RECAP: DANCING Spices Things Up

Saucy shimmying? Booty shaking? Piñata breaking? That flamboyant combo can only mean one thing: it's Latin week on DANCING WITH THE STARS once again.

There is something wildly enjoyable about watching the male stars sweat it out year after year as they struggle to strike the balance between sexy and "someone had one too many at the wedding reception and is now attempting to take the dance floor by storm." I only wish the same could be said for the hokey, half-assed attempt at spicing things up with some between-the-routines Latin flair - complete with sombreros and Carmen Miranda costume pieces. That said, they did have Latin pop sensation Juanes serenading the crowd during downtime, so it wasn't a total bust (please tell me someone else remembers him from high school Spanish class).

As would be expected, the ladies dominated the dancefloor once again. Kelly killed a flashy samba despite her rehearsals being cut short by the three shows she performers last week, earning a near perfect score. Aly aced a sweet but sassy salsa despite Mark's absence from rehearsal due to back problems, also falling short of a Perfect Score by just one point. The judges weren't quite so kind to Zendaya this week, keeping their tens tucked away after her powerful paso, but she still finished solidly at the top of the pack.

Only Jacoby was able to hold his own in The Face of booty-popping adversity. He did nearly closeline Karina with his crotch near the end of his number, but he brought the rhythm and he brought the fun. As for the rest of the gents? Let's just say that Ingo had better hope his General Hospital name drops reminded the middle-aged ladies watching why they love him, Sean should cross his fingers that bringing his lovely fiancée Catherine in to rehearsal for inspiration struck a cord with The Bachelor lovers, and Andy... well, the viewers have kept him around this long, haven't they?

Due to the odd number of remaining stars and inability to cram two routines per couple into the program just yet, tonight they introduced a new time-waster: the Dance-off. The couple with the highest score from the judges won themselves immunity from elimination and the gift of sitting the bonus round out. The rest of the couples went head to head, tackling one of three 40-second routines they had prepared (a cha cha, a rumba or a jive). The judges then chose their favorite of the pair and awarded them three extra points to their score. Couples with the highest scores were asked to choose their opponents and, to keep things fair, their opponents chose the Style of dance.

It ended up going down like this:

- Kelly/Derek won immunity, as determined by a tie-breaker that looked at their cumulative score for the season

- Aly/Mark chose to dance against Andy/Sharma, Andy/Sharma chose to cha cha. The judges admired Andy's "pluck" and good sportsmanship for clapping along while Aly danced, but in the end Aly took the three bonus points.

- Zendaya/Val chose to dance against Jacoby/Karina, Jacoby/Karina chose to jive. Everyone agreed it was good of them to "pick on somebody their own size" (yes, we're all looking at you, Aly and Mark). Zendaya walked away with the three points.

- Sean/Peta faced off against Ingo/Kym with a rumba. Bruno called it the "battle of the hunks," and Ingo came out on top.

Check out the full breakdown below:

Jacoby Jones & Karina Smirnoff - 27/30

Salsa

The Judges Say...

"You came out and you shook this place up. It was fabulous!" - Len

BONUS: "It's like you could fart the salsa." - Carrie Ann

Ingo Rademacher & Kym Johnson - 22/30

Rumba

The Judges Say...

"They say hips don't lie. In your case, I wish they could. It was a bit staccato." - Bruno

Kellie Pickler & Derek Hough - 29/30

Samba

The Judges Say...

"It was a mix of booty, Bounce and bongos. I think you got the how of the technique and the wow of the performance."- Len

Andy Dick & Sharna Burgess - 17/30

Rumba

The Judges Say...

"It was more erratic than erotic." - Bruno

Aly Raisman & Mark Ballas - 29/30

Salsa

The Judges Say...

"It was like a tequila sunrise. It was sharp and fruity. It was tasty and refreshing." - Len

Sean Lowe & Peta Murgatroyd - 24/30

Rumba

The Judges Say...

"It was like a match. Peta was hot, you were a bit wooden." - Len

Zendaya Coleman & Valentin Chmerkovskiy - 27/30

Paso Doble

The Judges Say...

"Darling, you look like an angel, you dance like a fury." - Bruno

Injury Report: Mark unable to dance at rehearsal due to back problems, but was able to perform.

Tomorrow night's elimination promises to be a good one, with the dance-off bonus throwing a wrench in things. But, more importantly, it is set to feature a ballroom dancer named Adrianne Haslet-Davis who lost part of her leg during the Boston Marathon bombings. Make sure to tune in, because if blind ballerina Briylnn Rakes' appearance on the show is any indication, then you won't want to miss her.

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