(ABC/Eric McCandless)(New York) — 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. Unfortunately, Lamar Odom’s run came to a close.
Odom, who couldn’t shake finishing every night in last place, was sent home by judges Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli — choosing to spare Queer Eye‘s Karamo.
For the fourth-time in a row, the worst dance of the night came from Odom. The judges praised the NBA star’s “simple” Viennese Waltz with partner Peta Murgatroyd, but the pair couldn’t keep up with the other dancers and finished their run with a final score of 20/40 — falling into the bottom two for the second week in a row.
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.
Remini created the night’s two awkward moments by kissing Goodman on the cheek when he critiqued the competitors– subsequently causing him to freeze and lose his train of thought.
The second time Remini gave him a quick peck, Goodman angrily snapped, “Go suck on other people.”
The testy exchange caused Bruno to step in and chastise the King of Queens star for downplaying Goodman’s constructive criticism.
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 because he made the former Fifth Harmony artist attend his specialized stamina boot camp in order to whip her into shape. The two performed an bold and complicated jive to “Proud Mary.” All four judges marveled at the dance’s difficult choreography, which left Brooke gasping and grinning at the end of her routine.
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 judge’s 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.
Alaina, who not only earned her first eights of the season, performed the most emotional dance of the night. The American Idol finalist revealed at the end of her elegant foxtrot that her cousin, Holly, suffered a brain bleed last week and slipped into a coma — which forced her to put a pause on dance rehearsals with partner Gleb Savchenko. Alaina dedicated her performance to her cousin, who remains hospitalized.
Another 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 fifth child, but also revealed that the married couple previously suffered five 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, October 14 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:
Tied for first:
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
Lowest score:
**ELIMINATED** Lamar Odom with Peta Murgatroyd — 20/40 with a combined score of 32/70
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