"Dancing with the Stars": Competition grows, Kellie Pickler wows judges
Competition is growing during season 16 of "Dancing with the Stars," as a few contenders have started to take the lead as possible frontrunners.
- "DWTS": Brooke Burke-Charvet on the "terror" of competition
- "Dancing with the Stars": Who went home first?
On Monday night, the dancing hopefuls gave it their all for "Prom Night." But there was one standout performance: country starlet Kellie Pickler and her partner Derek Hough. They ended up impressing the judges with an energetic jive-inspired performance of "Footloose" that garnered a score of 25 out of 30.
Judge Carrie Ann Inaba said, "That was ridiculously amazing. That was the fastest routine I've ever seen and you hit every little step." And judge Len Goodman dubbed Pickler the "queen of the prom."
Zendaya Coleman and Val Chmerkovskiy, along with NFL star Jacoby Jones and Karina Smirnoff, weren't too far behind, each with a score of 24 out 30. Judge Bruno Tonioli told Jones that he was "smoldering like a volcano of passion."
Victor Ortiz and her pro-partner, Lindsay Arnold, managed to get a score of 23/30, and Inaba, for one, was impressed with Ortiz's improvement, saying, "What just happened?! Victor, you're a dancer!"
"Bachelor" Sean Lowe and Peta Murgatroyd made a good choice with a cha cha cha version of "Y.M.C.A." Goodman called it their "best dance" so far.
Lisa Vanderpump and Gleb Savchenko, who finished in the bottom last week and are in danger of being eliminated, ended up squeezing out a score of 21.
But despite the improvements and impressive routines, not everyone will get to stay. One dancing duo will be sent home Tuesday when "Dancing with the Stars" returns at 9 p.m. ET.
Contestants' scores:
Kellie Pickler partnered with Derek Hough 8, 9, 8 (25)
Zendaya Coleman partnered with Val Chmerkovskiy 8, 8, 8 (24)
Jacoby Jones partnered with Karina Smirnoff 8, 8, 8 (24)
Alexandra Raisman partnered with Mark Ballas 7, 8, 8 (23)
Victor Ortiz partnered with Lindsay Arnold 8, 7, 8 (23)
Ingo Rademacher partnered with Kim Johnson 7, 7, 7 (21)
Lisa Vanderpump partnered with Gleb Savchenko 7, 7, 7 (21)
Sean Lowe partnered with Peta Murgatroyd 7, 7, 7 (21)
Andy Dick partnered with Sharna Brugess 6, 6, 6 (18)
D.L. Hughley partnered with Cheryl Burke 6, 5, 5 (16)
Wynonna Judd partnered with Tony Dovolani 5, 5, 5 (15)
Check out the video below to find out how Vanderpump is dealing with the difficulty of the competition:
