The sixth week of Dancing With the Stars' 13th season saw some famous faces in the crowd, some fancy footwork and a harsh exchange between Maks and Len.
J.R. Martinez and Ricki Lake again stole the show, with sky-high scores that, while deserved, almost seem engineered to give them a buffer against fan voting.
Not that Ricki or J.R. didn't earn their 29s or don't have major fan support as it is. But it's like the judges are taking no chances rewarding the high-flying pair.
Ricki Lake has shown she can move it like no other, and J.R. Martinez's quickstep to the intro music from Chicago was probably the best routine of the night.
That doesn't mean others didn't get slighted.
Hope Solo's rumba to "Seasons of Love" from Rent was panned by the judges, particularly Len, who called it her "worst dance" and drew an angry rebuke.
After Len noted that the audience applauds the routines, but he's been in the business for 50 years, Maks suggested that maybe it was "time to get out."
"With all due respect, this is my show, I help make it what it is, I love every aspect of it," Chmerkovskiy said backstage, not backing down for one second.
"I love every professional that's ever been here and I love every celebrity who puts effort into it every week. Having said that, I'm a little tired that we're being judged, some on effort and some being picked on [for] heel leads."
Well, that's some food for thought isn't it?
Earning the third highest score of the night, surprisingly, was Nancy Grace, whose foxtrot to Spamalot's "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" was a hit.
A couple of fan favorites, Rob Kardashian and David Arquette, couldn't quite match Nance despite the star power they had in the audience cheering them.
David got to exercise his inner geeky prom king with a quickstep to "We Go Together" from Grease, to the delight of daughter Coco, but not the judges.
He did score a respectable 23, besting Rob by a point. Kim Kardashian, Kris Humphries, Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian would've scored him higher.
"Give him a 9!" Khloe encouraged from the sidelines after Rob's Broadway week cha-cha to "Walk Like a Man." "Dream on, sweetheart," retorted Len.
According to Goodman, at his cantankerous best last night, Rob's dance managed to have good timing but no rhythm. Sounds contradictory, but oh well.
Chaz Bono and Lacey SchwimmerHope Solo and Maksim ChmerkovskiyRob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke
In the bottom tier, Chaz Bono gave what we thought was a decent effort, but the judges did not agree. At 19 points, he's on the chopping block again.
"Not much to say, is there?" Chaz said. "I understand, I've been there," replied Brooke Burke Charvet, who won the whole thing and totally never has.
Anyway, here's a look at Monday's Dancing With the Stars scores:
* J.R. Martinez & Karina Smirnoff: 29
* Ricki Lake & Derek Hough: 29
* Nancy Grace & Tristan MacManus: 24
* David Arquette & Kym Johnson: 23
* Rob Kardashian & Cheryl Burke: 22
* Hope Solo & Maks Chmerkovskiy: 20
* Chaz Bono & Lacey Schwimmer: 19
Who do you think has danced his or her last routine? Do you agree with scores, from top to bottom? Who's going home on Tuesday's results show?
Comment below, and vote for who you think will win!
