Ariana Madix channeled Britney Spears on Tuesday’s episode of Dancing With The Stars as she performed to I’m A Slave 4 U during Music Video Night.
The 38-year-old Vanderpump Rules star and pro partner Pasha Pashkov, 37, finished at the top of the leaderboard during the season 32 episode that saw the departure of You Tube star Lele Pons, 27.
Ariana admitted during rehearsal that she was a huge fan of pop superstar Britney, 41, and was inspired to make her proud.
‘It’s been my life goal to be best friends with Britney Spears,’ Ariana said. ‘If I don’t do this dance justice and she watches it somehow, I will never live it down.’
Ariana wore a green sequined fringe skirt, a red tied halter top with her hair slicked and her makeup done like Britney’s from the music video as she danced the Cha-cha-cha to the song with her partner Pasha.
Video star: Ariana Madix channeled Britney Spears on Tuesday’s episode of Dancing With The Stars as she performed to I’m A Slave 4 U during Music Video Night
‘You channeled Britney Spears seamlessly,’ said Paula Abdul, 61, who joined the panel as a guest judge.
‘Everything about this performance was spot on,’ Carrie Ann Inaba, 55, said.
When she finished, co-host Julianne Hough, 35, asked Ariana what it was like to play Britney.
Ariana said she had been practicing that choreography in her bedroom to that song since 2001 and had watched Britney’s music video thousands of times.
‘So to live out my pop star Britney dreams tonight, I could die happy,’ said Ariana, who has been thriving since being blindsided by the Scandoval affair.
‘Britney is my girl,’ Ariana said in a confessional. ‘From the first time that I heard her music, she inspired me to want to perform on stage. It’s probably a huge reason why I’m here today.’
The judges gave them a high score of 37 out of 40. Ariana’s scores were the highest of the couples during the two-hour episode, so she received immunity and will not have to compete in the next week’s dance off and also received bonus points.
Social-media star Lele with Brandon Armstrong danced a salsa and picked Shakira’s hit video Whenever, Wherever.
Channeled her: Ariana wore a green sequined fringe skirt, a red tied halter top with her hair slicked and her makeup done like Britney’s from the music video as she danced the Cha-cha-cha to the song with her partner Pasha
Lived dreams: ‘So to live out my pop star Britney dreams tonight, I could die happy,’ said Ariana
The judges: Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, guest judge Paula Abdul and Bruno Tonioli gave Ariana and Pasha a score of 37 out of 40 points
Shakira video: Social-media star Lele Pons with Brandon Armstrong danced a salsa and picked Shakira’s hit video Whenever, Wherever
‘I love Shakira,’ Lele said. ‘I’ve met her a couple of times. I told her nobody’s more important than you.’
For her dance, Lele wore a short fringed sparkly mini skirt and a sequined top.
The audience gave them a standing ovation.
‘Your hips did not lie,’ Derek Hough, 38, said. ‘Great isolation.’
‘You were wickedly, wickedly seductive,’ Paula said.
The judges gave them a 33 out of 40.
Harry Jowsey, 26, with Rylee Arnold recreated the NSYNC video It’s Gonna Be Me. Harry said being in a boy band had always been a dream of his. Lance Bass stopped by rehearsal to help him get the moves right. They danced Jazz to the song with Harry wearing a curly haired Justin Timberlake inspired wig.
Boy band: Harry Jowsey, 26, with Rylee Arnold recreated the NSYNC video It’s Gonna Be Me
‘I sent a picture of you to Justin Timberlake and he loved it,’ co-host Alfonso Ribeiro, 52, said.
‘The performance was a lot of fun,’ Derek said.
Paula said she loved his spirit.
‘When you smile, we smile,’ Paula said.
The judges gave them straight sixes for a score of 24 out of 40.
Grammy-winning singer Singer Jason Mraz, 46, did a Jazz dance with his partner Daniella Karagach to the A-Ha hit song Take On Me recreating the video.
Daniella sprained her ankle so she had another dancer help train Jason during rehearsals while she rested.
‘Even on the sidelines she is tougher than ever,’ Jason said.
The two danced with a video projecting them as cartoons played behind them.
Hit song: Grammy-winning singer Singer Jason Mraz, 46, did a Jazz dance with his partner Daniella Karagach to the A-Ha hit song Take On Me recreating the video
‘I thought it was a relentless performance, so imaginative, and an original take on the A-Ha video,’ Paula said. ‘Jason you have transformed into a beautiful, wonderful dancer.’
