‘Dancing With The Stars’ Recap: Lots Of Breakthroughs On Mariah Carey Night Stiffen Competition

SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from Tuesday night’s episode of Dancing with the Stars.

We’re officially a month into Season 35 of Dancing with the Stars, and the contestants are starting to feel the pressure of the competition.

After Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart were eliminated last week (which shook the remaining couples awake as they were definitely not the worst ones by a mile), the competitors are all taking on Mariah Carey in Week 4.

Reality star Ciara Miller with Brandon Armstrong. The reality star really wanted to earn some 7s for her jazz routine to “Emotions” and prove she’s meant to last in this competition. Carrie Ann Inaba called it her “best dance so far, my dear.” Get those 7s, girl! SCORE: 21 out of 30

Paralympian Ezra Frech with Daniella Karagach. These two came out swinging with another fiery performance, this time dancing a rumba to “Anytime You Need a Friend.” Derek Hough was thoroughly impressed: “It was seriously sophisticated. It was.” SCORE: 24 out of 30

Actor Harry Shum Jr. with Jenna Johnson. They’re looking for another set of solid scores from the judges for their tango to “It’s Like That.” This week, Jenna goes on the Grey’s Anatomy set with her celeb partner to practice in between takes. Fun fact: Harry danced in the original music video for this song, too. “A red hot tango from a man on a mission! Sharp as a knife. So intense. I mean, it gave me whiplash!” Bruno Tonioli says. Bonus points for the Glee reunion with former DWTS champ Amber Riley back in the ballroom to sing for this one. SCORE: 24 out of 30

Actress Jenna Dewan with Val Chmerkovskiy. Jenna is frustrated by her feedback from the judges, but she wants to take their critiques seriously. This week, she wants to focus on showing a softer and slower side to her dancing with a rumba to “My All.” Watch out Season 35, Jenna Dewan found her groove! All Derek Hough could do was stand up and clap. “All I have to say is: There she is.” SCORE: 24 out of 30

Reality star Tyler Cameron with Sharna Burgess. Tyler managed to skate by last week thanks to Taylor’s elimination, but he seems to know he needs to kick things into high gear if he wants to make it any further in the competition. This week, he and Sharna danced a foxtrot to “#Beautiful.” Color, well, nearly everyone surprised! The man can move! “The improvement is incredible. You should be proud of yourself,” Bruno tells him. SCORE: 21 out of 30

Reality star Maura Higgins with Mark Ballas. The Traitors duo is finding their groove, and Maura is settling into her clear natural affinity for dance. This week, they are taking on a waltz to “If It’s Over.” She’s already danced in frame, but now she wants to improve and go for higher scores. “I feel like right now the world needs that kind of beauty!” Carrie Ann exclaimed. SCORE: 25 out of 30 (a 9 from Carrie Ann! Maura falling to the ground in disbelief says it all.)

Late-night sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez with Whitney Carson. These two took a trip to New York City for rehearsals this week, since Guillermo is there for his day job. They are dancing a samba to “Obsessed.” As Witney says, “nothing can really prepare you for the samba.” He’s really trying, though. And hey, the steps he did (few as there were) were in time! “Listen, that wasn’t quite a samba, but it was 100% Guillermo,” Derek says. SCORE: 15 out of 30

Savannah Bananas midfielder Jackson Olson with Emma Slater. Jackson took a little break from rehearsals this week to celebrate his birthday, but he’s still putting his all into coming back strong after some lukewarm feedback from the judges in Week 3. He’s performing a waltz to “Without You.” There must be something in the air this week, because he looked like a completely different dancer. “I can see you almost for the first time,” Bruno tells him. SCORE: 21 out of 30

Actress Tatyana Ali with Jan Ravnik. The Fresh Prince star is living ut a childhood dream dancing to Mariah Carey. And she’s got the in-the-know pro this week, because Jan has toured with the pop star. They’re doing a jazz dance to “Fantasy.” After last week, can anyone be surprised that she kills it? Carrie Ann wanted her to have more energy for a jazz routine. Derek and Bruno agree. “But overall, I just love seeing what you’re doing,” Derek says. SCORE: 20 out of 30

Comedian and podcaster Connor Wood with Rylee Arnold. Rylee, Connor isn’t sure if you’ve noticed, but you tend to include grinding choreography in all of your routines. Well, the tradition continues this week, because they’re dancing a rumba to “Touch My Body.” I mean, what’s a girl to do? Unfortunately, the hips were not moving, but he did do a nice worm. “There’s a lot of moments where you’re playing it safe,” Derek says. Bruno loved it. “Frisky!” SCORE: 19 out of 30

Actress Julia Stiles with Ezra Sosa. Julia is riding high after receiving her highest scores last week. She’s really got to impress this week with a Viennese waltz to “Vision of Love” if she wants to keep the positive momentum going. “For me, that was a breakthrough,” Carrie Ann said. Well, ok then! SCORE: 21 out of 30

Olympian Amber Glenn with Pasha Pashkov. It’s a lot of pressure to close out the night, especially as the couple who walked away with the first 8s of the season and tied at the top of the leaderboard last week. This time, they’re dancing a rumba to “Hero.” Pasha calls the dance “the ultimate test” of their synchronicity as a couple. Turns out, they didn’t need to worry at all. “You never lost the ability to fill the room,” Bruno says. SCORE: 23 out of 30

Who goes home?

The competition is getting tough, so there’s not very many weeks that Guillermo can keep getting away with this, but somehow Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong go home on Tuesday night.

Next week is Super Bowl Night. Stay tuned to see what that means.