‘Dancing with the Stars’ Week 9 Recap: Couples Face Off in Duet Dance, One Pair Exits in Shocking Upset
It's going down the wire for the remaining couples of "Dancing with the Stars" season 21 with each couple bringing everything they've got to the performances. Unfortunately, someone's got to go and this week it's a couple that received a perfect score on both the individual and duet routines: Alexa PenaVega and Mark Ballas.
The upset came after the pair's stunning contemporary performance set to "Make It Rain." The powerful performance represented PenaVega's struggle with bulimia and the young actress danced beautifully, earning a standing ovation from everyone in the room. All the judges were shaken by the emotional routine, giving PenaVega and Ballas their first perfect score of the night.
Their second blowout score came in the duet performance when they danced side by side with frontrunners Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough. The stars grooved to the Charleston, complementing each other well and snagging both pairs a totally perfect night.
"Bindi has been such a positive light and I've loved working with her," PenaVega shared on her blog on People.
Irwin and Hough continued to cement their place at the top of the pack with another home run individual dance. The pair's rendition of a Viennese waltz came with a twist: Irwin blindfolded for a chunk of the routine. The Australian personality was graceful, wowing the judges and displaying her growth in the competition.
Tamar Braxton was rushed to the hospital with pneumonia before the show. According to ABC News, the show's host Tom Bergeron said the DWTS lawyers required Braxton and partner Val Chmerkovskiy to withdraw if she's unable to dance during the episode. Her individual dance was judged through the rehearsal tape, giving her the lowest score of the night at 22 points. Fortunately, the host made back in time for her duet dance with Nick Carter and Sharna Burgess, which garnered a total of 27 points.
Carter and Burgess continued their bid for the Mirror Ball trophy with a quickstep to "A Cool Cat in Town." The Backstreet Boy, who had all his band mates in the audience, brought the "cool cat" quality but didn't quite reach perfection with a total of 28 points.
Alek Skarlatos had to have his chest waxed for his salsa with pro partner Lindsay Arnold, but the sacrifice didn't totally pay off with the second-lowest score of the night at 24 points.
The other PenaVega of the competition, Carlos, put on an ambitious show with partner Witney Carson as they performed an Argentine tango on the dance floor. While the effort was solid, the judges thought the routine lacked passion, earning the pair only 27 points.
At this point, who's got your vote for the Mirror Ball trophy?
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