Janet Jackson Night begins with a video message from Janet Jackson herself. She tells Tyra Banks that it’s “great” she’s being honored on Dancing With the Stars. “I love all styles, all types of dance. It’s a way to express yourself,” she says from London.
First up is Jimmie Allen and Emma Slater with their cha-cha to “Escapade.” Len Goodman tells Jimmie it was a “nice dance and a nice routine.” Derek Hough admits Jimmie was “stiff” at times, but it was still enjoyable. Bruno Tonioli adds that the performance was “fun, playful” and Jimmie’s “fluidity has improved.” He notes that there should be “no heel leads in the cha-cha.” Jimmie and Emma’s scores: Carrie Ann = 8; Len = 8; Derek = 8; Bruno = 8. Total Score = 32 out of 40.
Janet Jackson Night Performances
Suni Lee and Sasha Farber dance the samba to “All For You.” Suni is rocking new blonde hair this week! She’s ready to put last week’s illness and all the haters behind her. Derek raves over Suni’s “new hair, new confidence.” Bruno says Suni is “rebooted, recharged, running on high octane” and adds she could be one of the pros! Carrie Ann Inaba gushes the performance was “fantastic.” Suni and Sasha’s scores: Carrie Ann = 10; Len = 10; Derek = 10; Bruno = 10. Total Score = 40 out of 40.
Melora Hardin and Artem Chigvintsev tackle the paso doble to “Seductive Fantasy” after a tough week of rehearsals. Their performance is powerful and memorable. Bruno raves that the “key to the paso doble is artistry,” and the artistry was there. Carrie Ann adds the performance was “powerful” and “passionate.” Len agrees with the rest of the judges that this was a “great performance.” Melora and Artem’s scores: Carrie Ann = 10; Len = 10; Derek = 10; Bruno = 10. Total Score = 40 out of 40.
Olivia Jade and Val Chmerkovskiy dance a gorgeous Argentine tango to “Any Time, Any Place.” Carrie Ann says that while the performance was “beautiful” and “elegant,” she wanted to “see a little more heat.” Len admits that he wasn’t keen on the table portion of the performance, and Val makes a sexy joke. Bruno tells Olivia that the performance was “seductive, romance, involving” with “great leg work.” Olivia and Val’s scores: Carrie Ann = 9; Len = 9; Derek = 9; Bruno = 9. Total Score = 36 out of 40.
Cody Rigsby and Cheryl Burke dance the paso doble to “Black Cat,” and it’s by far their best performance to date. Len says he loved the “no-nonsense dancing” and how “dominant” it was. He admits he didn’t even notice Cheryl! Derek notes that Cody has really been “stepping it up.” Bruno adds that Cody has “unleashed the beast within!” Cody and Cheryl’s scores: Carrie Ann = 10; Len = 10; Derek = 9; Bruno = 9. Total Score = 36 out of 40.
Amanda Kloots and Alan Bersten slay with their jazz routine to “Miss You Much.” Derek tells Amanda, “You were just a leading lady from start to finish.” Bruno agrees with Derek, “You were in charge of this dance.” Carrie Ann gets up from her seat to go hug Amanda because she thought it was so good. Len calls the performance “amazing.” Amanda and Alan’s scores: Carrie Ann = 10; Len = 10; Derek = 10; Bruno = 10. Total Score = 40 out of 40.
Iman Shumpert and Daniella Karagach bring the heat with their cha-cha to “Rhythm Nation.” Bruno calls the performance a “great tribute to a great artist.” However, he says the “cha-cha was a bit minimal.” Len tells the pair that he was “impressed with the precision in the group section,” but there was “not enough cha-cha.” Derek has to point out just how “special” and “memorable” Iman and Daniella are. Iman and Daniella’s scores: Carrie Ann = 9; Len = 8; Derek = 9; Bruno = 9. Total Score = 35 out of 40.
Jojo Siwa and Jenna Johnson wow with their salsa to “Feedback.” Carrie Ann is stunned over the performance and says it was “sharp, hot, sexy.” Len raves that Jojo and Jenna make a “fantastic dream team,” but there were “gimmicks that weren’t salsa.” Derek admits he’s “speechless! Bruno calls the performance “drop dead sexy.” Jojo and Jenna’s scores: Carrie Ann = 10; Len = 9; Derek = 10; Bruno = 10. Total Score = 39 out of 40.
Now it’s time for the dance-offs, which will give away two bonus points to the winning couple. The first dance-off of the night is a salsa between Jimmie and Emma vs. Suni and Sasha. Bruno chooses Suni as the winner! Next up, Olivia and Val face off against Jojo and Jenna. Carrie Ann calls this the “dance-offs of dance-offs.” Carrie Ann ends up picking Jojo as the winner.
Melora and Artem go head-to-head with Iman and Daniella in a foxtrot dance-off. Derek picks Melora as the winner of the dance-off! The final dance-off is a cha-cha between Cody and Cheryl vs. Amanda and Alan. Amanda wins this dance-off!
A Devastating Double Elimination
It’s the moment we’ve been dreading all night: the double elimination. The first couple who will dance in the semi-finals is Suni and Sasha. They’re joined by Jojo and Jenna, Amanda and Alan, Cody and Cheryl, and Iman and Daniella. The bottom three are Melora and Artem, Jimmie and Emma, and Olivia and Val.
The couple with the lowest number of votes are Olivia and Val. They are eliminated immediately. It’s down to Jimmie and Emma as well as Melora and Artem. The judges choose to save Melora and Artem, which means Jimmie and Emma are the second couple to be eliminated.