It was an intense episode Monday on "Dancing with the Stars." Shortly before the start of the night's episode, it was announced that Ray Lewis would be withdrawing from the competition.
Lewis later revealed that an old injury from 2010 flared up during rehearsals, which caused three of his tendons in his foot to rupture. When seeking medical advice from a doctor, he was encouraged to bow out of the competition because the injury required surgery.
Because Lewis and partner Cheryl Burke could no longer compete, no one was sent home.
(MORE: Christie Brinkley's daughter takes her mom's place on 'Dancing with the Stars')Despite the happy news, there is one competitor feeling the pressure: Former NBA star Lamar Odom and partner Peta Murgatroyd were in the bottom two alongside Kel Mitchell and partner Whitney Carson. Odom is, habitually, the lowest scoring performer of season 28.
We can’t have #MovieNight without a Titanic song, @iamkelmitchell! 👏😍 #TeamDanceWitKel #DWTS pic.twitter.com/e1FPpQ2zP2
— Dancing with the Stars (@DancingABC) October 1, 2019
On the flip side, the night produced the season's first two-way tie for first and second place. Tying in first was Ally Brooke and Kate Flannery earning an impressive 24/30 score.
Brooke, with partner Sasha Farber, paid tribute to her childhood hero Selena by performing an elegant and sensual rumba to the late Tejano singer's "Dreaming of You." Brooke revealed that the movie "Selena," starring Jennifer Lopez, is her favorite movie. She also wore one of Selena's hairpieces during her performance, loaned to her by the Quintanilla family, with whom she is close.
Brooke also accidentally created the most awkward moment of the night when she attempted to high-five judge Len Goodman, who icily quipped, "Don't touch me again."
.@KateFlannery of #TeamThatsWhatKateSaid is *dancing* that 9 to 5! 😏 #MovieNight #DWTS pic.twitter.com/ycrHMO3nPP
— Dancing with the Stars (@DancingABC) October 1, 2019
Flannery, who was assigned the movie "9 to 5," proved Monday that she's a force to be reckoned with in the race for the Mirror Ball Trophy. Her quickstep to "9 to 5" with partner Pasha Pashkov consisted of hilarious facial expressions along with crisp and precise steps, to which the judges raved about in their scoring. Her performance ended with her "killing" Pasha, who assumed the role of her boss for the comedic routine.
(MORE: 'Dancing With the Stars' recap: 'Bachelorette' star tops the leaderboard, while Spicer struggles again)Sailor Brinkley-Cook and James Van Der Beek tied in second by scoring 23/30 -- just one point shy of leading the pack.
Brinkley-Cook, who represented the movie "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again," demonstrated the most improvement since the start of the season. All three judges praised the model for listening to their constructive criticism from last week's show and turning those weaknesses into strengths.
Mamma Mia! Sailor Brinkley-Cook’s #MovieNight Tango was 🔥🔥🔥 #TeamSailaV #DWTS pic.twitter.com/ak7aHa4XGd
— Dancing with the Stars (@DancingABC) October 1, 2019
Odom struggled to recreate Tom Cruise's famous dancing scene from "Risky Business" and Cruise's infamous couch-jumping incident. The NBA star was clearly uncomfortable with dancing in white and blue-striped boxers, and his rigid performance earned him 12/30 score for a second week in a row.
"Dancing with the Stars" returns next Monday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. The night will also feature celebrity guest-judge Leah Remini.
Here are the current standings:
