‘Dancing With the Stars’ Episode 6: Frontrunners End Up in the Bottom 2 (RECAP)

Last week on Dancing With the Stars, Ally Brooke stole the show and brought in the highest score of the season. Tonight, with still nine couples left fighting for that mirror ball trophy, the competition is hotter than ever.

But tonight’s episode took a bit of a surprising turn when two of the strongest dancers ended up in the bottom two. Read on for all of the highlights including top scores, judges’ comments, and who went home.

Ally Brooke’s dance

Performing the (very, very quick) Quickstep with her pro partner Sasha Farber, the popstar gave it her all to the ’80s classic “Take on Me” by a-Ha — and proved she’s still has a shot at winning this competition.

Though judges Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba called out the couple for lack of synchronicity, it was a well received performance overall.

“First out,  first class. Your frame was good,” Len Goodman said. “Overall full of energy. I thought it was terrific.”

“You have excelled and are still growing,” Carrie Ann added.

Ally earned two 8s and a 9, totaling 25 out of 30 for tonight, bringing their two-week total to 52 out of 60.

Kate Flannery’s dance

The actress performed the Viennese Waltz to Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing” with pro partner Pasha Pashkov and didn’t disappoint. Len was specifically was impressed, saying it was “an absolutely great performance.”

“It just felt like the most victorious Viennese Waltz,” Carrie Ann said. “Way to own it!”

Not surprising, The Office actress brought home big scores — three 9s, bringing her two-week total to 51 out of 60.

Kel Mitchell’s dance

The All That star has improved week on week, and tonight was no exception. Dancing the Quickstep with his pro partner Witney Carson to “Part Time Lover” by Stevie Wonder.

“You have such an ease to you but you have this flare,” Carrie Ann said. “My gosh, that was ridiculously amazing.”

“Kel, it’s official. You’re a full time dancer,” Bruno added. “It was excellent work.”

Len called out the performance for a “huge mistake” which Witney took fault for, saying she slipped on her dress. Still, he praised the Good Burger actor for a job well done. But the mistake didn’t hurt their scores, as Kel still managed to bring in two 9s and an 8, bringing his nightly score to 26 out of 30, and two-week score to 52 out of 60.

Karamo’s dance

Tonight was a special night for the TV host, who invited his estranged father to the show to watch him perform. After dancing a touching Contemporary performance to “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi with pro partner Jenna Johnson, Karamo broke down in tears and hugged his father.

“I thought it was a really, really well constructed dance,” Len said, while Bruno touched on how “expressive” the performance was.

The Queer Eye star, who never previously received a score above a 7, was shocked to earn two 8s and a 9, bringing his two-week total to 46.

Hannah Brown’s dance

The former Bachelorette was feeling a bit homesick this week, so she performed a Samba to “Southbound” by Carrie Underwood to pay homage to her southern roots.

Though the performance had moments of “excellence” according to Carrie Ann, the judges called Hannah out for being off-beat at times throughout the dance. However, it was not an easy routine, which Len added, and gave her credit for the hard work she put in.

The reality star earned 8s across the board, bringing her two-week total to 49 out of 60.

Sailor Brinkley-Cook’s dance

The model danced a Jazz performance with pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy to “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” by Wham! and it was as cheeky and lively as ever.

“We finally found your groove! To be animated is your thing,” said Carrie Ann.

“I don’t need any waking up. That wasn’t decaffeinated. That was full of flavor,” Len added.

The high energy performance earned 9s across the board, bringing Sailor’s two-week total to 51 out of 60.

Sean Spicer’s dance

After getting his first 7 last week, the former White House Press Secretary took the stage and danced the Viennese Waltz with pro partner Lindsay Arnold to “Somebody to Love” by Queen. After the performance ended, he walked over to his wife and handed her a gorgeous bouquet of red roses.

“I admire your tenacity and hard work. Dancing doesn’t come easy but you come out every week and give it your all and for that, I respect you,” Bruno said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5UsGLDBWqo

Sean earned his highest score ever — 7s across the board, bringing his two-week total to 40 out of 60.

James Van Der Beek’s dance

The Dawson’s Creek star danced the Samba this week to “Light It Up” by Major Lazer with pro partner Emma Slater. Bruno specifically was impressed by the actor’s sexy hip movement.

Len agreed with his sentiment, adding, “Tooty fruity, what a booty! Your bum was out of control. It was a really, really good dance.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1rwX8KGNFQ

James’ booty dance helped him bring home a big score which landed him at the top of the leaderboard, 9s across the board, bringing his two-week total to 53 out of 60.

Lauren Alaina’s dance

The country star honored her late stepfather, who died of cancer last year, with her Contemporary performance. Before passing, Lauren recalled her stepfather looking up at the ceiling in awe and described heaven. She later wrote the song “The Other Side” for him, which she danced to tonight with pro partner Gleb Savchenko.

“I wrote this song so he could live on and he would never be forgotten,” she said.

After the emotional performance, the singer ran into her mother’s arms in the audience and broke down in tears.

The judges felt the emotion. “You touched all of our hearts tonight. It was like angels all over you dancing,” Carrie Ann said. “You have blessed us all with a beautiful dance of love and raw emotion.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__Dvx_FpO-Q

“It’s very sad but it makes me so happy to see so much love, truth, and honesty,” Bruno said.

Lauren earned two 9s and an 8, bringing her two-week total to 49 out of 60.

Who went home on Dancing With the Stars tonight?

Surprisingly, Ally and Sasha and Sailor and Val ended up in the bottom two and the judges were equally shocked. The judges had to save one couple from the bottom two — and they unanimously chose to save Ally and Sasha, meaning Sailor and Val were sent home tonight.

“I’m so proud of her, she’s a star. This was just an appetizer to an incredible career,” Val said as Sailor broke down in tears.

Dancing With the Stars, Mondays, 8/7c, ABC