ABC/Lou Rocco(LOS ANGELES) — Monday night, Dancing with the Stars invited its contestants to recall their Most Memorable Year — but the night ended up being one that Nancy McKeon would probably rather forget.
The former The Facts of Life star and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy were sent home after scoring 22/30 for an emotional rumba inspired by the year 2006, the year Nancy and her husband completed their family by welcoming their second daughter.
The other couple in jeopardy, but eventually deemed safe, was R&B singer Tinashe and her partner Brandon Armstrong, despite the fact that they’ve consistently been among the high scorers so far this season.
Monday night also saw the first 10s — and the first perfect score — of the season. Argentinian actor Juan Pablo Di Pace and his partner Cheryl Burke blew the judges away with a samba inspired by the year 1999, when Juan Pablo left Argentina to make it as an actor.
Judge Bruno Tonioli called it the best samba he’d seen in 27 seasons, while Carrie Ann Inaba called it “off the charts!” Judge Len Goodman gave them a standing ovation — and a 10, and so did Bruno and Carrie Ann, for the season’s first 30/30.
And as usual, the Most Memorable Year theme led to some tear-jerking stories from the contestants. Among them:
Gymnast Mary Lou Retton recalled how, in 1984, she won the gold medal at the Olympics, despite having secretly undergone knee surgery just six weeks before the event.
Country radio personality Bobby Bones recalled the year 1998, when he graduated from high school, because he was the first in his family ever to do so. His mother had him at age 15, struggled with addiction, and then died in her 40s as a result of drugs and alcohol.
Harry Potter star Evanna Lynch recalled that before she was cast as Luna Lovegood in the Potter films, she had an eating disorder and was frequently hospitalized. She reached out to her favorite author — J.K. Rowling — and they became pen pals, which she said made her want to continue living. Strangely, her relationship with Rowling had nothing to do with her getting the part of Luna.
Former NFL star DeMarcus Ware cried as he recalled how he and his wife lost three pregnancies before adopting a baby girl, and then getting pregnant and having a son two years later. DeMarcus recalled that during his most memorable year 2016 — the year he won the Super Bowl — what meant the most to him was that his wife and two kids were there in the stands cheering him on.
Here are the scores:
High Score:
Juan Pablo Di Pace, Fuller House & Mamma Mia! actor, with Cheryl Burke 30/30
Tied in second place:
Tinashe, R&B singer, with Brandon Armstrong, 27/30
Evanna Lynch, Harry Potter films star, with Keo Motsepe, 27/30
Milo Manheim, Disney Channel star, with Witney Carson, 27/30
DeMarcus Ware, former NFL star, with Lindsay Arnold, 26/30
Alexis Ren, Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, with Alan Bersten, 26/30
Mary Lou Retton, former Olympic gymnast, with Sasha Farber, 24/30
Bobby Bones, country radio personality, with Sharna Burgess, 23/30
John Schneider, Dukes of Hazzard star, with Emma Slater, 21/30
Lowest score:
Joe Amabile, The Bachelorette contestant, with Jenna Johnson, 18/30
Dancing with the Stars returns next Monday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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