DWTS 5th Judge: 20th Birthday, 6 OG Pros & Winners, 4 Perfect Scores, 1 Tom Bergeron & 1 Touching Goodbye

Six past winners also returned to compete with the remaining competitors in the night's second round, a Dance Relay. If that's not mathing for you, remember that Whitney Leavitt & Mark Ballas earned immunity from this round last week, so they didn't have to compete and earned 2 bonus points anyway.

In all honesty, we're a little blown away by this week's performances, which netted four perfect scores from the judges -- and we can't really argue with any of them. The anniversary, the inspirations, the nostalgia, whatever was in the water at the studio, it was like everyone had been hit with a dance-enhancing substance.

Also returning to the ballroom for one touching performance was Bindi Irwin, who shared a touching tribute to their father Steve Irwin with her brother Robert Irwin in a foxtrot that was inspired by her own tribute to Steve on her winning season. There was not a dry eye on either side of the screen after that, we can tell you!

For his part, OG host Bergeron proved an affable and charming judge, even if his commentary wasn't much more constructive than Flavor Flav last week. At least his scores made more sense. He also took his last moment for criticism to plead with ABC to bring back the results show so all of America can vote -- they can vote now, but only the East and Midwest can do so while actually seeing the show. With all the renewed success, it's a no-brainer to Tom -- but what about the network's bean counters?

Who is your Fifth Judge, you ask? Well, Jason Hughes spent nearly a decade of his life sweating and bleeding to the music as a dancer. From learning a shuffle-ball-change to performing with the St. Louis Ballet Company, he experienced the ups and downs of one of the most difficult physically demanding sports on the planet. And he's spent two decades analyzing and critiquing reality competition shows. As he puts it, "I've got this."

Fair warning, since I'm safe at home, I'm probably going to be a little harsher than my colleagues Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Tom Bergeron, and Bruno Tonioli. But I might be nicer, too. Maybe.

("Dancing with the Stars Theme (variation)," Ray Chew) Kicking off with the six returning pros from Season 1 (Ashley DelGrosso, Charlotte Jorgensen, Alec Mazo, Jonathan Roberts, Edyta Śliwińska, and Louis van Amstel) looking just a bit shaky and stiff -- but incredible for being out of practice, this amazingly conceived vision quickly shifted to the full current cast of pros. We even got to see Julianne Hough performing with them, as well as a rapid-fire sequence with Derek Hough and Daniella Karagach, before things shifted to the slower ballroom styles. Then, things kicked into emotional nostalgia overdrive when Tom Bergeron walked out as if he'd never left before Alfonso Ribeiro joined him.

(Salsa - "It Takes Two," Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock) Inspired by the Season 3 freestyle performance of Mario Lopez and Karina Smirnoff (who finished second on the season), Elaine was a little shaky on some of the transitions but otherwise sensational. Her side-by-side work with Alan was impeccable as she really settled into the rhythm and let loose. A few times, we could see her thinking of the next step, but that might be because Alan just packed this routine. He clearly believes in what she's capable of, and she was with him every step of the way with verve and personality. Elaine is such a positive surprise and inspiration on this journey.

Judges Scores: 9, 9, 9, 9

My Score: 8

(Foxtrot - "Footprints in the Sand," Leona Lewis) Inspired by the Season 21 freestyle performance of Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough (who won the season), both Bindi and daughter Grace joined Robert and Witney in rehearsals, where she got super emotional. Adding a layer of meaning for Robert, her dance was in tribute to their late father, Steve Irwin. Robert was supposed to be at a charity event with Prince Williams, but had to skip it as he's still competing, so he and Witney were stunned by a phone call from the heir apparent.

Their dance picked up the motif of the title from Bindi's and then an emotionally staggering moment at the end when she joined him physically. Between that was an absolutely gorgeous and flawlessly executed foxtrot, with strength, control, and leading command from Robert as Witney flowed gorgeously all around him. This was a profoundly powerful dance, but perhaps just as important, it was executed with precision and intent. Such a beautiful moment for everyone. It was so powerful, apparently, Carrie Ann said she won't be deducting points for toe lifts anymore.

