“Dancing With The Stars” Season 18, Episode 3 Recap

James Maslow and Peta Murgatroyd
Dancing the Jive to “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World
James overcame a chubby childhood and intense bullying to become the heartthrob he is today  It makes me love him more that he was a little bit of an ugly duckling.
He is the hottest thing in Nerd Glasses and that back flip made my heart flip!!
Len: “Was that an earthquake, and aftershock or did you just rock this place?”
Robin Roberts:  “You even had time to wink at me!”
Bruno:  “That had the explosive energy of a lightning strike!”
Carie Ann: “Watch the claw.”
Judges Scores: Carrie Ann:9, Len: 9, Robin: 9, Bruno: 9, total 36 out of 40

Billy Dee Williams and Emma Slater
Withdrew due to injury
Billy Dee was told by his doctors that he can’t dance due to his back injury. His retrospective is extremely sweet. I will miss his gentlemanly spirit and how wonderful he looks in blue. His grandchildren were too precious for words.

NeNe Leakes and Tony Dovolani
Dancing the Rhumba to “I Believe In You and Me” by Whitney Houston
Nene has dedicated her dance to her husband Greg, and how they rekindled their relationship after they divorced each other.  It was sensual, and Tony’s abs looked Sick!
Robin: “You have this enormous personality, but you let us see a different side of you tonight.  It was so sensual and beautiful.”
Bruno: “The Southern Siren, you got your man exactly where you wanted.”
Carrie Ann: “You were as large as your hears and your passion is.”
Len: “When I saw the bed, and Tony with no shirt, I thought the worst.”
Judges Scores: Carrie Ann: 8, Len: 7, Robin: 8, Bruno: 8, total 31 out of 40

Cody Simpson and Witney Carson
Dancing Jazz to “Surfboard” by Cody Simpson
Cody Dedicated his song to his family who gave everything up to move to the U.S. so her could pursue his dreams.  His legion of screaming female fans loved his pop-lock routine. There were some great moves buut this was a dance for the young girls.
Bruno: “So refreshing. So right here. So right now!”
Carrie Ann: “It was eating it up! Nom, nom, nom! I was like ‘Cody and Whitney, nom, nom, nom!’”
Len: “There was no wipeout during your surfing period”
Robin: “I love your style!”
Judges Scores: Carrie Ann: 9, Len: 8, Robin: 9, Bruno: 9, total 35 out of 40

Danica McKellar and Val Chmerkovskiy
Dancing contemporary to “Lullaby” by Billy Joel
Danica dedicated this dance to her son Draco and her beloved Grandmother who passed away shortly before his birth. Danica and Val had some exquisite lifts and told the heartbreaking story of the fragility and mortality of parents. Everyone in the ballroom is in tears.
Carrie Ann: “Your grandma is smiling down on you.”
Len: “It was like butter on a hot muffin.  It was smooth and it flows.”
Robin: “You are a wonder and a sheet delight.”
Bruno: “Enchanting motion driven by emotion.”
Judges Scores: Carrie Ann: 9, Len: 9, Robin: 9, Bruno: 9, total 36 out of 40

Drew Carey and Cheryl Burke
Dancing the waltz to “Fade Into You” By Sam Palladio & Clare Bowen
Drew dedicated his dance to his son Connor whose birth forced Drew to re-examine his health. It was wonderful to see Drew dancing a serious, non-gimmicky dance. He did a wonderful job and his son is a mini-Drew.
Len: “It was charming, well done.”
Robin: “You have been such a pleasant, marvelous, beautiful surprise this season.”
Bruno: “You look very smart and very elegant.”
Carrie Ann: “It was a beautiful tribute.”
Judges Scores: Carrie Ann: 7, Len: 7, Robin: 8, Bruno: 8, total 30 out of 40

Meryl Davis and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dancing the foxtrot to “All of Me” by John Legend
Meryl is dedicating her dance to the 17 year journey that she has with not only Charlie, but her entire support team. Phew! The sexual chemistry was unbelievable.  Are they romantically involved, or just great actors?
Robin: “There were moments where we were just clutching each other … Beautiful to watch.”
Bruno: “Irresistibly romantic … The choreography was extraordinary ”
Carrie Ann: “I burst into tears because it was just so beautiful! You are phenomenal.”
Len: “Meryl and Maks, M&M. Sweet and delicious.”
Judges Scores: Carrie Ann: 10, Len: 9, Robin: 10, Bruno: 10, total 39 out of 40!

Amy Purdy and Derek Hough
Dancing the contemporary to “Only Human” by Christina Perri
Amy dedicated her dance to her dad who donated one of his kidneys to Amy after she lost her kidney function as a result of the bacterial meningitis that also cost her her legs.  “I always say, my dad gave me life twice.  He brought me into this world and through his gift, he kept me in their world.”
Bruno: “That was a message of universal value.  Borderline miraculous.”
Carrie Ann: “The way you were able to balance on your toes …”
Len: “You touched m my brain with the level of difficulty and you touched my heart with the level of artistry.
Robin:  “There are not enough superlatives, there are simply not.”
Judges Scores: Carrie Ann: 9, Len: 9, Robin: 9, Bruno: 9, total 36 out of 40

Charlie White and Sharna Burgess
Dancing jive to “Happy” by Pharell Williams
Charlie is dedicating his dance to the disappointment he felt in 2010 when he and Meryl earned silver in the Vancouver winter Olympics and the drive it gave them to work even harder for gold.  Happy is definitely a word to describe Charlie.  He is happiness personified.  His dance was light and joyful.
Carrie Ann: “You were dancing a little ahead of the music twice.”
Len: “It’s happy hour!”
Robin: “It was a celebration, you make us so happy!”
Bruno: “It was cheerful, it was uplifting, it was delightful.”
Judges Scores: Carrie Ann: 9, Len: 9, Robin: 9, Bruno: 9, total 36 out of 40

Candace Cameron Bure and Mark Ballas
Dancing the jive to “Blue Suede Shoes” by Elvis Presley
Candace is recalling 1995, the year when Full House ended its run on TV and she got engaged to her husband. This was the year she moved from a girl to a woman. Lori Laughlin and Andrea Barber visited her in her practice space. Oh how I miss Full House!
Len: “It was a proper ballroom jive”
Robin: “You were snazzy, you were hitting it, it was wonderful to watch.
Bruno: “She reminded me of Ann-Margaret in Viva Las Vegas.”
Carrie Ann: “Great jive!”
Judges Scores: Carrie Ann: 8, Len: 8, Robin: 8, Bruno: 8, total 32 out of 40

With Billy Dee withdrawing due to injury, there is no need to eliminate anyone. Bye Billy!! I can’t wait to see next week’s switch up!  Are you as relieved as I am that “The Switch Up” is only for one week?

Tomorrow, I’ll be chatting with former “Dancing With the Stars” pro, Anna Trebunskaya.  I can’t wait to get her insight into this year’s competition and competitors and find out what she’s been up to!