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The excitement and energy were palpable as Dancing With the Stars celebrated Latin Night on October 3rd. The ballroom was set on fire with sizzling moves, electrifying performances, and fiery salsa rhythms. Latin Night was an unforgettable evening of dance, with Lele Pons and Brandon Armstrong stealing the show from the get-go.
The evening commenced with an explosive samba performance by the dynamic duo, set to the iconic “Gasolina” by Daddy Yankee. From the first beat, it was evident that Lele Pons was here to set the bar high and ignite the stage with her electric presence. The judges were quick to acknowledge her fiery performance.
Derek Hough couldn’t contain his enthusiasm, praising Lele’s undeniable flair and presence on the dance floor. Bruno Tonioli echoed Derek’s sentiments, declaring Lele the “life and soul of the party.” However, Bruno did offer constructive criticism, encouraging Lele to “polish” her moves for even more excellence. Carrie Ann Inaba praised Brandon for his exceptional choreography, and she couldn’t help but gush about Lele, saying, “You just set this place on fire!”
Lele and Brandon’s scores reflected their impressive performance, with Carrie Ann awarding them a 7, Derek matching that score, and Bruno also giving them a 7, totaling 21 out of 30. It was a solid start for Latin Night and set the tone for the evening.
Following their captivating samba, Tyson Beckford and Jenna Johnson took the stage with a sultry salsa performance to “Aguanile” by Willie Colón and Héctor Levoe. Their total score for the night was 18 out of 30, proving that the competition on Latin Night was fierce.
However, the night belonged to Xochitl Gomez and Val Chmerkovskiy, who brought the house down with their fierce salsa to “Don’t Go Yet” by Camila Cabello. Their performance was regarded as the best of the night, earning standing ovations and enthusiastic praise from the judges.
Carrie Ann Inaba was particularly effusive, describing the performance as “incredible” and declaring that salsa was Xochitl’s superpower. She even drew a comparison to the legendary Rita Moreno, an extraordinary compliment. Hough was equally ecstatic, standing up and declaring it “exceptional.” At the same time, Tonioli took his excitement to another level by playfully ripping off his shirt and raving about the “power salsa.”
Xochitl and Val received the highest scores of the night, with all three judges awarding them an 8, resulting in an impressive total score of 24 out of 30. Their performance on Latin Night was nothing short of spectacular, setting a high standard for the rest of the competition and marking the highest score of season 32 so far.
Not all contestants fared as well
Jamie Lynn Spears and Alan Bersten tackled a cha-cha to “Shake Senora” by Pitbull featuring T-Pain and Sean Paul. While Derek Hough acknowledged a “timing issue,” he also acknowledged Jamie Lynn’s improvement from the previous week. Bruno Tonioli appreciated that Jamie Lynn seemed to have come out of her shell but was eager to see more of it.
Unfortunately, the scores for Jamie Lynn and Alan weren’t as high as they had hoped, with Carrie Ann awarding them a 6, Derek giving a 5, and Bruno scoring them a 5. Their total score for the evening was 16 out of 30. In the end, the couple eliminated from the competition was Jamie Lynn Spears and Alan Bersten, marking a bittersweet farewell to Latin Night.