The judges gave them a 35 out of 40 as Paula gave them a perfect 10.
Alyson Hannigan, 49, with Sasha Farber danced a quickstep to Christina Aguilera’s Candyman song and video. Alyson said in rehearsal that she loved the retro vibe of the video.
‘Alyson that was your best dance yet!’ Derek stood up and screamed.
‘It was a proper quickstep, honey,’ Bruno Tonioli, 67, said.
The judges gave them a 33 out of 40.
Xochitl Gomez, 17, with Val Chmerkovski did a Jazz dance to Gwen Stefani’s hit Hollaback Girl. Xochitl said in rehearsal that she loved Gwen.
Candyman video: Alyson Hannigan, 49, with Sasha Farber danced a quickstep to Christina Aguilera’s Candyman song and video
Spitting image: Xochitl Gomez, 17, with Val Chmerkovski did a Jazz dance to Gwen Stefani’s hit Hollaback Girl after Xochitl said in rehearsal that she loved Gwen
‘I’m just hoping I can pull it off and go bananas,’ Xochitl said.
For her dance, Xochitl wore a long blonde wig and a white crop top with white pants. She later put on a band jacket, but the band hat she was supposed to wear fell off.
‘Xochitl, you are so wonderful and exuding such joy,’ Paula said. ‘You captured all Gwen’s mannerisms in such a delicious way.’
‘You are so charismatic that my eyes get drawn to you,’ Bruno said.
The judges gave them a 34 out of 40.
The Bachelorette star Charity Lawson, 27, with Artem Chigvintsev, performed a Jazz routine to Janet Jackson’s hit All For You. Charity said she loves Janet. For her dance, Charity wore cut-off jeans shorts and sneakers with a cropped halter top and her fiancé Dotun Olubeko watched from the audience.
‘First, I have to say that I will always owe a debt of gratitude for my partnership with Janet and being able to choreograph her,’ Paula said. ‘One thing about Janet is she’s fearless and relentless. And as everyone has been saying, I choreographed her to be that way. So you danced beautifully, but I think if you can just step into your power a little bit more, you can be a front runner.’
The judges gave them a 32 out of 40.
Barry Williams, 68, danced with Peta Murgatroyd and they did a Quickstep to Elton John’s video for I’m Still Standing that featured Bruno in it. Barry said Elton was one of his favorite singers and knew he had to work extra hard because Bruno had been in the video. Bruno stood up as they danced and Barry ended the dance sprinkling sparkles on Bruno.
‘Not only are you still standing, but you are still smiling,’ Carrie Ann said. ‘And you are making all of us smile. You have something magical every time you dance.’
‘If you actually wore my outfit from the video, it would have been a showstopper,’ Bruno quipped of the sexy bikini he wore in the actual video.
The judges gave them a 28 out of 40.
The dancers also competed in teams during the episode.
Harry as team captain picked Lele, Charity and Xochitl to be on his team and danced to Gangnam Style by PSY. They had fun practicing together. Harry threw Charity in the air before putting on sunglasses and going full Gangnam style. The crowd cheered for them when they finished.
Derek stood on top of his desk and then walked over to go give Harry a high five. The judges gave them a perfect score of all 10’s giving them a 40 out of 40.
Team captain Alyson picked Ariana, Jason and Barry for her team and they danced to Everybody by the Backstreet Boys. Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean, 45, stopped by rehearsals to give them some inspiration. The judges gave them a 37 out of 40.
The host: Show co-host Alfonso Ribeiro kept the two-hour show moving
At the end of episode, the couple with the lowest combined judges and viewer scores and going home was Lele and Brandon.
Lele said she was so ‘grateful’ for the experience.
‘That one burns,’ Brandon admitted as they were eliminated.
Dancing With The Stars will return next Tuesday on ABC.
Dancing With The Stars: Injuries and Health Issues on ABC show
In 2006, season two contestant Romeo Miller withdrew from Dancing With The Stars due to an injury and was replaced by his father Master P.
Pro dancer Derek Hough during season six in 2008 pulled his neck during rehearsal and missed a week of dancing.
Derek during season seven also blacked out during rehearsal after tripping and landing on the back of his head.
Season seven also saw the departure of Misty May-Treanor after she was injured during practice and ruptured her Achilles tendon.
Rehearsal injury: Misty May-Treanor is shown with host Tom Bergeron in October 2008 as she revealed rupturing her Achilles tendon during practice on Dancing With The Stars
Brooke Burke also severely bruised her foot during season seven during camera blocking when she landed hard doing a front flip with pro partner Derek.
Susan Lucci during season seven fractured two bones in her foot, but remained in the competition.
Nancy O’Dell withdrew from season eight due to a torn meniscus, along with Jewel who fractured both her tibias just before the season premiere.
Steve-O also suffered a pulled back muscle during dress rehearsal in season eight and was unable to perform the salsa live.
Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay during season nine withdrew from the competition in week three after injuring his foot during rehearsals before the premiere.
Billy Dee Williams was forced to withdraw from season 18 due to a chronic back problem.
Early exit: Billy Dee Williams withdrew early from season 18 due to a chronic back problem
Season 21 saw two contestants drop-out midseason due to health issues with Kim Zolciak departing after suffering a mini-stroke and Tamar Braxton withdrawing after doctors discovered pulmonary embolisms in her lungs.
Pro dancer Mark Ballas during season 22 injured his back during rehearsal and was unable to perform for a week with his partner, UFC fighter Paige VanZant.
Pro dancer Sharna Burgess during season 23 injured her knee during rehearsal with James Hinchcliffe and was out for two weeks.
Pro dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy during season 24 suffered a calf muscle injury during rehearsal with Heather Morris and was replaced by dance troupe member Alan Bersten during a four-week recovery period.
Christie Brinkley broke her arm during practice five days before the season 28 premiere and was replaced by her daughter Sailor Brinkley-Cook.
Ray Lewis was forced to withdraw from season 28 after suffering three torn tendons in his foot during practice ahead of week three Movie Night. He re-aggravated an injury from 2010 while playing football for the Baltimore Ravens.
Stepping in: Christie Brinkley broke her arm during practice five days before the season 28 premiere of DWTS and was replaced by her daughter Sailor Brinkley-Cook
Country singer Lauren Alaina during Halloween Week of season 28 revealed that she’d been dancing with ‘four hurt ribs,’ having broken one during the first week of the show, and noting the others ‘don’t feel great’.
The Bachelorette star Kaitlyn Bristowe suffered an ‘ankle injury’ during week two of season 29, but still performed with pro partner Artem Chigvintsev. She later revealed during Disney Night that she was suffering from tendonitis and shin splints.
Pro dancer Cheryl Burke announced on September 26, 2021, that she had tested positive for COVID-19 before the second episode of season 30. Her celebrity partner Cody Rigsby tested positive for the coronavirus a few days later and they continued competing together, but dancing in separate rooms.
Olympic gymnast Suni Lee during season 30 also bolted after her performance on Queen Night to throw up, but rallied to stay in the competition.
Judge Derek Hough missed the season 30 finale after being diagnosed with a breakthrough case of COVID-19 and was replaced by his sister Julianne.
Pro dancer Daniella Karagach missed Elvis Night after testing positive for COVID-19 along with four crew members after the season 31 premiere in September 2022 on the Disney+ streaming service.
Selma Blair, who revealed in 2018 that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, withdrew from the competition during season 31 due to ‘excessive bone trauma’ related to her chronic illness.
Valentin Chmerkovskiy missed Halloween Night on season 31 after testing positive for COVID-19 and Mark Ballas performed during the episode after missing rehearsal due to a ‘flare-up’ in his lower back.
Derek was scheduled to perform during the season 31 live finale with his fiancee Hayley Erbert, but she suffered a shoulder injury the day before while preparing and was unable to dance with him.
Pro dancer Artem during season 32 missed Latin Night in October 2023 after testing positive for COVID-19 and was replaced by pro dancer Ezra Sosa who performed with The Bachelorette star Charity Lawson.
Mira Sorvino during Disney100 Night on season 32 performed with her right wrist bandaged after she slipped while rehearsing and was injured with a sprain and possible fracture.
Pro dancer Daniella Karagach sprained her ankle before Music Video Night on season 32 and missed rehearsal while recovering before she performed with Jason Mraz.
Coronavirus infection: Pro dancer Cheryl Burke announced on September 26, 2021, that she had tested positive for COVID-19 and her pro partner Cody Rigsby tested positive a few days later forcing them to dance in separate rooms