‘Dancing With the Stars’ results recap: Time to say goodbye to Sugar Ray Leonard

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After two weeks of expected exits, the third elimination of this “Dancing With the Stars” season turned out to be one of “those nights,” where top scorers Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas were deemed “in jeopardy,” Bruno started a passionate relationship with his dress shirt and the lowest scorer wasn’t sent home.

All the sparkly paddle signs pointed to Kendra Wilkinson and Louis Van Amstel’s exit this week, what with her not-altogether-there routine (which she later attributed to hormones) and a mopey “whatever” attitude that left Louis Van Aspirational disappointed. Heck, it looked like she didn’t even do her hair for this results hour. So it was with more than two fuschia-bra cupfuls of surprise to discover that the former Girl Next Door wasn’t even in peril this week. Maybe her gangster-themed dance won the favor of the Mafia? Ostensibly, they are an untapped yet no doubt powerful bloc in the “DWTS” voting universe.

Instead, the star sent home in this fourth week of competition was...

...boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard, along with his pro partner Anna Trebunskaya. At least their utterly charming ‘Nutcracker’-themed Viennese waltz ended them on a high note. That, and Sugar Ray blurting out “I love this show!” in a pure moment of ballroom bliss. Sure, he was no Mirrorball trophy contender, but the boxer was certainly on an upward trajectory, and I thought Sugar’s sports devotees would have kept him buoyant in the competition at least a little while longer. But Leonard held his head up high and took his elimination like the champ that he is. “That’s life,” he shrugged good-naturedly. “I put up a good fight, and I cherish this moment.” We cherish you, Sugar! Now go play back your routine on TiVo and cheer yourself on. Go Sugar! Go Sugar!

The rest of the results hour brought an end to Classical Week with a mix of random and classical filler. David Garrett came back with his disheveled locks and violin to open the show in a decidedly less traditional version of “Rock WalkThis Way,” accompanied by the “DWTS” Troupe.

Chelsea and Mark were chosen for the encore performance shortly after being told that they were still in jeopardy. Maybe it was the fire of peril under their magical garb, but I thought their Harry Potter-themed dance had more verve to it this time around.

Lt. Len Goodman taped a Patton-esque segment to motivate the ballroom troops for next week’s patriotic-themed event. The very British head judge conveyed his best tough-talking American military impersonation, growling that he wanted “no piss-poor performances” and “if you’re not puking, you’re not moving.” “The Olivier of spray tanning!” saluted Tom. Then the pros talked about how hard it was to keep the choreography fresh and the competition exciting for their stars and the viewers after nearly 1,000 dances.

Oscar and Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson came out to perform “Don’t Look Down” and get the party started over by the celebraquarium. After getting the audience up and on their feet, she sashayed her newly slim figure down onto the dance floor in an itty bitty dress that gave accompanying pro Karina Smirnoff’s barely there fringe unitard a run for its money. Love how she and Louis went for the gusto with their performance. Great hairography from Karina. And there was another shower of confetti in the end! The show’s confetti budget must be astronomical this season. JHud came back to do a rendition of “Feeling Good” that showed off both her pipes and that 46-piece orchestra, as well as the considerable dancing talents of Damian Whitewood, Snejana Petrova and Ashleigh and Ryan DiLello (“So You Think You Can Dance” alert!).

The Macy’s Stars of Dance performance was a real treat. Of course, they were capitalizing on the Oscar and box-office success of “Black Swan,” but I absolutely loved this rendition of ‘Swan Lake’ created especially for “DWTS” featuring sisters Lorena and Lorna Feijoo (San Francisco Ballet and Boston Ballet, respectively) and Jose Manuel Carreno (American Ballet Theatre). Love how the show has gotten so classy with the serious ballet pedigree, yet still maintains its fun-loving “DWTS” disposition with the audience cheering the dancers on. Hoity-toity and hoi polloi unite. Bravo to all!

Final thought of the night goes to Chris Jericho, who gave us all some perspective. “I wish my score was better,” the wrestler told Brooke, “but I wish the economy was better too.”

What did you think, ballroom fans? Did the right star leave this week? Will Bruno’s affair with his dress shirt continue, or will it be discarded with last week’s laundry? Will Kirstie have another mishap? How many more shout-outs can Romeo possibly squeeze into his interviews?

— Allyssa Lee

Related:

‘Dancing With the Stars’ recap: Classically trained

‘Dancing With the Stars’ results recap: Boomboxed out

Complete ‘Dancing With the Stars’ coverage on Show Tracker

Top photo: Kym Johnson and Hines Ward. Bottom photo: Anna Trebunskaya and Sugar Ray Leonard. Photo credits: Adam Taylor / ABC