Dancing With the Stars Recap Episode 8: Dwight Howard's DWTS run ends

We’re making our way through the season on Dancing With the Stars. With the latest elimination we’re down to the final five as we hit the semi-finals next week. But before we get to that, let’s look at last night’s episode.

A Basketball Star Bids Farewell

It was Dwight Howard’s turn to say goodbye at the end of last night’s episode. The former NBA star and his partner, Daniella Karagach, have been on a journey. The previous episode marked one of Dwight’s best days on the floor. This week, by contrast, was more of a struggle. After his first round—and Argentine Tango—he was in last place with 26 points. He earned 22 points for the second round’s impromptu dance, leaving him with the lowest judge’s score of 48.

This time the viewer votes weren’t enough to save him as Dwight bid farewell to the ballroom. He had a strong run, but he falls short of the semi-finals.

A Perfect Score

Others had a night to remember—specifically Chandler Kinney and her partner Brandon Armstrong. They opened with an Argentine tango that earned a perfect 30 from the judges. They followed that up with another perfect on their impromptu dance, the cha-cha. That left them with 60 points from the judges. And yet, Chandler and Brandon ended up in the bottom three at the end of the night, a reminder that viewer votes count.

That was true of the night’s second highest scorer, Joey Graziadei, who scored another 10 on his first dance with partner Jenna Johnson. That left him with 28 after round one. He got a 27 out of 30 for his second dance, a rumba, leaving him with 55 points combined from the judges. He also ended up in the final three before being spared.

It’s Raining 10s

The last episode saw the first set of 10s of the season, but a week off did little to cool the judge’s paddles. In fact, Stephen Nedoroscik and his partner, Rylee Arnold, earned a pair of 10s for their opening number, a Viennese waltz. Their second dance earned a 25 for an overall score of 54, third among the judge’s scoring.

It was also a big night for fellow Olympian Ilona Maher, who was left out of the 10 party in the previous episode. This week, her Quickstep with partner Alan Bersten earned a 10, giving her an initial score of 28. She followed that up with a 24, earning a final score of 52.

Lastly, it was a bit of an off night for Danny Amendola. He earned just a 27 for his first dance, a Quickstep with partner Witney Carson. In the second round he added 24 more, giving him a final score of just 51, second lowest of the evening.

Dancing With the Stars continues Tuesday at 8 p.m. on ABC.