Dancing With The Stars Sails Into The Season’s First Shocking Elimination On Yacht Rock Night — Who Went Home? – TVLine

How can “Dancing With the Stars” help its contestants shake off the nerves? By letting them dance to some easy, breezy yacht rock, of course!

We’re now in Week 3 of the ABC competition’s 35th season, and this time around, it was all about the low-key tunes that your dad might play while he’s firing up the grill. And, for the most part, these sun-soaked soundtracks worked their magic on Tuesday’s broadcast, with many of our couples earning their highest scores yet.

But our casual cruise on this “Dancing” yacht hit choppy waters at the end of the episode, when a real contender with genuine potential was voted off, giving us the first truly surprising elimination of Season 35. Who got the boot? Keep scrolling to find out, and give us all your thoughts on Yacht Rock Night in a comment!

DANCE STYLE: Foxtrot (to “Hold the Line” by Toto)

I’ve really been loving the way Pasha works in Amber’s figure skating chops; in every dance so far, there’s been one jump, twirl, or leap from her that would fit right into her routines at the rink, but they’re wonderfully subtle and don’t feel shoehorned in where they don’t belong. (See: that dramatic scream in Harry Shum Jr.’s Week 2 routine that I still have some questions about.) The foxtrot was the perfect style for Amber to capitalize on her natural skating grace, and the result was simply gorgeous. You’d never know Amber gave Pasha a wicked bloody nose in rehearsals.

JUDGES’ SCORES: 24 out of 30 (first eights of the season!)

DANCE STYLE: Salsa (to “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)” by Daryl Hall and John Oates)

Between Julia’s emotion over last week’s scores and her potential rib injury in rehearsals, I was worried she’d totally fall apart with this salsa — but not so! I would argue she didn’t look like she was having as much fun as the judges indicated; in the groovier parts of this routine, Julia was having a blast, but when she was partnering with Ezra, she fell back into super-serious mode occasionally. On the whole, though, this was a big improvement from last week, and I’m hoping she can ride this momentum in Week 4 and beyond.

JUDGES’ SCORES: 19 out of 30 (her first seven!)

DANCE STYLE: Foxtrot (to “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes)

I have to admit, I got a little nervous when I saw that Witney and Guillermo had added an umbrella prop to the first section of their dance — but it actually worked! He handled that flip like a pro! (And yes, I’ll use this as an excuse for my annual linking of Witney and Milo Manheim’s freestyle, a routine you can never rewatch too much.) We do seem to have reached the part of every season when Guillermo-esque contestants start to get mildly condescending, “Hey, look at you attempting that legitimate piece of choreography!” comments, and a trajectory like that can only go on for so long, I suspect. But you know what? In the meantime, this is all a lot of fun. They keep it cute, they sip mocktails in the Skybox and toast to fives across the board, and I’m here for the low-stakes good time that Witney and Guillermo seem to be having.

JUDGES’ SCORES: 15 out of 30

DANCE STYLE: Quickstep (to “Maneater” by Daryl Hall and John Oates)

I was just worrying last week that Tatyana would need more Big Moments if she didn’t want to get lost in the middle of the Season 35 pack — and she delivered one right away! (Tatyana, do you read the recaps?!) Jan really gave Tatyana some speedy choreography for this quickstep, and she met that pace remarkably well without looking overwhelmed by the volume of content. Plus, that moment when Jan kneeled down and Tatyana strutted over his body had just the right amount of attitude for this soundtrack and style.

JUDGES’ SCORES: 21 out of 30 (her first sevens!)

DANCE STYLE: Jive (to “You Make My Dreams Come True” by Daryl Hall and John Oates)

If you’ve read any of my “Dancing” recaps over the years, you know that I’ve got no issue with contestants who have prior dance experience; it’s fun for a while to watch bad dancing, but it’s always fun to watch great dancing, and Harry is a great dancer. That said, if the judges gave this jive eights and not 10s, I wish they’d taken the opportunity to give Harry more constructive feedback on where he could improve. In two of his three dances so far, Harry’s hip-hop stylings have worked their way in at moments where they don’t totally belong, and I think his instinct to get fluid with his movements held back the crispness of this jive at times. But! This choreography was a lot of fun, and Harry’s one of the best in the Season 35 game at delivering fun-and-not-cringey facial expressions. 

JUDGES’ SCORES: 24 out of 30

DANCE STYLE: Quickstep (to “Turn Your Love Around” by George Benson)

Sheesh, Maura is gorgeous in frame, isn’t she? If nothing else, she should be delighted by her gift for proper ballroom hold, which comes naturally to just about no one. And if Maura isn’t actually less trapped in her own head than she’s been these past two weeks, she’s at least doing a better job hiding it — though some flourishes in this routine, like Maura’s freeze-and-point when the music stopped, did feel a little rushed from nerves.

