Mark and Lindsey get a perfect score, Nick and Peta are eliminated on “Dancing with the Stars'” “A Night at the Movies”

ABC/Heidi Gutman(LOS ANGELES) — Monday night’s episode of Dancing with the Stars brought us the “best dance of the season,” Shania Twain as a guest judge and the elimination of Nick Lachey and his partner Peta Murgatroyd.

The theme was “A Night at the Movies,”, and each couple had to create a dance that “conveyed the spirit of a specific movie genre.”  Violinist Lindsey Stirling and Mark Ballas closed the show with an Argentine tango in the style of a sci-fi movie and absolutely brought down the house. 

Lindsey played an android, while Mark played the mad scientist who created her, and they managed to tango while incorporating robotic moves and sound effects.  Bruno Tonioli called it the “best dance of the season,” and the couple earned a perfect score, and the highest score of the night: 40/40.

Guest judge Shania Twain handed out a number of 10s, and also performed the song “Soldier,” from the movie Thank You for Your Service.

Nick and Peta, declared “in jeopardy” early in the evening, performed a samba in a steampunk/Mad Max-style Western movie setting.  During rehearsal, Nick complained that he felt like an “idiot trying to be a dancer,” and unfortunately, the judges agreed: Len Goodman and Bruno each gave the couple a 6, while Carrie Ann Inaba and Shania each gave them a 7, for the low score of the night: 26/40. They were eliminated, but Nick will continue to be a presence in the ballroom, cheering on his wife Vanessa.

Here’s how the rest of the show went down:

Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvinstev’s theme was foreign films, and they — oddly — danced an Argentine tango to a French song.  They scored nines across the board, for a score of 36.

Drew Scott and Emma Slater danced a paso doble in an action movie-themed number that let Drew show off his childhood karate skills.  However, he lost timing and the judges said he looked like was going to pull Emma’s arm off.  The three judges gave them sevens, but guest judge Shania gave them a 9 — possibly because she and Drew are both Canadian.

Victoria Arlen and Val Chmerkovskiy, declared “in jeopardy” early in the evening, were assigned a “sports movie” theme, and performed a Mighty Ducks-inspired hockey-themed paso doble to Queen’s “We Are the Champions.”  Shania, who as a Canadian probably knows more about hockey than any of the three judges, gave the couple a 7, while the rest of the judges each gave them an 8.

Terrell Owens and Cheryl Burke, declared “in jeopardy” early in the evening, were assigned the spy movie genre. They danced an elaborate jive which saw them breaking into a room and “stealing” a 10 from Len.  The judges enjoyed the routine, but Len didn’t give up the 10, and neither did the other judges, though Shania did.

Frankie Muniz and Witney Carson danced a jazz number with an “animation” theme, which saw them dress up as trolls and perform in a psychedelic, colorful setting among huge mushrooms.  Despite Frankie’s enthusiasm, there were a number of mistakes made, and their score was just 31/40.

Vanessa Lachey and Max Chmerkovskiy danced a quickstep at breakneck speed to a number inspired by 1940s movie musicals.  At one point, Vanessa’s long skirt fell off, revealing a bodysuit and fringe underneath; she later said it wasn’t supposed to fall off at that point.  The judges loved the performance, though, and gave them nines across the board.

Last week’s high scorers, Jordan Fisher and Lindsay Arnold, danced an emotional rumba to a “drama movie” theme.  They almost managed a perfect score: three out of four judges gave them 10s, but Len didn’t like the way Jordan fluttered his hands, so he gave them a nine.

The final scores:

Lindsey and Mark: 40/40
Jordan and Lindsay: 39/40
Terrell and Cheryl: 37/40
Vanessa and Max: 36/40
Nikki and Artem: 36/40
Frankie and Witney: 31/40
Victoria and Val: 31/40
Drew and Emma: 30/40
Nick and Peta: 26/40

Next week, it’s Halloween, and the introduction of team dances.  Dancing with the Stars airs Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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