ABC/Ida Mae Astute(LOS ANGELES) — It was “Most Memorable Year” night on week four of Dancing with the Stars Monday and it was nearly impossible to get through without a box of tissues.
Rashad Jennings shared his story about passing up a scholarship to care for his father and had the highest score of the night with a 39. His contemporary dance to “Unconditionally” by Katy Perry wowed the judges. Judge Bruno Tonioli called the performance, “one of the most beautiful works of art.”
Fifth Harmony stunner Normani Kordei shared a heartwarming story about the generous support of her parents, who never stopped believing in her. She kicked off the dancing with an enchanting rumba with her partner Val Chmerkovskiy, and was backed up live by her Fifth Harmony group mates: Ally Brooke, Dinah Jane and Lauren Jauregui covering “Impossible” by Barbadian singer Shontelle. Bruno called her a “rumba dominatrix” and gave her a 9 out of 10. Kordei had a combined score of 32.
Audience favorite Mr. T recalled being diagnosed with cancer and in the most heart-wrenching story of the night, remarked that his faith in God helped him pull through and he feels his mission is to inspire people as a cancer survivor.
Unfortunately, Mr. T was in jeopardy with a low score of 28 and later was voted off. The audience voiced its disapproval with booing that could be heard over the vote-off music. Nevertheless, the unflappable Mr. T commented that he was happy to have the opportunity and joked that he couldn’t believe the show would want him as a guest after he told them he can’t dance.
Nancy Kerrigan also won hearts when the Olympic figure skater shared her touching and inspirational story about being a mother. In 1996, Nancy gave birth to her first child, after having miscarried six times. Thanks to in vitro fertilization she is now the proud mother of three children. Her foxtrot to “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts earned her a 33.
Monday night’s standout moment:
Simone Biles and Sasha Farber waltzed to “Good Good Father” by Chris Tomlin and impressed the judges, earning the second highest score of the night — a 36 out of 40. But she stole the show when she broke down talking about being adopted. “My parents saved me,” she said. “They’ve set huge examples of how to treat other people and they’ve been there to support me since day one.”
Monday night’s high scorers:
Rashad Jennings and Emma Slater – 39 out of 40
Simone Biles and Sasha Farber – 36
Heather Morris and Alan Bersten, filling in for Maksim Chmerkovskiy – 35
Judges’ Scores:
Rashad Jennings and Emma Slater – 39 out of 40
Simone Biles and Sasha Farber – 36
Heather Morris and Alan Bersten, filling in for Maksim Chmerkovskiy – 35
Nancy Kerrigan and Artem Chigvintsev – 33
Normani Kordei and Val Chmerkovskiy – 32
Bonner Bolton and Sharna Burgess – 32
David Ross and Lindsay Arnold – 31
Nick Viall and Peta Murgatroyd – 30
Erika Jayne and Gleb Savchenko – (in jeopardy) 30
Mr. T & Kym Herjavec – Waltz, Score: 28 (eliminated) 28
Dancing with the Stars returns next Monday on ABC.
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