"Dancing With the Stars" pulled out the glitz and glamour for a Hollywood-themed night of fancy footwork.
The 11 remaining couples adhered to a variety of different Hollywood themes, from the Golden Age of Hollywood to swinging 1970s tinseltown-- with a futuristic robot number thrown into the mix.
While some couples effortlessly glided across the dance floor, others were a bit less graceful. At the top of leader board was Brant Daugherty and Peta Murgatroyd, who wowed the judges despite a tough week that included the "Pretty Little Liars" actor hurting his foot, losing his phone and getting robbed at gunpoint. (He was luckily unscathed.) He and Peta danced beautifully to a "Great Gatsby"-esque quickstep to "Crazy in Love." "You were the no-stress express," Len said after the performance. It may have been painful to dance, but "it was painless to watch." Bruno called Brandt "the perfect matinee idol." The judges gave them a total score of 27.
Corbin Bleu and his partner Karina Smirnoff also blew away the judges with their lighting-fast quickstep, which Karina claimed was the fastest ever attempted on the show. The couple performed a charming little drama during their dance; Corbin played an Old Hollywood director having an affair with a beautiful starlet. "I think this is the one for the record books," Bruno said after the dance. Carrie Ann said Corbin's footwork was superb, but reminded him, "you started with great form, you got to keep that up from there." The couple received a total of 26.
Next on the scoreboard was Mark Ballas and Christina Milian. Mark donned slightly scary clown makeup, and Christina Milian was a seductive showgirl. The couple danced a fast and furious 1920s Charleston. Carrie Ann praised Christina for "this incredible dynamic range of emotion" and called the routine "a full-body" performance. The couple received a total score of 26.
Elizabeth Berkley Lauren and Val Chmerkovskiy danced a delightful fox trot to "Come Fly With Me," complete with old-school pilot and stewardess uniforms. Len called the performance "chicken soup to the eyes: delicious and satisfying. ... Lizzie, keep busy. You're a contender." "Don't worry, you're flying first class all the way," Bruno confirmed, though "even a Dreamliner hits some air pockets." They received a total of 25.
Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi channeled sexy icon Marilyn Monroe with her dance to "Diamonds Are a Girls Best Friend" with her partner Sasha Farber. "Snooki" is a shockingly good dancer, with her routine even including a one-handed cartwheel--while holding Sasha's hand--that was perfectly in sync. "For your first ballroom dance, you came out and surprised me," Len said. "This girl is on fire!" Bruno yelled." "You are a superstar," Carrie Ann gushed. They got a total of 25.
Leah Remini, who performed the first dance of the night, brought out her sexy spy side to do a sultry rumba with her partner, Tony Dovolani, to the Oscar-winning James Bond "Skyfall" theme song. Bruno called Leah a "devilish seductress" and lauded her for going out of her comfort zone. Carrie Ann liked that she "turned up the steam notch," she said. "Full steam ahead!" Their total was 24.
"Blue Collar" comedian Bill Engvall came out with guns blazing with his Lone Ranger-themed paso doble with his partner, Emma Slater. The judges loved his dramatic, western take on the Latin dance. "Yee-haw!" Carrie Ann bellowed. "You nailed the paso! ... All your movements were perfectly in sync ... every single line was matching Emma perfectly." They got a total of 24.
Amber Riley, who was run ragged this past week due to vocal rehearsals and shooting an episode of "Glee," was still able to turn out one heck of a Charleston with her partner, Derek Hough. Amber danced a rapid-fire Charleston to the will.i.am song "Bang Bang" from the new "The Great Gatsby" film. "No joke, you can bang - nobody else can bang like how you're banging," Carrie Ann said. Only, "the bottom half is not as banging as your top half ... the legs weren't going in the right angles." Their total was 24.
Cheryl Burke and Jack Osbourne changed up the Hollywood theme with a trip to funky 1970s Hollywood. Jack came out in a pimp-like fur jacket, and danced a groovy cha cha to "Hollywood Swingin.'" Bruno said he loved "the rock star opening," but told Jack, "you've got to watch your hip action." Carrie Ann said it was "good, but not your best." They received a total of 22.
Valerie Harper and Tristan MacManus did a bit of a Hollywood mashup with their cha cha to Mika's "Grace Kelly." In line with the song, Valerie channeled Grace Kelly while Tristan portrayed Freddie Mercury, complete with a fake mustache. Bruno said Valerie "got the look absolutely right" but "you went wrong so many times" in the routine. "Yeah, you lost your way," Carrie Ann said. "But you still manage to somehow bring grace ... to what was left on the routine." Len compared the routine to flying coach on a cheap airline. It's bumpy, but "you landed safely and got through it." Their total was 16.
Last but certainly not least came Bill Nye, the dance-challenged but lovable science guy, and his partner, Tyne Stecklein. Bill sustained a torn ligament in his left thigh during their dance last week. The orthopedic doctor recommended that short of a wheelchair, Bill should give up dancing. But Bill refused to quit. He used a leg immobilizer to keep his knee straight and became a Daft Punk robot for a futuristic dance to "Get Lucky." "I don't know what Bob Fosse would say about the jazz ... to be honest, I didn't see any," said Bruno. "But it was entertaining." Carrie Ann said, "I think what you've done is absolutely astounding ... you have a serious injury. You went through it, you didn't give up. ... I actually was very impressed." Len commended Tyne for choreographing a great routine. "And to you, Bill ... to perform with that type of injury, it takes guts, it takes determination, it takes bravery," the head judge said. "That shows a lot about the man." They received a total score of 16.
Despite Bill's best effort, he could not save himself from elimination. Bill and Tyne were eliminated to the sounds of disappointed boos in the crowd and chants of "Bill! Bill! Bill!" Although fans were sad to see him leave, it was probably for the best due to his leg injury.
"Dancing with the Stars" airs at 8 p.m. on Mondays on ABC.
Watch Bill's final performance below.
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