And then there were five.
In the first few weeks of Dancing with the Stars, it's pretty easy to gauge who is going to be eliminated. But during Monday night's quarter-finals, there was talent everywhere you looked. In just about nine weeks, these amateur dancers have become polished and confident, which made this week's elimination so tough. But, more on that later.
Here are our top 5 routines of the evening:
1. Paige VanZant and Mark Ballas
These two didn't get a perfect score like last week, but we rewarded Mark for his ability to take risks and his creative concept. The couple danced a Viennese waltz to Stone Cold by Demi Lovato as frozen people.
Total score: 28
2. Jodie Sweetin and Keo Motsepe
Jump, jive, and then you don't wail because you just received a perfect score from the judges. Len Goodman said Jodie and Keo's dance made him feel happy, and Bruno Tonioli praised Keo for his creativity.
Total score: 30
3. Ginger Zee and Val Chmerkovskiy
This week's forecast called for a little less sunshine from the Good Morning America meteorologist. Ginger and Val danced a sexy Argentine tango that Carrie Ann Inaba called "mind blowing."
Total score: 30
4. Antonio Brown and Sharna Burgess
Last week, the judges said Antonio needed to work on his technique. To make sure business was booming, he showed up half an hour early to rehearsals. Antonio's hard work and dedication paid off when he and Sharna danced their Viennese waltz.
Total score: 27
5. Nyle DiMarco and Peta Murgatroyd
Nyle wanted to give the audience an idea of what it's like in his head without any noise. So, for part of his paso doble, the room fell completely silent. The "profound" moment moved Carrie Ann to tears.
Total score: 29
From critic to choreographer
For the second half of the show, the contestants danced in teams led by a DWTS judge. The two remaining judges scored the routine. The third score came from America's votes.
On Team Bruno, Nyle, Peta, Jodie, and Keo danced an Argentine tango that included dancing from same-sex couples.
Team Len was comprised of Ginger, Val, Lindsay, and Wanyá. They danced a samba that included a rather charming cameo by Len.
Team Carrie Ann put on our favorite routine of the friendly competition between the judges. Paige, Mark, Antonio, and Sharna did a paso doble that featured powder, fog, and water.
The three teams all scored 29s because America is stingy with that 10 paddle apparently. Points were added to the scores earned in the first round of individual dances.
The elimination
The ballroom will feel considerably less Full next week as Jodie and Keo were cut from the competition. At least this Star burned big and bright on her last night in the game.
And there are "familiar friends waiting just around the bend" to comfort the Fuller House actress. She starts production on season 2 of the Netflix show on Tuesday.
Semi-finals begin next week, and there will be a double-elimination. Jeez, the talent around here is just dropping like it's hot.
DWTS airs Monday night at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
