It was emotional night on "Dancing With the Stars."
The contestants had to choose routines inspired by the most memorable years of their lives. Rob Kardashian and Chaz Bono dedicated their dances to their deceased fathers, while J.R. Martinez's performed a dance to fallen soldiers. At the end of the dance, the veteran -- and many in the audience -- were in tears.
Rob Kardashian opened the show with a foxtrot to the Sinatra classic "Fly Me to the Moon." The song reminded him of his dad Robert Kardashian, who passed away this week eight years ago. His dance was well-received and he and partner Cheryl Burke earned 8s across the board.
Chynna Phillips made the bold choice of performing to her own hit "Hold On." Her beautiful lines earned her a 26 from the judges while bandmates and Carnie Wilson cheered her own.
Chaz Bono performed a rhumba his father Sonny's song "Laugh at Me." He wore his father's trademark vest, which he left in the spotlight and gestured towards the sky. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba felt Chaz was not as focused as weeks before, but Len Goodman thought it was his best dance to date. He earned the lowest score of the night: 18.
Kristen Cavallari changed the mood with an energetic samba to Beyonce's "Crazy in Love" with a lot of shaking and hair whipping. She and partner Mark Ballas earned a 24. Interestingly, her ex-fiance Jay Cutler was cheering her from the audience.
Carson Kressley followed with another fun routine to "It My Life" featuring some very high leg-kicks. Judge Bruno Tonioli loved it, calling "brilliant." Kressley earned a solid 23 for the dance.
J.R. Martinez followed with the most emotional performance of the night. His most memorable year was when he was disfigured in Iraq by a landmine. He and Karina Smirnoff did a powerful routine to Tim McGraw's "If You're Reading This," a song about a letter sent home in the event of a soldier's death. Martinez dedicated it to the men and women who didn't make it home. A teary Inaba called the performance "extraordinary" while Goodman called it "poignant." Martinez broke down while his scores were being read -- a very solid 26.
Nancy Grace followed with a waltz to "Moon River," the song she walked down the aisle in and the first lullaby she sang to her twins. Goodman criticized her posture but praised her emotion, and Inaba called it a "live-action lullaby." Graces scores would be the second-lowest of the night: 21/30.
Ricki Lake followed, revealing the most memorable year of her life was last year, when her home burned down. She found new love and depicted that in a routine to Sara Bareilles' "Gravity," earning the top score for a second week in a row: 27.
Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Hope Solo gyrated a lot during their dance to Enrique Iglesias' "Tonight" but there was little heat in their dance. All judges criticized Solo's walk, but still gave the couple 8's across the board.
David Arquette closed the show with a sensitive rhumba. He cited last year as the hardest year of his life: his marriage to Courteney Cox fell apart, and he admitted to escaping into alcohol to numb his feelings. "I took a real hard look at myself [and] my behavior so I could be there for my daughter," the actor said. After last week's frantic dance, Arquette was far more controlled, dancing in an open shirt that showed off his many tattoos. Afterwards, sister Patricia, Courteney and their daughter Coco were all on their feet. Inaba called it a "very nice comeback" and he earned a solid 24.
Who will go home Tuesday night? Chaz Bono is definitely in trouble again with the lowest score (and by a significant 3 point margin). But after Elisabetta Canalis' elimination last week, no one is safe.
