'Dancing With the Stars' Recap: Things Get Spooky on Halloween Night -- and One Couple Gets the Axe

See all the craziest costumes and most spectacular routines the Halloween episode of 'DWTS.'

Dancing With the Stars returned Monday for a wild and wonderous Halloween Night! The entire episode was a celebration of the horror-themed holiday, with some creepy costumes, a few terrifying tangos and a brutal elimination! (Well, 'brutal' is a strong word, but it fits the theme. You get it.)

Tyra Banks and co-host Alfonso Ribeiro embraced the fun of the evening, as they oversaw a costume-clad panel of judges, including Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli.

Hitting the dance floor in both enchanting ensembles and over-the-top costumes, the remaining nine couples each brought their A-game and tried not to get caught up in the elimination bloodbath! (Again, Halloween-inspired hyperbole, forgive me.)

Here's a look at some of the best, most chilling and thrilling routines of the night and a breakdown of which celebs are now leading the pack as front runners in the race for the Mirrorball trophy. Scroll to the bottom to see which two couples ended up on the chopping block and which celeb wound up getting the axe!

Jordin Sparks and Brandon Armstrong

Donning a skeleton-style look that evoked the imagery of Dia de los Muertos, Jordin and Brandon kicked off the night with a striking, playful, zombie-ish routine that wowed the judges with how much she's evolved as a dancer over the course of the season.

Style of Dance: Tango

Song: "Oogie Boogie's Song" by Ed Ivory & Ken Page

Judges' Feedback: "Just like your name, Sparks were flying," Len praised. "Jordin, I think you cast a spell on me because that was your best dance thus far."

Final Score (Carrie Ann, Len, Michael, Derek, Bruno): 36 (9, 9, 9, 9)


Charli D'Amelio and Mark Ballas

Despite Mark hurting his back during the week and not having nearly as much rehearsal time, the pair hit the stage with a dark, surprisingly sensual energy for their Argentine tango that showed Charli's impressive and seemingly natural ability to move like a gymnast while also maintaining an incredible frame and form.

Style of Dance: Argentine Tango

Song: "Tanguera" by Fabio Hager Sexteto

Judges' Feedback: "There's no one else who could turn a nightmare into a beautiful dance expression," Bruno marveled. "You two are geniuses.

Final Score: 39 (9, 10, 10, 10)


Shangela and Gleb Savchenko

Donning a creepy killer doll costume, Shangela made for a shockingly fun Annabelle-style horror doll as she and Gleb delivered an amazing routine that left the judges chilled and thrilled.

Style of Dance: Jazz

Song: "Look What You Made Me Do" by Taylor Swift

Judges' Feedback: "That was creepy, I'm gonna have nightmares," Derek said with a laugh. "The execution, no pun intended, of that dance was so fierce, so strong... that was sensational.

Len, meanwhile, referenced last week's fried chicken incident, joking, "I'm telling you, winner winner, chicken dinner."

Final Score: 39 (10, 10, 10, 10)


Heidi D'Amelio and Artem Chigvintsev

For Halloween night, Heidi and Artem decided to go for a unique blend of Game of Thrones' Night King, zombie and bondage chic to bring some scary sensuality to the stage and delivered a precise and impressive dance that impressed the judges and truly blew Derek away.

Style of Dance: Tango

Song: "I Wanna Be Your Slave" by Måneskin

Judges' Feedback: "That was your best dance! Well done," Derek shared.

"Every position was hit with power, precision, drive," Bruno praised. "You had this killer instinct in you tonight, I loved it."

Final Score: 37 (9, 9, 10, 9)
 

Gabby Windey and Alan Bersten

Gabby had to dance with a new partner this week, teaming up with Alan after Val Chmerkovskiy had to sit this week out. But she still brought the heat -- and some real vampiric sensuality with a blood feast before their Argentine tango.

Style of Dance: Argentine tango

Song: "Shivers" by District 78, featuring Mikayla Lynn

Judges' Feedback: "I am so proud of you tonight," Bruno said. "The way you were able to shift and pivot to a new partner... I'm so proud of you."

"Listen, that tango did not suck. It was bloody brilliant! It was fang-tastic!" Derek added.

Final Score: 37 (10, 9, 9, 10)


Wayne Brady and Witney Carson

Getting the chance to deliver a contemporary number, Wayne and Witney went full cyborg, blending stunning costuming and set decoration with some edgy dancing and impressive footwork that Bruno couldn't get enough of.

Style of Dance: Contemporary    

Song: "Halloween Theme"—District 78

Judges' Feedback: "That was an absolutely clever routine," Bruno gushed. "It was subtle, but every detail was absolutely superb."

Final Score: 37 (9, 9, 9, 10)


Trevor Donovan and Emma Slater

Trevor is coming into his own as a dancer, and for Halloween night he brought all the skills he's learned to the table to create a beautiful, heartbreaking number that gave them their highest score of the season by far.

Style of Dance: Contemporary    

Song: "Ghost (Acoustic)" by Justin Bieber

Judges' Feedback: "I actually forgot you were dancing... I have goosebumps," Bruno said. "That was brilliant."

"That was an amazing performance. I can watch dances all day long and appreciate them, but when a dance does that, and it goes inside, it's a moment I'll never forget," Carrie Ann shared. "That was amazing, and the partnership is beautiful."

Final Score: 39 (10, 9, 10, 10)
 

The Elimination!

After a night of frightfully fantastic dances -- including two group dances that came after the main rounds -- it was finally time to see whose DWTS journey would be coming to an end.

Shockingly, the final two couples were both among the highest score earners of the night! Jordin and Brandon as well as Heidi and Artem! 

The judges each agonized over having to choose between the two, but with a vote of 3-1 (with Derek being the long dissenter) the judges voted to save Heidi, sending Jordin home at the end of Halloween Night.

Dancing With the Stars returns for '90s Night next Monday at 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT on Disney+.

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