'Dancing with the Stars' eliminates Lele Pons and pro Brandon Armstrong on "Music Video Night"

Dancing with the Stars eliminated Lele Pons and her professional partner Brandon Armstrong after eight couples performed in two rounds of competition for "Music Video Night" during the Season 32 episode that aired Tuesday night on ABC.


Lele, a singer and social media star, and Brandon became the seventh couple eliminated from Dancing with the Stars' 32nd season after they had the lowest combined total of judges' scores and viewer votes that were cast live throughout the two-hour episode.

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Dancing with the Stars co-host Julianne Hough announced how Lele probably thought the results were a little surprising, but Lele responded, "I'm so, so grateful for everything. [Brandon], you're the best. Everybody here is the best!"

And Brandon said following their ouster, "That one burns. I definitely don't think Lele should've gone home tonight."


"I think Lele was getting better," the pro dancer elaborated on his frustration.

"She had no dance experience coming in! She's the best partner she could've been. But, look, at the end of the day, it's a show and we're happy to be here. We made a lot of great moments together and she was the best."

Two other couples -- The Brady Bunch star Barry Williams and pro partner Peta Murgatroyd as well as The Bachelorette star Charity Lawson and pro partner Artem Chigvintsev -- were in danger of going home at the end of Tuesday night's broadcast; however, Dancing with the Stars host Alfonso Ribeiro announced how they were not necessarily the bottom three couples based on judges' scores and viewers votes.

Prior to the elimination portion of the evening, eight couples performed in two rounds of competition for Dancing with the Stars judges Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli, and Carrie Ann Inaba as well as guest judge Paula Abdul, a former singer and dancer who previously judged American Idol.

For Round 1, each couple performed a dance paying homage to a famous music video. The goal was to reflect the music video while remaining true to their dance style.


And for the second round of Dancing with the Stars competition, the celebrity and professional pairings were split up into two teams and tasked with competing against each other for extra judges' points.

Charity and Artem and Lele and Brandon received 40 out of 40 judges' points for their "Team Dance" along with Marvel star Xochitl Gomez and pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy as well as social media and Netflix star Harry Jowsey and pro partner Rylee Arnold.

Barry and Peta earned 37 points for their "Team Dance" along with American Pie actress Alyson Hannigan and pro partner Sasha Farber, Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix and pro partner Pasha Pashkov, and two-time Grammy winning singer Jason Mraz and pro partner Daniella Karagach.

When combining their scores from the two dances, Ariana and Pasha tied for first place on the judges' leaderboard with Xochitl and Val. The two couples each received a total of 74 out of 80 possible judges' points.

Ariana and Pasha performed the cha cha to "I'm a Slave 4 U" by Britney Spears for the first round of competition. The pair earned 37 out of 40 possible points for recreating the 2001 music video.


Bruno thought the cha cha was "so good and full of content," and Derek noted how Ariana was "fantastic."

Carrie Ann added how the performance was "spot on" and there were moments when she actually questioned if Britney herself was on the dance floor.

Since Ariana and Pasha topped the judges' leaderboard with the highest score for Round 1, they will not have to compete in next week's Dance Off. They'll also receive bonus points that will be applied to their judges' scores next week.

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Xochitl and Val initially took the dance floor with a jazz routine to "Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani. They received 34 points for recreating the 2004 music video.


Paula said Xochitl and Val were a provocative and surprising couple in the ballroom and that Xochitl had captured Gwen's moves in "a delicious way."

Bruno praised Xochitl for being charismatic, although she was a little off time, but Carrie Ann yelled, "I completely disagree with you!... It maybe seemed like you were supposed to be in sync with everybody, but I couldn't tell! That's a sign of a true performer."

Third place on the night's leaderboard went to Lele and Brandon, who received a total of 73 judges' points for their two dances.

In Round 1, Lele and Brandon performed a salsa to "Whenever, Wherever" by Shakira and earned 33 points for recreating the 2001 music video.

"Your hips did not lie, my love, they did not lie!" Derek gushed. "The Shakira part, nailed it."


Carrie Ann thought Lele was "on fire" and finally did the dance she had been waiting for, but Derek said the lifts and tricks looked a little out of control. Paula also mentioned how Lele could move a little lighter on her feet.

Two couples tied for fourth place on the leaderboard with a total of 72 points: Charity and Artem as well as Jason and Daniella.

Charity and Artem first danced a jazz routine to "All For You" by Janet Jackson, which earned them 32 judges' points. They found inspiration from Janet's 2001 music video.

Carrie Ann said she loved the choreography and staging but she "didn't believe" it or "buy it" all the time. Carrie Ann wanted to see Charity "mean it" a little more.

Derek noted how Charity's dancing was "pretty" and "precise" but he also wanted more power, energy and attack from her.

And, for Round 1, Jason and Daniella performed a jazz dance paying tribute to the 1985 music video "Take On Me" by A*Ha. They received 35 judges' points for their first dance.


"I was a bit underwhelmed from the performance that you've been giving, because you have been amazing! This felt a little small," Carrie Ann confessed.

Derek said he loved the side-by-side jazz section in the middle but he agreed with Carrie Ann in that this routine compared to "an earlier-season type of dance."

Bruno, however, said Jason and Daniella had perfectly translated the music video into their jazz dance and Jason never lost the storyline.

Sixth place on the judges' combined leaderboard belonged to Alyson and Sasha with a total of 70 points.

Alyson and Sasha impressed with a quickstep to "Candyman" by Christina Aguilera for Round 1. They received 33 judges' points for their ballroom version of the 2006 music video.

"Alyson, that was your best dance yet!" Derek shouted. "Oh my goodness! I loved the opening nod to the music video. You were spot on, you held your own... and you glided across the floor really smooth. I was really impressed!"


Paula said Alyson had "triumphed" with a proper quickstep, and Bruno and Carrie Ann completely agreed that there was something magical about her performance.

Barry and Peta finished the night in seventh place on the judges' leaderboard with a total of 65 points.

In the first round of competition, Barry and Peta took the stage with a quickstep routine inspired by "I'm Still Standing" by Elton John, which was released in 1983. The couple received 28 judges' points for the routine.

Carrie Ann shouted about how Barry made everyone smile but he had made a little mistake in the dance.

Derek complimented Barry for "coming alive" in the dance and how he loved watching him perform, and Paula said it's always "a joy and a delight" to watch him dance.

And finally, Harry and Rylee landed in eighth -- and last -- place on the night's leaderboard with a total of 64 judges' points.


Harry and Rylee performed a jazz routine to "It's Gonna Be Me" by 'NSYNC. The couple earned only 24 points from the judges for their take on the 2000 music video.

Bruno admitted "the sync wasn't always on," and Carrie Ann pointed out how Harry fell out of character at one point and didn't really commit to his Justin Timberlake role.

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Derek reminded Harry that he'll improve and get better, but he asked for more connective tissue between the steps.

Next week, the seven remaining Dancing with the Stars couples will dance in memory of Whitney Houston.







About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski