‘Dancing with the Stars’ Recap: Britney Night Features More COVID Drama
ABC/Christopher Willard Reading Time: 4 minutes
Dancing with the Stars Season 30 returned Monday night for the second week of the competition. Voting was open during the show and combined with the judges’ scores to determine the Bottom Two. This was Britney Spears Week and the couples danced to hits from the iconic pop star.
This week was also full of even more Covid-19 drama. Last week, pro dancer Cheryl Burke tested positive for Covid, meaning she and Cody Rigsby had to be judged on their rehearsal. This week, Cody tested positive, so he and Cheryl performed remotely from their own homes.
On top of this, judge Derek Hough was exposed to Covid, and even though he tested negative, he still sat out tonight’s show out of an abundance of caution. That meant that tonight’s show was only judged by Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli.
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At the end of the night, host Tyra Banks announced the Bottom Two couples. They were Kenya Moore (with her partner Brandon Armstrong) and Christine Chiu (with her partner Pasha Pashkov. The judges were able to save one couple to move on to next week’s show.
The judges voted to save Kenya and Brandon, meaning Christine and Pasha were eliminated. Considering that Christine is such a big fan of the show and worked so hard to step it up tonight, it’s sad to see her leave the competition.
It was a bit surprising to Kenya in the Bottom Two, considering the judges praised her strong Tango to “Womanizer,” and her score of 21 was higher than several other stars. But thanks to the judges, we’ll get to see her again next week.
Cody Rigsby, Cheryl Burke Dance Remotely from Home
In a first for the show, Cheryl and Cody remotely performed a Jazz routine set to “Gimme More,” each from their own homes, while sick with COVID. That wasn’t a particularly promising combination, and it resulted in a pretty awkward routine that the panel had difficulty judging.
Cody and Cheryl seemed out of sync at points during their performance, and it was hard to take in their dance as a whole since they were depicted in split-screen. Still, props to Cody for learning the entire routine with Cheryl over video chat.
The couple earned a score of 18 out of 30, the lowest of the night. However, they didn’t even end up in the Bottom Two. Is it really worth it to keep COVID-positive contestants in the competition when the rules have to be bent so much?
Several ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Celebs Stepped Up Their Game This Week
Tonight’s episode was full of improvement from several celebrities. Christine Chiu, who was in the Bottom Two last week, came back strong, with a Pasodoble routine appropriately set to “Stronger.” She and her partner Pasha Pashkov earned a score of 21.
Similarly, Melora Hardin was in tears during rehearsal because she felt so overwhelmed. She and her partner Artem Chigvintsev performed a Cha-Cha to “(You Drive Me) Crazy,” and it was clear how much work she put into improving. Goodman said she had “so much more hip action,” calling it a “great performance.” They received a 23.
Matt James and Lindsay Arnold also showed improvement, performing a Tango to “Scream & Shout.” Inaba complimented Matt’s “new refinement,” although Tonioli was disappointed that he kept his shirt on this time. They earned a score of 20.
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Olivia Jade Has the Best Dance of the Night
Olivia Jade and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy danced a fantastic Tango to “Hold It Against Me.” Her moves were fierce, and she looked like she was having a great time on the dance floor. Goodman described it as “full-on dancing,” while Tonioli said they were “on it like a bonnet.”
Olivia’s total of 24 tied with Amanda Kloots and JoJo Siwa for the highest score, but Inaba called it “the best dance of the night.” The couple earned their first 8 scores of the season. This is shaping up to be a super competitive season, and we’re loving it.
Dancing with the Stars will return next Monday night for Disney Week. Let us know in the comments what you thought of tonight’s performances.
