‘Dancing With the Stars’ recap: Bindi’s blindfolded, Alexa’s blindsided on ‘Showstopper Night’

The foxtrot and quickstep, as lively as they are, just wouldn’t cut it for week 9 of the reality competition show, “Dancing With the Stars.” No, fellow fans, it was Heretofore-Unseen-Dance-Styles Night!

That’s the way it was billed, anyway, but when all the loyalists and curious viewers tuned in to Monday’s show, we learned that it didn’t materialize like that at all. And that was sort of a letdown from the start. Where’s the Bollywood? I voted for Bollywood! (I always vote for Bollywood.)

The sliver-thin distinction actually meant this: it would be the first time that each contestant danced a particular style. Bindi Irwin, for instance, had never tackled the Viennese waltz. And so she did, blindfolded.

Blindfolded!

Now there’s a showstopper, which, not so coincidentally, was the official name of this episode of the popular ABC series. It was also the answer to the question: What’s an adorable, dedicated competitor have to do to get another 10 around here? Dance in the dark, obviously. And maybe it should’ve been called showstealer instead?

The remaining six contestants have become more or less proficient in their steps, so at this point in the game, they shouldn’t be able to just repeat dances they already know. Taking on something new, though, in a week that they had to learn two different dances, was no easy task.

There were also duets based on travel and product placement, such as the Royal Caribbean cruise line and the Las Vegas production of Cirque du Soleil’s Beatles tribute, “Love.” The pros had to take a back seat during part of those performances, leaving their amateur partners to fend for themselves.

Nick Carter’s perfect score from last week’s “Immunity Night” gave him just that, immunity, this week. So he wouldn’t be eliminated even if he had flubbed his performance. (He didn’t.)

And Tamar Braxton was MIA at the beginning of the show because of a trip to the hospital, where she was treated for pneumonia. Did anyone think she wouldn’t make it back? (She did.) And she’ll stick around for at least another week because, despite a low score early in the night, she rallied for the mini-team number.

Who left? Here’s how it unfolded, in chronological order:

Alek Skarlatos and Lindsay Arnold

Alek isn’t the best dancer in the contest, said a brutally honest Lindsay in the pre-taped video, but the guy did agree to have his chest waxed by his “colleagues.” So, points for bravery and for not screaming bad words during that depilation? We did know he’s a fearless dude, since he thwarted a terrorist attack on a Paris-bound train. But going shirtless/hairless is another level. Good on you, Alek. He was trying to get his Channing Tatum on for a salsa to “Back It Up” by Prince Royce. Did he? He nailed some nice lifts with Lindsay and tried his best sexy face with her and three other pros. Julianne Hough thought the wax job was great, but his hip action was lacking. Bruno Tonioli agreed about the Latin swagger, but thought Alek looked like “a playboy out of ‘Miami Vice.’” Host Tom Bergeron acted as translator, explaining the concept of “Miami Vice,” a very old TV show, to the young manscaped competitor.

Score: 24

Alexa PenaVega and Mark Ballas

The song, “Make it Rain” by Ed Sheeran, represents inner struggle, and Alexa said during the video segment that she’s been fighting body issues for years and suffered from bouts of bulimia when she was younger. Mark, obviously moved by hearing a secret Alexa said she’s kept closely guarded, choreographed a contemporary routine that spoke volumes about the pull-and-tug of the illness. And the execution? Close to flawless. Standing ovation from the judges. Bruno said she danced “like a woman possessed,” and called it “brilliant.” Carrie Ann Inaba said it was more than dancing, “it was healing.” Julianne said it was “a representation of emotion,” and that it was cathartic.

Score: 30

Carlos PenaVega and Witney Carson

The couple was in danger of elimination last week, and it dinged Witney’s confidence, maybe more than Carlos’, and he felt compelled to reassure her this week, he said during the rehearsal segment. And then they beat each other up during practice, so much so that it nearly turned into a scene from “America’s Funniest Videos,” complete with a kick to the crotch. Poor Carlos! They were beautifully in sync in that Argentine tango to “What Do You Mean” by Justin Bieber, but it didn’t have quite as much smolder as it could’ve. It was “good and clean and nice,” but it didn’t touch Carrie Ann on any deeper level. Julianne wanted more passion. Bruno said it had the elements of a dysfunctional relationship, but he meant that as a compliment. He had a more upbeat critique, but told Carlos to be sharper on his feet movements.

