"DWTS" Week 8 Recap: The Stars Want You to Vote (And Not Just For Them…)
On an average Monday night, you can pretty much expect the stars of “Dancing with the Stars” to be encouraging viewers to vote—for them, of course, so they can stay on the show for another week. But last night’s episode wasn’t on just any average Monday night. This week, the stars encouraged viewers to vote—in the 2020 election. (And for them, on “DWTS,” obviously. They’re still stars.)
After this patriotic push, the stars also delivered on some seriously incredible dancing. So if you missed last night’s episode (or if you were too busy quadruple-checking your polling location), be sure to catch up on all the best dancing—and find out who went home.
Kaitlyn Bristowe and Artem Chigvintsev: Jive
If you’re looking for an Election Day mood-boost, Kaitlyn Bristowe’s performance may just be it. Last night, our girl went full “ray of sunshine” vibes, with an upbeat, jam-packed jive. And while Kaitlyn and partner Artem Chigvintsev *always* bring smiles to our faces, this dance maybe made our nights. The judges gave the duo two 8s and one 9, for a total 25.
Justina Machado and Sasha Farber: Samba
TBH, this is the sparkle we’ve been looking for from Justina Machado. Justina and partner Sasha Faber were season faves for us from the very beginning, but over the last few weeks, something just felt missing. Whatever it was, Justina brought it (and more) with last night’s performance—a sassy, steamy samba that completely restored our faith in one of our fave dancing duos (and maybe humanity). The judges gave Justina and Sasha three 9s, for a total score of 27.
Skai Jackson and Alan Bersten: Salsa
We’re going to be honest: A salsa set to “Work It” by Missy Elliott sounds like a pretty bizarre crossover, at first glance. But if anyone was going to “Work It,” it had to be Skai Jackson—and she sure did. Skai and partner Alan Bersten genuinely looked like they were having fun with this performance (a novel concept in 2020), and we totally loved watching them shake, shimmy, and salsa around the ballroom. The judges gave them two 8s and a 9, for a total 25.
After all of this fabulous dancing came the relay rounds. Each of the pairs competed in a dance style they hadn’t yet tried—either a cha cha, Viennese waltz, or samba, with each judge determining the scores for one dance style.
And after the relay round, elimination. With Jeannie Mai departing the competition early (we miss you already, Jeannie!) the stars narrowly avoided this week’s double elimination. And TBH, we didn’t need that extra stress, either. Chrishell Stause and Gleb Savchenko landed in jeopardy alongside Skai and Alan—and the judges voted unanimously to save team #ReachForTheSkai.