Judges Scores: 10, 10, 10, 10

My Score: 10

(Quickstep - "Puttin' on the Ritz," Irving Berlin [as performed by Robbie Williams]) Inspired by the Season 25 freestyle performance of Jordan Fisher and Lindsay Arnold (who won the season), Andy was sweating this one before it started, and clearly during it, as well. He worked hard every step of the way, which definitely pulled from his usual performance style. Instead, we saw him counting and could see the effort. It did result in some moments of proper (slow) quickstep, but this was nowhere near as light as it should have been. Andy continues to improve, but incrementally. Could this finally be the week where the audience is ready to bid him adieu before he takes a better dancer's spot in the semi-finals?

Judges Scores: 8, 7, 7, 7

My Score: 5

(Argentine tango - "Ain't No Sunshine," Bill Withers) Inspired by the Season 27 freestyle performance of Milo Manheim and Witney Carson (who finished second on the season), Dylan was looking for a breakthrough in his acting performance. Instead, he got one all around with both his strongest performance of the season, and Daniella's. Her lift choreography was just insane throughout this piece, and Dylan was where he needed to be, in the character of the dance, every step of the way. They painted beautiful dramatic pictures throughout and left us breathless. Breakthrough achieved!

Judges Scores: 10, 10, 10, 10

My Score: 10

(Cha-cha-cha - "Get Up - Ciara f. Chamillionaire) Inspired by the Season 31 freestyle performance of Wayne Brady and Witney Carson (who finished third on the season), Jordan definitely delivered that same level of confidence and sass. Her personality shined through this cha-cha, and she had great hip action and footwork but we'd be lying if we said we didn't find ourselves mesmerized by her arms and hands. They were just gorgeous to watch by themselves. We did notice just a few moments where she wasn't finishing a move and her shoulders crept up on her, but it was brief and she quickly shaped up to fantastic.

Judges Scores: 9, 10, 9, 9

My Score: 9

(Foxtrot - "Singin' in the Rain," Nacio Herb Brown & Arthur Freed [as performed by Matthew Morrison]) Inspired by the Season 29 freestyle performance of Nev Schulman and Jenna Johnson (who finished second on the season), Val challenged Alix to really just let herself go, get out of her head, and enjoy herself out there. The advice must have worked, because she did look more relaxed. At the same time, she didn't sacrifice any of her careful precision. What we got was classic old Hollywood glitz and glamour and it was just breathtakingly beautiful -- as were their outfits. Alix definitely maintains her contender status with this charming routine.

Judges Scores: 10, 10, 10, 10

My Score: 10

(Argentine tango - "Cell Block Tango," from Chicago) Inspired by the Season 31 freestyle performance of Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy (who finished second on the season), Whitney was hoping to bring Gabby's same intensity to her performance. They won immunity from this week's Dance Relay with their season-long scores -- after a tie first-place finish last week -- which meant this was the only chance fans would get to see them tonight. It also meant an automatic 2-point bonus for that round, without having to dance. But will it be enough?

Whitney was worried about the fast and complicated footwork of this style so Mark's solution was to apparently pack so much of it in there she hardly had time to think about it. Whatever the tactic, it worked because her feet were flying everywhere and yet they were sharp, precise, and beautiful. She nailed the intensity of the piece, had a little fun with the Mormon lines, and never lost the character even as she completely nailed the choreography, all those lifts and twists, and yes, that fast footwork.

Judges Scores: 10, 10, 10, 10

My Score: 10

For this round, the celebrities have been paired with a past winner of Dancing with the Stars and have been paired with another new celebrity-winner pairing. The winner of each pairing picks up two extra points. And, as noted above, for winning last week's showdown, Whitney Leavitt & Mark Ballas did not have to compete this week and automatically earned those 2 points … and still really wanted viewer votes.

Below are the celebrities and their former champion partner:

• Jordan Chiles & Season 4 Winner Apolo Anton Ohno
• Dylan Efron & Season 20 Winner Rumer Willis
• Elaine Hendrix & Season 24 Winner Rashad Jennings
• Andy Richter & Season 29 Winner Kaitlyn Bristowe
• Robert Irwin & Season 32 Winner Xochitl Gomez
• Alix Earle & Season 33 Winner Joey Graziadei

(Quickstep - "I Get a Kick Out of You," Cole Porter [as performed by Michael Bublé]) Apolo admitted it's been 13 years since he danced, while Rashad is a little more recent, but was still out of practice. Both of them were willing to lay it all out there for their partners, dancing back-to-back. Jordan was out first, and immediately there were some timing issues, which left us wondering if this was really a good idea on a competitive round. These past winners haven't been training for months at this point. Elaine had a few hiccups as well, but both of this season's competitors really did hold their own, delivering consistent and fairly equal performances. This was a tough one to judge, so for us, it came down to which partnership kept it a little tighter and more consistent throughout.

