I’ll say it now: this was my favorite theme on DWTS EVER. This was absolutely incredible. EVERY couple brought it, even Monica & Val who I did think struggled but had some nice moments. I was very impressed. Here we go. LET’S RANK THE VILLAINS!
10. Chrishell Stause and Gleb Savchenko- I actually thought Chrishell was worse than Monica and Jeannie, and probably should’ve been in the bottom instead. I know that Chrishell didn’t make many mistakes, but I think it’s because she didn’t have many mistakes TO make because it seemed like Gleb was doing most of the work. Jeannie’s paso had SO much more dancing content for the woman to do, whereas this dance just seemed like Chrishell standing around while Gleb did all the cool stuff. I loved her character work, and the overall look of the dance, but I didn’t feel like it showcased Chrishell well enough.
9. Kaitlyn Bristowe and Artem Chigvinstev- I also thought this was worse than Monica and Jeannie, and deserved bottom 2 over them. Poor Kaitlyn had a rough time this week. I thought her dance was fine, but given her track record, I genuinely thought this was underwhelming. It could’ve been a lot more energized and fierce, especially since it was the final dance of the night. I do think she’ll bounce back, but this was a low point for her.
8. Monica Aldama and Valentin Chmerkovskiy- There wasn’t a ton wrong with the dance, except for the fact that she almost lost steam by the end of the dance and didn’t feel exactly comfortable in the character of Nurse Ratched. The lifts were the highlights here, as every lift was incredibly fun and smooth. Everything else wasn’t that memorable, and I unfortunately agree with her being sent home over Jeannie.
7. Jeannie Mai and Brandon Armstrong- Jeannie’s Hannibal Lector paso was clean, and incredibly commanding. I do think it became a tad overshadowed by the end of the night—hence why she was in the bottom 2 probably—but I do think it was smooth and really improved. She is one of my favorites this season, and despite landing in the bottom 2, I have hope that was a one time fluke. Lots of fun.
6. Skai Jackson and Alan Bersten- This dance and theme worked PERFECTLY for Skai’s smaller petite nature, as the lifts and partner work was so clean and committed to the character. I loved the routine and thought this was one of Skai’s strongest showings. Sure, it wasn’t perfect, but it was better than many of the dances she’s done this season. The only reason she’s not higher on the rankings is because this night was FULL of amazing dances, and there just happened to be 5 better. Brava!
5. Nelly and Daniella Karagach- NELLY. He has emerged as one of my favorites, and while I hated the song choice, I absolutely loved the commitment to Freddy’s character. The choreography was incredibly inventive and creative (brava Daniella), and the lifts were AWESOME. I had a lot of fun with this routine, and thought it was a highlight of the night for sure.
4. AJ McLean and Cheryl Burke- AJ came to DANCE. After Cheryl’s big fall, I was glad to see her come back even stronger. The choreography here was so smooth, dynamic in its emotional range, and incredibly balanced between smooth and rough. It was a great choice of song and theme (Psycho YES), and while I would’ve liked more of the Psycho character work throughout the dance beyond the opening, I didn’t mind the straightforwardness of the dance from then on. Beautifully haunting for this villains night.
3. Johnny Weir and Britt Stewart- Johnny and Britt’s dance was powerful and incredibly passionate. I do think the song itself helped with that a lot, though I felt like their dancing was superb. It fit the theme perfectly, Johnny completely embracing the character while keeping the elegance of the dance and flow beautifully. One of my favorites of the night.
2. Justina Machado and Sasha Fraber- This dance was very intense, but INCREDIBLE at that. I do see how the bounciness was a bit much, but I thought Justina and Sasha were just so well connected and nailed the routine so much that I was too invested to care about the flaws. It was a true highlight for me, amongst so many other incredible highlights. The costumes, the choreography. Just sooooo good.
1. Nev Schulman and Jenna Johnson- Perfect score, and for good reason. Nev’s love for ballet really came through, but his commitment to the darkness and character was even more impressive. He had so much control in his routine, that you couldn’t even tell there weren’t two pros out there on the dance floor. This was exceptional character and dance work.
We have a double elimination this week, and it’s safe to say that Johnny/Britt and Jeannie/Brandon may be in danger because they have been on the bottom before. I think Nelly is getting better, AJ is getting better, Justina and Nev are super consistent, Skai is a big favorite for many. That leaves maybe either Kaitlyn or Chrishell landing in the bottom, but I’m not exactly sure how the elimination will work. I do think Chrishell has more of America’s support behind her, but Kaitlyn being in the bottom would be a tad shocking. Since it’s a double elimination, I’ll just go with the only 2 people to be in the bottom this season, as much as having Johnny there just doesn’t sit well with me.
I’ll say it now: this was my favorite theme on DWTS EVER. This was absolutely incredible. EVERY couple brought it, even Monica & Val who I did think struggled but had some nice moments. I was very impressed. Here we go. LET’S RANK THE VILLAINS!
1. Nev & Jenna (+4)
2. Justina & Sasha (+1)
3. Johnny & Britt (+5)
4. AJ & Cheryl (-3)
5. Nelly & Danielle (+1)
6. Skai & Alan (+5)
7. Jeannie & Brandon —
8. Monica & Val (-6)
9. Kaitlyn & Artem (-5)
10. Chrishell & Gleb (-1)
Biggest Rise: Johnny & Britt and Skai & Alan (+5)
Biggest Drop: Monica & Val (-6)