‘Dancing with the Stars’ recap: One couple earns perfect score as fan favorite is eliminated

LOS ANGELES — The seven remaining “Dancing with the Stars” couples honored the legacy of the late Whitney Houston by dancing to songs from her top-selling body of work.

Award-winning actor and singer Billy Porter joined Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli as a special guest judge this week.

And the really big news this week: the first perfect score of the season!

Xochitl Gomez and Val Chmerkovskiy did a tango to Houston’s big hit “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.” Inaba called the dance “flawless” and Porter called it “magical” as the judge’s panel gave the duo 40 out of 40.

In the end, through a combination of judge’s scores and audience votes, three couples were determined to be in jeopardy: Barry Williams and Peta Murgatroyd, Jason Mraz and Daniella Karagach, as well as Charity Lawson and Artem Chigvintsev.

And even though he was the longest lasting “Brady Bunch” star to last in the “DWTS” competition, it was time for Barry and Peta to exit the ballroom. However, kudos to the 69-year-old actor who had the confidence to rip open his shirt during his salsa dance-off!

“This has been the most wonderful experience of my life,” Williams told hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough after he was eliminated. “The support of friends, fans, family and everyone here has made this a complete delight from start to finish.”

Next week: the final six couples will compete to the music of Taylor Swift.