‘Dancing With the Stars’ 2016: Competitors Spared Elimination on Partner Switch-Up Week, Nyle DiMarco Tops Leaderboard

— -- No one was eliminated tonight on “Dancing With the Stars,” but the celebrity contestants were pushed out of their comfort zones when they were forced to switch pro partners.

The nine competitors performed dances with a different dance pro than the ones with whom they were paired for the show’s season 22. The switch was for tonight only.

At the end of the night, “America’s Next Top Model” winner Nyle DiMarco ended up with the highest score for his elegant Viennese waltz, while football player Antonio Brown brought up with rear with a cha-cha that judges said appeared under-rehearsed.

Tonight’s standout moment: Kim Fields and Keo Motsepe’s crowd-pleasing Viennese waltz caused division on the judging panel. Head judge Len Goodman and guest judge Maksim Chmerkovskiy took strong issue with the steps in the performance, saying the routine wasn’t a traditional Viennese waltz, while Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli praised the performance. “I loved it. ... You brought out a steamier, more dramatic, sensual side of you that we have not seen yet,” Inaba told Fields. When Motsepe offered as explanation that he made some changes to compensate for the height difference between himself and Fields, Chmerkovskiy -- a former “Dancing” pro -- remarked that he and Meryl Davis also had a difference in height. Chmerkovskiy and Davis won the mirror ball trophy in the show’s 18th season. Fields earned 28 out of a possible 40 points for her routine.
Tonight’s top scorer: Nyle DiMarco earned high praise from the judges and a rare 10 out of 10 from Goodman for his Viennese waltz with Sharna Burgess. Inaba was emotional as she told DiMarco -- who is deaf and cannot hear the music to which he dances -- that she believes he has an advantage over his competitors because he’s been telling stories with his body for his whole life. Goodman likened the routine to a “total eclipse,” saying “it don’t turn up often but when it does, it’s fantastic.” Chmerkovskiy said it was hard for him to comprehend how the routine was possible, and he called it the best dance of the night. Tonioli told DiMarco: “The magic of dance is alive within you.” DiMarco earned three 9s and a 10, for a total of 37 out of a possible 40 points -- the highest score of the night. There was some confusion after the performance when two of the judges displayed “10” paddles when they had really given the routine a “9.” “Dancing” co-host Tom Bergeron explained that the “10” paddles were mistakenly shown. He said each judges writes his or her vote down immediately after the routine and sends it the show’s control room, recording it as the official score.
Judges’ Scores (out of a possible 40 points)
Nyle DiMarco and Sharna Burgess: 37
Jodie Sweetin and Val Chmerkovskiy: 35
Ginger Zee and Mark Ballas: 32
Paige VanZant and Sasha Farber: 31
Wanya Morris and Witney Carson: 30
Kim Fields and Keo Motsepe: 28
Doug Flutie and Peta Murgatroyd: 28
Von Miller and Lindsay Arnold: 29
Antonio Brown and Karina Smirnoff: 26