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As the competition for season 27 of Dancing With the Stars narrows down, the level of the dances is heating up, and the Monday, October 15 episode saw one of the most difficult of them all with Trio Night.
As the pros worked to teach not one, but two stars a dance, things got interesting with some stars getting past Dancing With the Stars finalists for the trio while others got those who have never danced before. At the end of it all there were some great dances, some good dances, and at least one downright bad one and it all led to the season’s most shocking elimination so far!
One trio definitely stood out to the judges and that was Milo Manheim and Witney Carson who were joined by season 20 runner-up Riker Lynch for a Salsa to “Adrenalina” by Wisin ft. Jennifer Lopez & Ricky Martin. It was evident that the three had instant chemistry, and even more evident that Lynch had all the moves that made him do so well in season 20, from the choreography to the steps to the energy, everyone was left breathless including the judges who gave the routine a top score of the night: 29 out of 30.
Those who fell short of the top of the leader board by a few points were Mary Lou Retton and Sasha Farber who were joined by season 20 contestant and fellow gymnast Nastia Liukin. The trio danced a Charleston to “V.E.S.P.A” by Dimie Cat, which actually probably deserved more than the 26 it was scored. Also landing a 26 out of 30 was Tinashe and Brandon Armstrong, who have consistently been one of the strongest teams, and this week were joined by season 18 runner-up Amy Purdy for a unique and high-energy Tango to “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” from Rock of Ages. Alexis Ren and Alan Bersten were joined by longtime dancer Maddie Ziegler for a Tango to “Move Your Body” by Sia which earned them a score of 25.
After last week’s perfect 30 score, Juan Pablo Di Pace and Cheryl Burke had a lot to live up to for Trio Night which saw All-Star season 15 champ Melissa Rycroft join their group. The three danced a Cha Cha to “Wavey” by CliQ ft. Alika which was definitely more sexy than Cha Cha like which earned them only a 24. Meanwhile Evanna Lynch and Keo Motsepe also earned a 24 for their Salsa to “Black Magic” by Little Mix. They were joined by Lynch’s good friend and former Harry Potter co-star Scarlett Byrne and while the judges were impressed it wasn’t enough to elevate them from the middle of the pack.
Falling in the low 20’s were DeMarcus Ware and Lindsay Arnold who were joined by another football player and season 24 champ Rashad Jennings for a football-themed Paso Doble to “Fire” by Barns Courtney. Unfortunately things got off to an immediate rough start when Jennings accidentally dislocated Ware’s finger in rehearsal. At the end of their very “aggressive” dance, the trio were given a 22. John Schneider and Emma Slater were joined by NSYNC member and season four runner-up Joey Fatone for an Argentine Tango to “Torn” by Nathan Lanier which only earned them a 21. Meanwhile Bobby Bones and Sharna Burgess were joined by season 25 runner-up Lindsey Stirling for a Cha Cha to “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer but its lack of technique earned them only 20 out of 30.
Once again, at the very bottom of the pack was Joe Amabile and Jenna Johnson who were joined by his friend and fellow Bachelorette contestant Jordan Kimball for a Salsa to “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred. The whole thing was a mess and honestly was such a joke even Joe was laughing by the end of it and the judges didn’t even know what to say as the trio scraped through with a 15.
With minutes to spare it was announced which couples were in jeopardy, and while the scores from last week’s episode were paired with the judges scores for the results, it is still apparent it was time for Joe to go home, but he wasn’t even in jeopardy! Instead, Evanna and Keo, and Tinashe and Brandon, were announced as the two pairs at risk and in the end it was Tinashe and Brandon who were sent home to the shock of pretty much everyone.