The Dancing With the Stars performers rocked the ballroom during Hair Metal Night before two duos had to KISS their mirrorball dreams goodbye.
Gene Simmons, the bassist and co-lead singer of the glam metal band KISS, served as guest judge for the Tuesday, October 8, double elimination episode. Simmons, 75, told the contestants that he wanted to see them embrace their “inner rock god” and “release the kraken.”
The rock legend was thoroughly impressed by Chandler Kinney and her Jive with partner Brandon Armstrong.
“Chandler, you fogged up my glasses,” Simmons quipped. “You moved me, not just with your gyrations and so on, but [with] your beautiful face and how you were into the emotion of it.”
Although Kinney, 24, has consistently been at the top of the leaderboard, Carrie Ann Inaba told the actress that she wants her to be a “little sharper” with her movements.
“This show is also about transformation,” Inaba, 56, said. “We still wanna see you grow too.”
Inaba saw some of that growth she was craving during Brooks Nader’s Cha Cha with her partner, Gleb Savchenko.
“You were so focused. When a woman has something to prove, get out of her way,” Inaba told the model, who cried over her Soul Train Night score during her intro package.
Bruno Tonioli echoed the sentiment, telling Nader that she “improved all the way” and is “a good dancer as well as terribly hot.”
Simmons liked the performance so much that he tried to give Nader and Savchenko, 41, the first ten of the season despite initially locking in a nine. Cohost Julianne Hough had to break the news that the ten wouldn’t count due to the scoring rules, but Nader said she still felt “amazing” about receiving her highest score to date.
The contestants had to learn two routines this week as they also performed during Soul Train Night on Monday, October 7. At the end of Tuesday’s episode, the performers’ scores from both nights were combined with their fan votes to determine who was eliminated. Reginald VelJohnson and Emma Slater and Eric Roberts and Britt Stewart were ultimately sent home.
“I have never had a better working experience in my entire professional life,” Roberts, 68, said of working with Stewart, 35. Slater, also 35, gave VelJohnson, 72, a hug and said, “I won because I’ve got a new friend here,”
Keep scrolling to see all the duos’ scores from Dancing With the Stars’ Hair Metal Night:
