Chandler Kinney earns first 2 perfect games of the season

Note: This article contains spoilers for the Nov. 12 episode of “Dancing With the Stars.”

“Dancing with the Stars” celebrated its 500th episode Tuesday night, with the remaining six remaining couples “reinterpreting” past memorable dances with new choreography.

Week 8 of Season 33 also saw the first perfect score of the season, earned by Chandler Kinney for her Argentine tango with Brandon Armstrong. Judge Derek Hough, who first performed the dance in season 16 with Kellie Pickler, called it “smooth as silk” and gushed, “I preferred this one, even to mine!” Tonioli said Kinney “mixed beauty and danger,” while Inaba raved, “You might be the most powerful female dancer I’ve ever seen on this dance floor.”

Kinney earned three more 10s in the Instant Dance round with a Cha-Cha set to “Apple” by Charli XCX, a song her partner Armstrong admitted he had never heard before. Inaba exclaimed, “You own the dance floor tonight,” while Hough raved, “You ate it and left no crumbs behind.”

The dancer sent home at the end of the night was NBA All-STAR Dwight Howard and partner Daniella Karaguch. The basketball player said, “I had a great experience,” and praised his partner, who mentioned their huge height difference: “A lot of people said we couldn’t do it, and we did it, and for me it’s a victory.”

In the first round, they performed an Argentine tango inspired by one from season 23. To match the 6′ 10″ athlete, the much shorter Karagash danced on a raised platform for parts of the routine, which was set to “Santa Maria (Del) Buen Ayre)” of the Gotan Project Inaba told the pair that they were “the most innovative out there” in finding ways around their height difference.

“Bachelor” stars Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson performed a Contemporary inspired by Riker Lynch and Allison Holker’s Season 20 performance to “Work Song” by Hozier.

The routine, which featured a series of lifts, began and ended atop a grand piano. Bruno Tonioli pronounced the dance “very, very powerful”, while Carrie Anna Inaba thought it lacked “rawness”. Hough weighed in to say, “I disagree!” tells the reality star, “I see you as a contender.” The dance got 28 out of 30 points.

Danny Amendola and Witney Carson performed a Quickstep inspired by Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough’s Season 5 performance, set to “Hey Pachuco” by the Royal Crown Revue. The soccer star incorporated some of his on-field footwork into the dance, which included literal hat tricks and four extra dancers. Derek Hough said: “The quick stride was like a fizzy drink. It was bubbly, refreshing and it put a smile on my face, while Tonioli praised the athlete’s ‘lovely ease.’

Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold performed a Viennese waltz, inspired by Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas’ season 31 performance, to “Glimpse of Us” by Joji. Ballas came by exercises to give the Olympian tips for maintaining the perfect ballroom frame.

Tonioli praised Nedoroscik as “polished, elegant and smart”, while an emotional Inaba said “the world needed it at this moment.” A visibly moved Hough added: “You made me feel something beautiful tonight.” The pair earned 29 out of 30.

Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten performed a Quickstep, inspired by Jordan Fisher and Lindsay Arnold’s Season 25 performance, to “Chuck Berry” by Pharrell Williams. The dance got 28 out of 30.

In the second round, the couples only learned the dance style and the song at the last minute with few moments to come up with the choreography.

Graziadei and Johnson improvised a Rumba which Hough said was “fantastic”, for a score of 0f 27.

Amendola designed the Jive set for “Good Golly Miss Molly”. Tonioli said the timing “was on and off,” but the performance value was “on all the time.” That gave 24 out of a possible 30.

Howard had to perform a Paso Doble to “Victorious” by Panic! at the disco, which Inaba admitted had some missteps but “honored the spirit” of the dance. It got 22 out of 30.

Nedoroscik was excited to draw one of his favorite dances, the Jive. The routine, set to “love is embarrassing” by Olivia Rodrigo, had timing issues, but overall Hough said it was “impressive.” The dance received 25 points.

Maher and Bersten were the last to perform an Instant Dance: They drew a Salsa and the song “Da’ Dip” by Freak Nasty. Inaba noted that the lifts “didn’t quite work this time”, but still noted how far Maher had come in the competition. The dance got 24 out of 30.

The opening number, set to Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love,” saw both Houghs — judge Derek and co-host Julianne — back on the dance floor. It was the same song that kicked off the show’s premiere back in 2005.

The five remaining couples advance to next week’s semi-finals.