JUDGES’ SCORES: 22 out of 30

DANCE STYLE: Cha-cha (to “Never Too Much” by Luther Vandross)

Ciara wasn’t kidding last week when she said her Week 3 costume would be a total vibe. The hair, the orange two-piece, the grill — all incredible, and Ciara is looking exponentially more comfortable on the dance floor every time she goes out there. But as the judges pointed out, Ciara has some details to finesse sooner rather than later — awkward leg placement, for instance — that are keeping her from truly breaking through just yet. Also, it felt like this dance came to an end before it ever got into a long stretch of true cha-cha content; I’d love to see Brandon challenge his partner just a little more with the meat of these styles.

JUDGES’ SCORES: 18 out of 30

DANCE STYLE: Paso doble (to “Easy Lover” by Philip Bailey and Phil Collins)

I appreciate that a guy as self-admittedly goofy as Jackson ended up taking the paso doble’s moodiness seriously, but unfortunately his execution landed on the stompier side of this style’s spectrum. In a less stacked season, I’d feel certain that Jackson has plenty of time to break out of this pattern of sixes from the judges; this year, though, the competition is just so stiff, and next week’s routine is going to be crucial for his longevity in the ballroom.

JUDGES’ SCORES: 18 out of 30

DANCE STYLE: Foxtrot (to “Everywhere” by Fleetwood Mac)

This foxtrot was very sweet, frequently elegant, and a big step up from last week’s tango — and not just because of Connor’s mullet. (Not not because of it, though.) Connor and Jackson Olson are in the same conundrum, though: They’re pretty decent! And they’re really trying! But will that be enough as we get deeper into the season? I’m just not sure.

JUDGES’ SCORES: 20 out of 30 (their first sevens! And they were stunned!)

DANCE STYLE: Samba (to “Africa” by Toto)

This might sound backwards, but I think it’s a good thing that Jenna not only had a small misstep in her routine, but got some legitimate (and loving) criticism from the judges. It has felt like Jenna’s been performing her dances thus far with a hint of, “I’m supposed to be the best at this, right?!” and it’s been hurting her instead of helping; it happened again with this samba, where Jenna’s movements veered into overzealous territory once the chorus hit. Here’s hoping she can shake off the pressure of expectation and start to have a little fun next week.

JUDGES’ SCORES: 21 out of 30

DANCE STYLE: Jive (to “Still the One” by Orleans)

Tyler warned us in his pre-performance package that he’s not very light on his feet, and there were indeed some heavy moments in the first third of this jive — but then it got a lot better! Once he and Sharna came down the stairs, Tyler got his timing issues sorted out, and I found myself unexpectedly beaming when he nailed that crucial side-by-side section at the end of the number. Not a step out of sync!

JUDGES’ SCORES: 17 out of 30

DANCE STYLE: Foxtrot (to “Just the Two of Us” by Grover Washington Jr. ft. Bill Withers)

It’s always tough to follow up an electric, dynamic dance style with something slower, but I think Ezra and Daniella nicely held on to their momentum from last week’s jaw-dropping cha-cha. At the very least, Ezra did a gorgeous job holding Daniella and spinning on one foot in the middle of the routine, reminding us once again that he’s one of the most reliable leading men in the competition.

JUDGES’ SCORES: 21 out of 30

DANCE STYLE: Foxtrot (to “What a Fool Believes” by The Doobie Brothers)

If Taylor could have emerged unscathed from these wobbly first few weeks, I really do think he could have been a contender for the Season 35 endgame. But in the last two dances, he got stuck in the Land of Choppy Arm Flourishes and Very Serious Facial Expressions. A town you never want to get trapped in! This foxtrot did have its graceful moments, to be sure, but Taylor often looked in his head, and it cut many of his movements too short. 

Plus, as noted elsewhere in this recap, Season 35 has its share of male contestants who are pretty good, but not quite great yet — Jackson, Tyler, and Connor fall into that category, too — and I suspect only so many of them could capture America’s votes. I do really feel for Britt, though; this seemed like it could have been her year to go the distance, and her reaction upon getting eliminated (“Oh my God. I’m so sorry,” she said to Taylor) was rightfully frustrated.

JUDGES’ SCORES: 18 out of 30

Your turn, “Dancing” fans! Were you surprised by Taylor’s elimination? And who impressed you on Yacht Rock Night? Tell us in a comment below.