Judges Winner: Jordan & Apolo

My Winner: Elaine & Rashad

(Viennese waltz - "Earned It," The Weeknd) It's been five years since Kaitlyn danced and 10 years since Rumer's win, so once again, the past winner guests were already playing catch-up. Rumer, at least, actually performed this exact style to this exact song, she shared, but is that an edge? She certainly hit her first mark with drama and didn't stop there. Rumer gave so much character she helped Dylan continue his renaissance night with a sharp, powerful, dramatic, and stunning waltz. Andy's muscle shirt was hilarious, but Kaitlyn was clearly leading the dance and he was barely keeping up. Yes, he did the moves and he continues to improve but he is weeks behind everyone. It was easily the funniest performance of the night, and she was fun to see again, but this was no contest. Not really.

Judges Winner: Dylan & Rumer

My Winner: Dylan & Rumer

(Jive - "Dance with Me Tonight," Olly Murs) This is the first pairing of the round where the celebrity competitors are opposite genders, but this style is a bit of an equalizer in that regard, as the roles are more equal. It also helps that they were paired with two of the most recent and strongest past winners. Xochitl admitted she'd never danced a jive while Joey immediately wanted to incorporate a flip … it feels like it's going to be three puppy dogs and Alix out there.

Robert and Xochitl definitely had a lot of pep in their step in a dance best described as sweet. They have great chemistry, and she didn't miss a beat, but Robert faltered slightly on the tandem turn, falling just a bit out of sync. Still, the partnership was joyful and a lot of fun, though we dare say she outperformed him just a hair, too. Alix and Joey, though, had even stronger chemistry out there, with Alix again bringing more joy and fun than we've seen from her all season. Joey also retains his sharp dance lines and their tandem dancing was flawless. Both couples were incredible, but Alix definitely stepped up to her partner a fraction more.

Judges Winner: Robert & Xochitl

My Winner: Alix & Joey

This is the moment for America to embrace the joy that Andy Richter has brought to the season and then cut him loose before next week's semi-finals. As joyful as he's been, there is not a single other dancer remaining in the competition we could see getting cut before him. 

We're not saying he's been better than who we've lost so far, but those have (apologies) not been Mirrorball contenders, in our eyes. They've been great to watch, but a week here or there doesn't really mean much in the beginning and middle of the season. It's the end stretch where the champions begin to shine.

That's usually how it goes, but we've also seen crazier things with subpar dancers making it to the finals and -- in one memorable Bobby Bones case -- even winning. Will Andy do it this season? If so, that spelled very bad news for probably Elaine Hendrix. She's the only remaining competitor, other than Andy, who hasn't earned a perfect score.

But if we're going to root for an underdog, we love the tenacity she's shown, as well as her growth and actual competitiveness out there. She's not getting perfect 10s, but she's dancing and she's had some incredible moments. We had a sneaking suspicion America would agree and this would be the week Andy would say goodbye.

After not touting a new record number of votes last week, Alfonso Ribeiro was back at it again this week, with more votes coming in than at any point over the last two decades. If only they could have a 20th anniversary party every week! But what did all those votes decide?

The couples immediately heading into next week's semi-finals were Whitney & Mark, Dylan & Daniella, Alix & Val, and Robert & Witney. After Dylan's breakthrough week, these are not surprising results. Even though the judges say it's in no particular order, it's easy to picture the remaining couples as America's Bottom 3.

In the end, with no cut to two, it was the end of the road for Andy & Emma, which left both other couples relieved and a little shocked. A proper course correction at the proper time, we can't say enough about what a joy Andy's journey has been. It's been moving seeing how much this experience has meant to him, and now he can shake that survivor's guilt and enjoy the next two weeks.

Dancing with the Stars returns for its semi-finals "Prince Night" next Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.