Dancing with the Stars
Who went home during episode 3 of 'Dancing with the Stars"? Dancing with the Stars

“Dancing with the Stars” took a turn for the emotional on Monday night when the ABC competition aired its third episode of Season 18. Don’t believe us? Just listen to the theme of last night’s show. The remaining contestants were asked to dance to the “Most Memorable Year of Your Life.” And boy did the stars have moving stories to be told. No wonder we ended up running out of tissues half way through “DWTS”!

Bruno Tonioli described last night perfectly during one of his critiques:

“One thing I can guarantee: There won’t be a dry eye in the country tonight,” the vivacious judge said.

So, with that in mind, you may want to grab some Kleenex before reading our recap of last night’s episode of “DWTS.”

This week there were no eliminations. But one contestant did go home. After enduring chronic back pain, the adorable Billy Dee Williams voluntarily left the show with the advice of a doctor. But that was only the first of my heart wrenching moments during episode 3. Ugh, we’ll miss you, Billy!

James Maslow and Peta Murgatroyd kicked off the show as the jived to Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle.” James explained the meaning behind the song reminded him that “it just takes some time” for things to get better, a message he carried with him during his youth as he experienced bullying. The duo scored 36/40.

NeNe Leakes and Tony Dovolani were next in hopes of wowing fans with a sensual rumba to Whitney Houston’s “I Believe in You and Me.” The “Real Housewives” star revealed the importance behind the song, saying it correlates with the tumultuous relationship between her and her husband Gregg. "Gregg is my soul mate. He just understands me. He gets me," she said. "He's the one." They scored 31/40.

Cody Simpson and Witney Carson performed a contemporary to—surprise, surprise—Cody’s song “Surfboard.” The young contestant said his routine was meant to thank his family for putting aside their own dreams for him. "My family literally gave up everything for my career—their jobs, our house—just for my dream," he said. "I know I would not be up on that stage without my family." The couple received 35/40.

Danica Mckellar and Val Chmerkovskiy danced to the song of Billy Joel’s “Lullaby” during their performance. The former actress chose the tune for her contemporary routine because it answers the question for her son of what will happen one day when she’s no longer around. "I want him to know that I will always be there for him, even when I'm gone," she said tearfully. Danica and Val received a score of 36/40.

Drew Carey and Cheryl Burke caused eyes to go misty around the globe when the waltzed to “Fade Into You.” The routine represented his feelings towards his son. "My world shifted," he said of his son’s birth. "Having a kid changes everything." Drew then explained that after losing his own father at 8, he would never want his own boy to “grow up without a dad.” The dancing duo scored 30/40.

Meryl Davis and Maksim Chmerkovskiy received the best score of the night (39/40) with her foxtrot. The gold medalist devoted her routine to Charlie White and the 17 years they had skated together. "I burst into tears in the middle of that routine because it was just so beautiful. It took my breath away. You are phenomenal,” Carrie Ann Inaba gushed before giving them a perfect score.

But her tears didn’t stop there! Amy Purdy and Derek Hough forced us to go on a Kleenx run when we watched the two perform a contemporary routine in honor of Amy’s father. She dedicated her routine to the year 1999 when she lost both her legs to bacterial meningitis. During that year, Amy’s father gave up one of his kidney to save his daughter. Later, he became the first person to twirl his daughter around on her prosthetic legs. "This dance is a tribute to the gift of life that he's given me,” Amy said. The routine that left us sobbing scored 36/40.

Charlie White and Sharna Burgess danced the jive to Pharrell’s hit song “Happy.” Hardly unable to choose a most memorable moment of his life, Charlie went with 2010—the year he and Meryl almost won the gold medal. He explained that almost-victory motivated him to leave it all out on the ice during Sochi. The duo received a score of 36/40.

Candace Cameron Bure and Mark Ballas rocked out to Elvis during their routine, dedicating the performance to “Full House.” “Elvis was almost his own character on ‘Full House.’ It’s only right to have an Elvis song as a tribute,” she said. According to Len Goodman, the routine was clean and full of energy. Despite the praise, the duo scored 32/40.

What performers were your favorite of the night? Let us know in the comments section below!

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