‘Dancing With the Stars’ Episode 7: Villains Night Brings Season 29’s First Perfect Score (RECAP)

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 29, Episode 7 of Dancing With the Stars.]

Celebrate Halloween a bit early with the latest DWTS theme night: Villains!

Host Tyra Banks and judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli — or the Queen of Darkness, Pennywise, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Beetlejuice — got in on the fun as well, dressing up and kicking off the show with “found footage” of them trying to escape the celebrities as they became villains.

Below, we’re breaking down the dances and the scores. Read on to find out who impressed and who was eliminated.

Jeannie Mai’s dance to “Maneater” by Nelly Furtado (Paso Doble)

Dressed in a costume inspired by Hannibal Lecter, The Real host definitely got into the part and did a nice job of stalking her prey (pro Brandon Armstrong). “You are a man-eater, and you absolutely ate up that Paso,” Derek said, noting she had “a proper frame” and embracing his costume to critique her performance. “You made a meal out of that,” Bruno agreed. “You threw yourself with such gusto and intention. You really are irresistible to watch.”

Score: With eights from Carrie Ann and Bruno and a nine from Derek, they scored 25 out of 30.

Johnny Weir’s dance to “Creep” by Vincent/Kimberly Nichole (Viennese Waltz)

Dressed in a costume inspired by Dracula, the Olympic figure skater and pro Britt Stewart came back from being in the bottom two with a vengeance and one of their most impressive performances yet. Everything about their dance and costumes completely “captured the gothic romance feel,” as Bruno noted. “It was passionate and it was fluid,” he added. “You had the bite at the same time. You balanced it really well.” Derek agreed, calling it “a perfect formula.”

Score: They scored 27 out of 30, with nines across the board.

Chrishell Stause’s dance to “In the Air Tonight” by VonLichten (Paso Doble)

With pro Gleb Savchenko and dressed in a costume inspired by Maleficent, the Selling Sunset star executed the dance well, but it wasn’t the most memorable Paso of the night. As Carrie Ann and Derek both noted, it was “simple,” but Chrishell’s improvement is clear with every performance. Carrie Ann called it “storytelling at its finest” and said it was “executed beautifully.” “That really was mesmerizing. Your focus, your intention, your purpose were absolutely spot-on,” Bruno added.

Score: With nines from Carrie Ann and Derek and an eight from Bruno, they scored 26 out of 30.

Monica Aldama’s dance to “Fever” by Beyoncé (Jazz)

With pro Val Chmerkovskiy and dressed in a costume inspired by Nurse Ratched, the Cheer coach delivered a few memorable moves (especially with the leg extensions), but there was a bit too much work with the chair to kick it off. While Derek “really felt that seductive energy in the beginning,” he lost the character in the middle. “I get more of a mild chill,” Bruno admitted, reminding her that jazz “has to always come from the body.”

Score: They scored 22 out of 30, with sevens from Carrie Ann and Bruno and an eight from Derek.

AJ McLean’s dance to “Psycho” by the Intermezzo Orchestra (Tango)

Though pro Cheryl Burke fell and hit her head during stage rehearsal Sunday, she was OK and cleared to perform. (She said after the dance she hurt her rotator cuff more than her head.)

And with AJ dressed in a costume inspired by Norman Bates — he stripped off the costume for Norman’s mother before joining his partner — the two performed quite an impressive and intense number. “I’m truly impressed. That was a really difficult routine,” Carrie Ann said. “Every movement was great.” Bruno added, “you managed to translate the neurosis of the character into the steps, very, very hard to do.”

Score: With nines from Carrie Ann and Bruno and an eight from Derek, they scored 26 out of 30.

Nelly’s dance to “Can’t Feel My Face” by The Weeknd (Argentine Tango)

Dressed in a costume inspired by Freddy Krueger and with partner Daniella Karagach, the rapper continued to show how much he’s improving and how much more comfortable he is on the dance floor. They started off strong and ended the same way, for what Carrie Ann noted was his “best dance” yet “by far.” Derek added, “you were such a great partner to Daniella.” “You killed that Argentine Tango,” Bruno said.

Score: With three nines, they received their highest score yet: 27 out of 30.

Justina Machado’s dance to “Take Me to Church” by MILCK (Tango)

Dressed in a costume inspired by Carrie and with pro Sasha Farber, the One Day at a Time continued to be one of the most entertaining dancers on the floor this season, and that was still the case with her as a villain. She was a powerful force here. “You literally set this place on fire,” Derek said. “You travel across that floor. You move so much, and that means you’re in the correct position.” “You, to me, are one of the best dancers here. You have such a shot at winning this,” Carrie Ann added.

Score: They scored 26 out of 30, with nines from Carrie Ann and Derek and an eight from Bruno.

Nev Schulman’s dance to “Swan Lake Remix” by District 78 (Paso Doble)

The Catfish host, dressed in a costume inspired by Black Swan, said he’d show partner Jenna Johnson a side of himself she hadn’t seen before and he did, in his most intense dance yet — and it was perfect. He lived up to and exceeded Bruno and Carrie Ann’s high expectations, and she praised the way he was able to change characters. For Derek, it was “just beautiful.”

Score: Nev and Jenna earned the first perfect score of the season (3o).

Skai Jackson’s dance to “Everything I Wanted” by Billie Eilish (Argentine Tango)

Dressed in a costume inspired by Bride of Chucky, the Disney Channel star showed how to bounce back (again) after a slip-up. She and pro Alan Bersten were back to being among the most impressive on the dance floor, with memorable lifts. “You came back stronger this week than ever,” Carrie Ann noted. “The power that you exuded in that dance was mesmerizing.” There was “not a bad step in that tango,” Bruno added.

Score: With nines from all three judges, they scored 27 out of 30.

Kaitlyn Bristowe’s dance to “Disturbia” by Rihanna (Paso Doble)

With partner Artem Chigvintsev, the Bachelorette, dressed in a costume inspired by Cruella de Vil, hit the dance floor with an intensity after the judges’ previous comments. It was a performance that allowed the night to end on a high note, with an impressive Paso and one of the most memorable. Derek said she’s “always so reliable.” But Bruno and Carrie Ann weren’t as impressed. For the former, “it felt slightly rushed,” and while the latter sees her as “a fantastic dancer,” she had a few critiques, including that she’s “not resisting enough.”

Score: With a seven from Carrie Ann, a nine from Derek, and an eight from Bruno, they scored 24 out of 30.

Results

After combining the scores and fans’ votes, the celebrities in the bottom two were Monica Aldama and Jeannie Mai. Then it was up to the judges to deliver their verdict. Bruno chose Jeannie, and Derek picked Monica. It was up to Carrie Ann, and she decided to save Jeannie. Monica Aldama was eliminated.

What did you think of the latest elimination and Villains Night?

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