'Dancing With the Stars' season 29 recap: Weir makes magic in the ballroom, Jesse Metcalfe sent home
Many competitors were praying Monday would be their breakout night.
"Dancing With the Stars" moonwalked into the '80s Monday night to celebrate the era that brought us "Flashdance" and Madonna. Despite a last-ditch effort to finally break away from the crowd, actor Jesse Metcalfe was sent home.
With the competition narrowing, Metcalfe put his best foot forward during his tango to "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears For Fears. While the actor markedly improved from last week, the audience felt he wasn't progressing as quickly as the other competitors and sent him to the bottom two.
The decision to cut the "Desperate Housewives" alum's "DWTS" journey short was especially difficult for all three judges, who felt the actor was just starting to tap into his potential. However, when compared to Vernon Davis, who was also in danger of being sent home, the judges felt the Super Bowl champ made better progress.
Many competitors were praying Monday would be their breakout night, and that moment finally came for Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir, who in the words of judge Carrie Ann Inaba, crushed his contemporary to "Total Eclipse of the Heart."
Weir's fluid and graceful routine, expertly choreographed by his dance partner Britt Stewart, dazzled on the ballroom floor thanks to an impromptu visit to an ice -skating rink before the show. Stewart succeeded in showing Weir the many similarities the contemporary shares with skating, which translated into absolute magic on the ballroom floor.
Weir earned the highest score of the season so far, a 29 out of 30.
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Two other routines of note came from "One Day at a Time" star Justina Machado and "The Real"'s Jeannie Mai, whose risky stunts translated into high praise from the judges.
Machado's energetic and daring jazz routine to Michael Sembello's "Maniac" from the movie "Flashdance" ended with a splash -- literally -- with the actress paying homage to the film's most iconic scene.
Meanwhile, the judges raved over Mai's incorporation of a bathtub into her frisky jazz routine to Madonna's "Like a Virgin," which sealed her place as the season's most entertaining competitor.
As for the buzziest moment of the night? Aside from Machado recreating the "Flashdance" water scene, it was Davis sporting a full head of hair for his tango to Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer," which resulted in judge Derek Hough remarking that the NFL star looked like the child of Earth, Wind and Fire, Steven Tyler and Lenny Kravitz.
"Dancing With the Stars" returns next Monday -- as will Derek Hough to the ballroom for the first time in years -- on October 19, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
- Johnny Weir, Olympic figure skater, with Britt Stewart -- 29/30
- Kaitlyn Bristowe, former star of "The Bachelorette," with Artem Chigvintsev -- 27/20
- Nev Schulman, host of "Catfish," with Jenna Johnson -- 26/30
- Monica Aldama, head coach on Netflix's "Cheer," with Val Chmerkovskiy -- 26/30
- Justina Machado, "One Day at a Time" star, with Sasha Farber -- 24/30
- Jeannie Mai, host of "The Real," with Brandon Armstrong -- 24/30
- AJ McLean, member of Backstreet Boys, with Cheryl Burke -- 24/30
- Nelly, Grammy Award-winning rapper, with Daniella Karagach -- 24/30
- Skai Jackson, Disney Channel star, with Alan Bersten -- 24/30
- Vernon Davis, Super Bowl champion, with Peta Murgatroyd -- 21/30
- Chrishell Stause, Netflix's "Selling Sunset" star, with Gleb Savchenko -- 19/30
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