RECAP: A Wicked ‘Villains’ Night’ on DWTS

Each star dances a spine-chilling tribute to scary movies and infamous villains; one pair earns the first perfect score of the season

A perfect paso doble, inspired by the film Black Swan by Nev Schulman and pro partner Jenna, received a perfect score of 30, the highest total for all dancers of the season.

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A perfect paso doble, inspired by the film Black Swan by Nev Schulman and pro partner Jenna, received a perfect score of 30, the highest total for all dancers of the season.

Last week on Dancing With the Stars, seven of the last 10 contestants danced spellbinding performances for “Villains’ Night,” while one pair earned the highest score of the season, a perfect 30/30. 

Starting off the show was couple Jeannie Mai and Brandon, as they danced the paso doble in tribute to The Silence of the Lambs, with Mai portraying Hannibal Lecter. Judge Derek Hough congratulated the pair on “a great, great Paso, well done,”  and they scored a 25/30. 

Figure skater Johnny Weir and pro Britt danced a Dracula-inspired Viennese waltz to “Creep” by Radiohead, and scored a 27 out of 30. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba said that Weir “floated through that [waltz] like a dream,” and judge Bruno Tonioli agreed, adding that Weir was “passionate and fluid.” 

Dressed as one of the most iconic villains of all time, Maleficent, Chrishell Stause and partner Gleb danced a paso doble to “In the Air Tonight” by VonLichten. Hough exclaimed that her dance was “cinematic,” but she “lost the fluidity sometimes; overall, it was a very, very strong Paso.” The couple received their fist nines of the competition, leading to a score of 26/30.  

Cheer coach Monica Aldama and partner Val danced the jazz to “Fever” by Peggy Lee, while Aldama played Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Judge Inaba said that “it wasn’t your best dance, but you are still improving.” Nonetheless, the couple scored 22/30.

Nelly, dressed as Freddie Krueger from the Nightmare on Elm Street series, and partner Daniella, “killed” their Argentine tango in Tonioli’s opinion. This duo danced to “I Can’t Feel My Face” by The Weeknd, and surprised the judges immensely. “Nelly, what is going on, that was by far your best dance,” Inaba shared, while Hough agreed that it was “definitely not a nightmare on the dance floor.” The couple received a score of 27 out of 30, Nelly’s highest score of the season. 

Justina Machado embodied Carrie from horror classic Carrie with partner Sasha, as they danced a bloody tango to “Take Me to Church” by Hozier. Inaba told Machado that she is “one of the best dancers here,” and that she “has such a shot at winning this [competition].” The two scored a 26 out of 30 for their gory performance.

Nev Schulman and Jenna danced a graceful paso doble inspired by Black Swan. Schulman dedicated the performance to his father, who introduced him to ballet at a young age. The judges were in awe of the performance — Tonioli commented that he simply “loved this” — and the pair scored the first perfect score of the season, a 30 out of 30.

At the end of the night, the bottom two couples that received the lowest scores were Jeannie Mai and Monica Aldama. The final decision was a split, and judge Inaba was the deciding factor. Inaba chose to save Mai, eliminating Aldama from the competition. 

Make sure to watch tonight’s episode of Dancing With the Stars on ABC at 8 p.m., as each pair must perform two dances, followed by a double elimination at the end of the episode.