Dancing with the Stars returned Monday with a night of Latin dances and the latest elimination.

Dancing with the Stars Recap

Rumer Willis and Val Chmerkovskiy kicked off Latin night Monday with a disco-infused Salsa routine. The duo performed a number of lifts and brought the energy that they’d been criticized for lacking so far this season. Len Goodman was the most impressed of the judges, declaring it the best dance yet. Scores: 8+9+8+8=33

Charlotte McKinney and Keo Motsepe, who’ve consistently been in the bottom, tried to make a comeback with a Rumba. This time around, Keo seemed to think his best bet to stick around in the competition would be to require Charlotte to do the least amount of dancing possible. Despite his efforts, the judges still point out that Charlotte’s footwork is a mess. Scores: 6+5+5+6=22

Michael Sam and Peta Murgatroyd took on a Salsa to Pitbull’s “Celebrate,” hoping to get the NFL free agent some better scores. Unfortunately, though Michael’s dancing is passable, his personality doesn’t shine through during the routine. Once again the judges suggest he lose the fake smile.
Scores: 6+6+6+6=24

With the third Salsa of the night was Riker Lynch and Allison Holker. Once again, Allison was keen to modernize the traditional dance to give Riker a chance to show off his moves. It’s easily Riker’s best dance yet and proves he’s going to be a serious contender for the Mirror Ball. Carrie Ann Inaba, however, wants him to be more manly in the routines. Scores: 9+7+9+9=34

Suzanne Somers and Tony Dovolani brought the camp for their Samba set to Barry Manilo’s “Copacana.” However, the dance lacked polish, with Somers missing her steps more than once. Carrie Ann wants to see Tony put together a more serious routine and leave the comedy behind. Scores: 6+6+6+7=25

Chris Soules and Witney Carson did an Argentine Tango routine for Latin week. After last weeks’ disappointing scores, The Bachelor star was really looking for a comeback and got it. The judges were all impressed with his commitment and definitely saw an improvement. Scores: 7+7+7+7=28

Rumored couple Robert Herjavec and Kym Johnson performed a romantic Rumba. The businessman’s dance moves were once again graceful and capable. The judges think that Robert is solidly in the middle of the back, but could get a boost if he works on some of his movements. Scores: 7+7+8+7=29

Crowd favorite Patti LaBelle and her pro partner Artem Chigvintsev took on a Cha-Cha-Cha Monday night. Patti particularly enjoyed this week’s routine, as Artem incorporated a lift into the dance. The consummate performer didn’t disappointment when it came to entertaining the audience, though the judges would like to see her do a little more dancing. Scores: 6+5+5+6=22

Willow Shields and Mark Ballas’ Paso Doble featured a fire and ice theme that saw her as the Queen of Fire and him as the Ice Man. The Hunger Games actress showed improvement again, delivering the passion required of the intense Latin dance. The judges had nothing but positive things to say about the routine. Scores: 8+8+8+8=32

Noah Galloway and Sharna Burgess rose to the challenge of performing an Argentine Tango this week. Because of the difficulty of the dance, Sharna considered having Noah use a robotic arm, but Noah couldn’t get used to it so she had to alter the routine. In the end, they make it work, with Noah even lifting Sharna over his head with one arm. Scores: 7+7+8+8=30

Following their leaderboard-topping performance last week, Nastia Liukin and Derek Hough returned this week with a Samba that incorporated some Afro-jazz into the routine. The Olympic gymnast showed off her flexibility in the dance, though her footwork lagged behind in parts of the dance. Scores: 9+8+9+8=34

This week, Chris and Whitney, Noah and Sharna and Keo and Charlotte were in the bottom three – and Charlotte, best known for her Carl’s Jr. commercial was ultimately sent home.

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