Score: 27

Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough

Bindi has been a front-runner since the beginning, and not because she came to “DWTS” with dancing maneuvers already fine-tuned. She did not. She’s a favorite because she’s instantly likeable, truly indefatigable and surprisingly adept at ballroom dance. But the judges have been picking her apart lately, while continuing to give solid scores, and Derek was frustrated in practice, as seen in the pre-taped package. Nothing felt right as he tried to put together their Viennese waltz to “Roses and Violets” by Alexander Jean. And then he blindfolded her for the beginning and end of the live performance, and it wasn’t creepy “50 Shades” or anything like that. It worked, and it was stunning. Julianne said she’s matured during the contest and taken risks that have paid off. Bruno said it showed what an accomplished dancer she’s become, and Carrie Ann called her “an extraordinary being.”

Score: 30, second perfect score of the night

Tamar Braxton and Valentin Chmerkovskiy

While Tamar was still at the ER, the show went on, recapping via pre-taped video her recent triumphs on the dance floor. The short film also pointed up her hectic schedule, which included cross-country travel, tapings of “The Real” talk show, singing gigs and “DWTS” practice, all within a few days. Yes, anyone would be exhausted from that kind of activity. So, per the show’s rules, Tamar’s dress rehearsal became her contest entry for the first round. That contemporary number to “Wicked Game” by James Vincent McMorrow had “a lot of mistakes,” stops and starts, Bruno said. Julianne and Carrie Ann said it looked like unfinished business, and they thought the live version would’ve been far superior.

Score: 22, the lowest of the night

Nick Carter and Sharna Burgess

Big scores haven’t come easily to Nick, he said during the pre-rehearsal video, and he feels like he’s finally hit his strike. And then his hip started to give out, and he spent time on the floor stretching and doing a quick rehab on his injured body part. Would he be able to pull off that quickstep to “A Cool Cat in Town” by Tape Five and keep Sharna in contention for her first-ever Mirrorball Trophy? (She’s the only pro left who hasn’t yet won, she noted in the video). No pressure, Nick. But if he felt it, he didn’t show it. He was cool and light and energetic and entertaining, with his Backstreet Boys cheering him on from the audience. Sharna, by the way, has perhaps never looked more like Jessica Rabbit – gorgeous! -- and this speakeasy-feeling number was perfectly suited to both of them. Carrie Ann said he was “in the zone,” but slightly off time during a few sections. Julianne picked on his hold positioning, but said it was “Broadway” otherwise. Bruno didn’t notice any flaws, he said, and made a “Guys and Dolls” reference.

Score: 28, a 10 from Bruno and boos all around for Carrie Ann and Juliann’s 9s

Time for the travel and product placement portion of Monday’s episode, during which Alek, Lindsay, Carlos and Witney boarded a Royal Caribbean cruise liner to watch the Queen musical “We Will Rock You.” They later had to turn that experience into a paso doble, and it involved tons of white leather (pleather?), ’80s makeup and water drumming. Julianne thought it was “a little stale,” and a missed opportunity to go bolder. Similarly, Carrie Ann didn’t think they filled the massive, operatic shoes of the song.

Score: 24

Alexa, Mark, Bindi and Derek went to New York to see the six-time Tony-winning musical “Chicago.” Derek started to lose his patience during practice for their Charleston to “All That Jazz/Hot Honey Rag,” and Bindi apologized repeatedly, saying she felt like a failure. Poor Bindi! Alexa made a big deal out of the 30 seconds that she and Bindi would have to perform on their own, not being able to rely on their partners to pull them through the moves, and that turned out to be a highlight of a lively, synchronized number. “Style, feel, right on the money,” Bruno said. Carrie Ann called it “reinvention at its finest,” and Julianne wished she could’ve been part of that ensemble. I could've watched that all night.

Score: 30

Nick, Sharna, Tamar and Val went to Vegas to see the Cirque du Soleil tribute to the Beatles, “Love,” and excerpted some of the massive “Hey Jude” finale number. There were flower petals and spinning umbrellas and plentiful confetti (and some unlucky pro flipping from the ceiling) and the rumba in there somewhere. Tamar was pale and breathless by the end, but she’d pulled through. Carrie Ann wondered what drugs the hospital doled out to get her back to the ballroom. Bruno said it was a “psychedelic dream.”

Score: 27

Safe: Bindi, Nick, Alek and Tamar will hit the semi-finals. In jeopardy: Alexa and Carlos. Eliminated: Alexa and Mark. Boo, hiss! Especially after that well-deserved perfect score for Alexa’s contemporary, she had to hit the bricks. Again, boooooo!