Dancing With The Stars Recap: Which Couple Wasn't Popular Enough On Wicked Night?

So, what's the most swankified place in primetime television? That would be the "Dancing With the Stars" ballroom, where the reality competition staged its celebration of Jon M. Chu's "Wicked" films on Tuesday night.

Chu — who directed both last year's "Wicked" and its forthcoming big-screen conclusion, "Wicked: For Good" — stopped by the makeshift Ozdust to weigh in as a guest judge on the Week 6 performances, which were accompanied by the movie musicals' many tunes. And he wasn't just there to give you're-doing-amazing-sweetie high scores, either: In the case of Alix and Val's jazz, Chu actually scored the pair one point lower than what Carrie Ann, Derek and Bruno offered.

And though "Dancing With the Stars" opted not to send anyone home during last week's Dedication Night, the rejoicifying came to an end during Tuesday's outing as one couple was cut from the season.

Scroll down for our full recap of all the Wicked Night performances and results, then weigh in with your thoughts on the evening!

SAFE: Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy

DANCE STYLE: Jazz (to "What Is This Feeling?")

From week to week, Alix is embodying these different dance characters much more convincingly than I thought she would; hard to believe this is the same person who gave us a fearsome Maleficent two weeks back. Here, she was as elegant and light on her feet as the Galinda persona required, though I do wish she'd occasionally leaned harder into the "Ugh, Elphaba" attitude.

JUDGES' SCORE: 35 out of 40

SAFE: Robert Irwin and Witney Carson

DANCE STYLE: Jazz (to "Dancing Through Life")

Ooh! Yes! Save for a couple of moments in the side-by-side sections when Robert was a tiiiny bit ahead of Witney, Robert both nailed the choreography here and brought the exact right charisma to the routine: joyful, yes, but also suave and confident, like any Fiyero should be. Plus, he did a leg sweep near the end of the number that reminded us why he's a serious contender for the Mirrorball. The form!

JUDGES' SCORE: 36 out of 40

SAFE: Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas

DANCE STYLE: Quickstep (to "Popular")

Sheesh, this was a quick quickstep, and packed with content; Whitney said in her pre-performance package that the little details were tripping her up in rehearsal, but you'd never know it from watching the final product. Whitney is really a tremendous dancer, and her enthusiastic-but-never-too-cheesy facial expressions make her so watchable.

JUDGES' SCORE: 39 out of 40, including the season's first 10s!

SAFE: Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach

DANCE STYLE: Rumba (to "I'm Not That Girl")

Not every part of this rumba was perfect; it was a little awkward to watch Dylan and Daniella's descent down the stairs, with his hand cradling her head strangely, and Dylan is sometimes so committed to hitting the proper frame that he can end up in poses that practically yell, "I'm doing this right, right?!" That said, his progress continues to impress, his hips were commendably fluid, and his chemistry with Daniella was intense. That opening move, atop the stairs, where he transferred her to his other arm and dipped her so, so slowly? Hoo boy.

JUDGES' SCORE: 32 out of 40

SAFE: Andy Richter and Emma Slater

DANCE STYLE: Jazz (to "One Short Day")

I think we can all agree Brandon Armstrong was the true star of this jazz. That was a perfect lip-sync there at the end, no? In all seriousness, though, this was probably Andy's best routine, even without grading on the usual Andy curve. He had fun with the theatrics, and his footwork was noticeably more assured, too. 

JUDGES' SCORE: 27 out of 40

SAFE: Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten

DANCE STYLE: Contemporary (to "Defying Gravity")

Wet blanket incoming! I'm thrilled for Elaine that she got to have that true Elphaba moment at the end there, but the last segment of the dance — from Alan's mini-solo with the troupe members to Elaine's final ascent — felt like a waste of Elaine's potential. The rest of the routine was emotional, powerful and full of legitimately challenging contemporary choreography; imagine what a crescendo there could have been if Elaine and Alan did another major lift, or worked in the background dancers for a big Act-One-finale sequence. (The trust fall on "trust" was pretty great, though.)

JUDGES' SCORE: 36 out of 40

SAFE: Jen Affleck and Jan Ravnik

DANCE STYLE: Foxtrot (to "As Long As You're Mine")

I'm not sure what it is about this partnership — Jan being a brand-new pro? Jen being in the cast with another, more experienced Mormon Wife? — but their routines have slipped into forgettable territory most weeks, and I worry it's the same situation here. Even in the "Wicked" stage version, "As Long As You're Mine" gives us palpable, maybe-I-should-look-away chemistry between Elphaba and Fiyero, and Jen and Jan's connection felt more friendly than sensual.

JUDGES' SCORE: 32 out of 40

SAFE: Danielle Fishel and Pasha Pashkov

DANCE STYLE: Argentine Tango (to "No Good Deed")

Wet blanket incoming! Again! I'll admit I was puzzled by the scoring here. Though Danielle and Pasha certainly broke free from the repetition of their other performances, Danielle's intensity often came across like she was holding her breath, with noticeable tension in her top half. I give her major kudos for the footwork — those Argentine tango flicks are no joke, and Pasha included a lot of them — but with a song like "No Good Deed" playing in the ballroom, I'd hoped for something more climactic. Give this woman a billowing cape she can toss around!

JUDGES' SCORE: 36 out of 40

SAFE: Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa

DANCE STYLE: Rumba (to "For Good")

Really gorgeous fluidity and passion from Jordan here, and she and Ezra nicely threaded that needle of portraying a platonic friendship via a dance style that's typically quite sensual. Derek was right to point out, though, that Jordan should now focus on bringing more appropriate emotion to her dances; her face was intense during this rumba, whereas Ezra's was more open and joyous.

JUDGES' SCORE: 39 out of 40

ELIMINATED: Scott Hoying and Rylee Arnold

DANCE STYLE: Contemporary (to "The Wizard and I")

I had hoped, after Scott's excellent jazz back in Week 3, that the similarly free-form contemporary style would suit him well. Unfortunately, whether it was due to top-of-the-show nerves or a weak grasp on the choreography, Scott looked wobbly (albeit enthusiastic!) for much of this routine. Every time he and Rylee went into a lift, I got a little nervous — and viewers seemed to agree. After getting stuck in The Land of the Sevens for multiple weeks of scoring, Scott was sent home.

JUDGES' SCORE: 28 out of 40

Do you agree with Scott and Rylee's elimination? And which couple(s) impressed you most on Wicked Night? Drop all of your thoughts in a comment below!

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