‘DWTS’: Alexa PenaVega Gets 1st Perfect Score of Season

— -- Stars were shaken out of their comfort zones tonight on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” when they had to perform with a new partner while their regular partner danced with their competitor.

The switch changed the dynamic on the leaderboard, opening the way for previously middling competitors to soar. At the end of the show, husband and wife competitors Alexa PenaVega and Carlos PenaVega were in the first and second spots, respectively, with Alexa earning the first perfect score of the season.

The nine new partnerships were chosen by fans who voted on social media.

Former “Dancing” pro and mirror ball champion Maskim Chmerkovskiy was tonight’s guest judge. He sat alongside regular judges Julianne Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.

The scores from tonight’s performance will be added to those from next week’s show and one competitor will be eliminated then. No one was voted off tonight.

Singer Chaka Khan, Triple Crown champion jockey Victor Espinoza and actor Gary Busey have previously been eliminated. Reality TV star Kim Zolciak-Biermann was forced to withdraw due to health concerns.

Competitors will return to their original partners next week.
Tonight’s top scorer: Alexa PenaVega earned 40 out of 40 -– the first perfect score of the season –- for her intense tango with partner Derek Hough. The performance prompted a standing ovation from Inaba. Julianne Hough (Derek’s sister) said the routine showcased PenaVega as a “natural, authentic, raw person,” and Maks Chmerkovskiy called the performance “very well done.” Tonioli said PenaVega’s performance was “a complete metamorphosis.”
Tonight’s standout moment: Carlos PenaVega (Alexa PenaVega’s husband) has been struggling to break out of the middle of the pack and tonight he did just that with an extraordinarily high energy quickstep that earned him 39 out of 40 points. It was the second-highest score of the night after his wife’s perfect score. Inaba thanked his pro partner of the night, Lindsay Arnold, saying: “To me, it doesn’t get any better than that.” Tonioli said the routine was packed with content that included elements of Charleston and jive. “It all glued together magnificently,” he said. Hough said the partner switch was exactly what PenaVega needed, telling him that he “owned” the routine. Added Chmerkovskiy, “It was not a great quickstep. It was an amazing quickstep.”
Tonight’s Scores
Alexa PenaVega and Derek Hough: 40
Carlos PenaVega and Lindsay Arnold: 39
Bindi Irwin and Val Chmerkovskiy: 37
Andy Grammer and Sharna Burgess: 36
Nick Carter and Witney Carson: 36
Hayes Grier and Allison Holker: 31
Tamar Braxton and Louis van Amstel: 29
Alek Skarlatos and Emma Slater: 29
Paula Deen and Mark Ballas: 26