Isn’t the partner switch week on Dancing With The Stars the best? It’s the point in the season during which the cream of the crop rises to the top, and Carlos PenaVega really showed us his stuff. Normally paired with Witney Carson, this time, Carlos and Lindsay Arnold were partnered, and, dare I saw, Carlos did better with Lindsay than he ever did with Witney (sorry, Wit!). I do love that original couple of Witney and Carlos, but the performances and numbers do not lie.
Lindsay planned a really amazing quickstep for Carlos this week, and Carlos must have gotten a fire lit underneath him or was seriously inspired by his new partner, because he totally brought it. Their dance was totally the best of the night, and it got one hell of a high score — a 39. Only special guest judge Maks Chmerkovskiy held out and gave Carlos and Lindsay a nine (but, funnily enough, he gave his brother’s team with Bindi a ten. Humph). Carlos and Lindsay totally deserved that perfect 40, but most importantly, this high score is a total turning point for Carlos’ game from here on in.
In the past few weeks, the judges were telling Carlos over and over that he was in the middle of the pack. Not really a great thing to hear — I would want to be the best, just as Carlos does. He totally got inspired to crush this week’s dance, and I loved watching it. Interesting, though, is when a star gets a better score performing with a new partner than an old partner. I wonder if it shakes the old dance pro’s confidence, since he or she wasn’t connecting as well as the new pro. Let’s see if things go back to normal — or get better — next week.
Images: Adam Taylor/ABC
