A Backstreet Boy is back in the 'DWTS' competition
Warning: This recap contains spoilers!
On Monday night, the celebs of Dancing with the Stars put on for their cities, and on Tuesday, the pro partners got the chance to revisit their hometown glory.
A certain Backstreet Boy made a comeback after his Bugle Boy boo-boo. See how he danced his way back into our hearts and check out the other frontrunners.
Nick Carter and Sharna Burgess
Sharna is from Wagga Wagga, Australia where her father and grandmother are on dialysis so she doesn't get to see them often. She and Nick danced a beautiful foxtrot to a touching rendition of Diddy's Coming Home, and the couple deservingly received a standing ovation.
And Bruno said Nick was "back on track."
Carrie Ann Inaba: 8, Julianne Hough: 8, Bruno Tonioli: 8
Tamar Braxton and Val Chmerkovskiy
If New York is the city that never sleeps it's because this routine is playing in everyone's heads. Val said the Big Apple had his heart, and to show his appreciation, he and Tamar danced a high-energy Charleston.
Carrie Ann said that Tamar nailed it, and Julianne said that her connection with Val was seamless.
Carrie Ann: 8, Julianne: 8, Bruno: 9
This couple had the highest score of the night!
Hayes Grier and Emma Slater
Emma gave a shoutout to Tamworth, England and her twin sister when she paid homage to her hometown.
Julianne called the quickstep fun and fresh, and the other judges seemed to like it too!
Carrie Ann: 8, Julianne: 7, Bruno: 8
Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough
Bindi went from rock 'n' roll on Monday to dancing a beautiful waltz with Derek on Tuesday.
Julianne said they were "two dancers dancing as one," and Bruno called Bindi "close to perfection." However, Carrie Ann knocked the duo for a lift. Take a look:
Co-host Erin Andrews offered some clarification on the rule. Apparently, in a waltz lifts are a no-no, but the scores were still pretty great.
Carrie Ann: 7, Julianne: 8, Bruno: 8
Alexa PenaVega and Mark Ballas
Mark was raised in England, by parents who were Latin American dancers. And their routine meant they weren't always home. To honor them, Mark and Alexa performed a rumba complete with his mom's signature dance move. And the entire ballroom was touched.
Carrie Ann: 7, Julianne: 7, Bruno: 8
Andy Grammer and Allison Holker
Allison grew up in Utah, but established her home in Los Angeles with her hubby, Twitch. You known him as Ellen DeGeneres' DJ and you might've seen him in Magic Mike XXL. You know, if you're into that sort of thing. Andy and Allison danced a contemporary routine to Heaven is a Place on Earth which totally got the singer back in the judges' good graces.
Carrie Ann: 8, Julianne: 8, Bruno: 7
Carlos PenaVega and Witney Carson
Witney is from what sounds like the happiest place in the good ole U-S of A: American Fork, Utah. She and Carlos, who had one of the highest scores on Monday night, danced a cha cha.
Carrie Ann said she was not impressed and that Carlos "shortened his swagger." Ouch!
Carrie Ann: 7, Julianne: 7, Bruno: 7
Fun fact: Witney started watching DWTS when she was 11! Yes, Crypt Keeper, we are old.
Alek Skarlatos and Lindsay Arnold
Lindsay was raised in Provo, Utah and did a quickstep with her partner to American Girl. Lindsay also rocked an emsemb that we wouldn't mind borrowing for next year's Fourth of July.
Carrie Ann called Lindsay and Alek a power couple, and Bruno complimented them for going up on their toes for the dance.
Carrie Ann: 7, Julianne: 7, Bruno: 8
And moving toward the bottom of the ballroom...
With regard to their scores only!
Victor Espinoza and Karina Smirnoff
There was something so beautiful and emotional about the rumba that Victor and Karina danced to. Karina's family moved from Kharkiv, Ukraine when she was 14, into a studio apartment in the states. And, Victor saw his story in his partner's.
"We come from different countries, and we struggle the same, and that's probably why she's tough."
Carrie Ann: 7, Julianne: 6, Bruno: 7
Kim Zolciak Biermann and Tony Dovolani
Tony is from Kosovo, and he said dancing became his way to escape the war. The two danced a foxtrot that Kim said she was really excited about in rehearsals.
Carrie Ann didn't think Tuesday's dance was executed as well as Monday's performance, but she did enjoy it.
Carrie Ann: 6, Julianne: 6, Bruno: 6
Paula Deen and Louis van Amstel
Louis is from a little town outside of Amsterdam, and he and the lady in red danced a tango. Yes, she had another fancy leg move.
And that move inspired Carrie Ann to tell Paula that she is "so sexy." Looks like things in the kitchen are heating up.
Carrie Ann: 6, Julianne: 6, Bruno: 6
Gary Busey and Anna Trebunskaya
Gary and Anna, or as he affectionately calls her "from Russia with love," danced to a paso doble for her hometown of Chelyabinsk, Russia.
Bruno, who we all know has quite a way with words, said that Gary resembled Frankenstein. But that wasn't nearly as scary as these scores.
Carrie Ann: 5, Julianne: 5, Bruno: 5
And Franky Busey wasn't too happy either.
Moving on... That's who they eliminated?!?
At the end of the show, the hosts revealed that once again Gary and Anna were in jeopardy. And, this time, our personal faves, Victor and Karina joined them.
Here's who was let go:
And to that we simply shake our heads in disbelief.
Thankfully, Victor is a lot more eloquent than we are. Here are his final thoughts:
Nope – just checked, and we're still not over it! At least he gets to go cuddle up to that Triple Crown.
A now meaningless DWTS returns on Monday at 8 p.m. EST.