‘Dancing With The Stars’ Season 25, Episode 7 Recap: Nick Lachey Sent Home, Shania Twain Guests

Dancing with the Stars celebrated the classic “A Night at the Movies” evening for the seventh episode of season 25.

DANCING WITH THE STARS RECAP

Shania Twain is the special guest this week, and the routines and costumes are really fun. Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev are the first couple to hit the stage, and they do an Argentine tango to Indila’s “Dernière Danse,” representing foreign films. Bella has been working on her technique as well as her ability to appear vulnerable, and it paid off. The dance is elegant and full of class, just as Len Goodman requested. The pair earns a 36/40.

Drew Scott and Emma Slater are up next and perform a paso doblé to “Legend” by The Score, representing action flicks. After earning his first 9 from a judge on Disney Night, Scott is looking to keep improving, but unfortunately he does not. The judges agree the routine is clunky and awkward, despite Slater being a perfect femme fatale. Still, the couple manages to eke out a 30/40.

Next up are Nick Lachey and Peta Murgatroyd with a samba to “Wild, Wild West” by Dru Hill, Will Smith, and Kool Mo Dee, representing the western film genre. Lachey talks about his lack of confidence in his dancing, and this subpar dance doesn’t help. He stiffens up when getting into the samba and hurts the performance. They earn a poor 26/40.

Victoria Arlen and Val Chmerkovskiy performed the second paso doblé of the night to “We Will Rock You” by Queen, representing sports movies. Arlen transformed into a hockey player for the routine. Despite the judges’ complaint that she needs to strengthen and up the finesse of her arms, the routine earns a 31/40.

Terrell Owens and Cheryl Burke take the stage next with a jive to “Feel It Still” by Portugal.The Man, representing spy movies. Owens moves gracefully, despite being very tall. Goodman loves it so much he breaks out his 10 paddle, a rare sight. All the judges are impressed with the routine, which is a much sexier and slower jive than is typical, but it works for Owens and Burke. They get a 37/40.

Next up are Frankie Muniz and Witney Carson with a jazz routine to Sheila E.’s “Holly Rock,” representing animated films. The pair looks cute in their pre-dance video, with Carson helping Muniz on his acting skills and with how to relax. The dance itself is full of missteps and bad timing, but they still manage to earn a 31/40.

Vanessa Lachey and Maksim Chmerkovskiy do a quickstep to “Let’s Be Bad” by Smash to represent musicals. The pair is desperate to improve upon their past scores, and this dance proves much more fun for them also. Lachey kills it, and the couple earns a 36/40.

Next are Jordan Fisher and Lindsay Arnold, who do a rumba to Ed Sheeran’s “Supermarket Flowers,” representing dramas. In it, Fisher is mourning a lost lover and finds himself dancing a rumba with her ghost. The routine is dramatic and tearful, and the judges eat it up. They walk away with a 39/40.

Lastly, Lindsey Stirling and Mark Ballas hop on stage and perform an Argentine tango to “Human” by Sevdaliza, representing sci-fi films. The expectations for Ballas’ routine are high, and he does not disappoint. It’s a strange routine, but beautiful and sexy all the same. Bruno Tonioli calls it the best dance of the season, and they are just the second couple this season to walk away with a perfect 40/40.

At the end of the night, it is unsurprising that Nick Lachey and Peta Murgatroyd head home, as Lachey hasn’t seemed to improve, and ended up with the worst score. Tune in next week for episode 8.