30s and were tied for last place on the leader board.
Calvin Johnson and Lindsay Arnold, as well as Laurie Hernandezand Val Chmerkovskiy, tied at 37, both with strong but imperfect routines. Marilu Henner and Derek Hough held their own with a 34, Amber Rose and Maksim Chmerkovskiy slid into the middle with a 28, and Maureen McCormickand Artem Chigvintsev squeaked just ahead of the bottom two couples with a 31.
Hate to See You Go
At the end of the two-hour episode, the three couples in jeopardy were Amber Rose and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Calvin Johnson and Lindsay Arnold, and Jana Kramer and Gleb Savchenko.
Ultimately, Amber and Maks were eliminated. "It was such an amazing experience and people don't know this about me, but I'm really shy in a lot of ways, and I think that showed on the ballroom floor," the talk show host said. "I tried my best. Thank you so much for having me here." Maks' final words were about his soon-to-be-born child with fiancée Peta Murgatroyd. "I'm ready for diaper duty!" he cheered.
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.