'Dancing With the Stars': '80s Week Comes to a Close With Heartbreaking Elimination -- See Who Got the Axe

After Tyra reads off the names of everyone who is safe (which thankfully included Monica, after last week's debacle), she reveals which two couples are in jeopardy.

It all came down to Vernon and Peta, as well as Jesse and Sharna.

Sending the decision over to the judges, each of them agonize over who to save but ultimately the choice is unanimous - Vernon is staying, and Jesse gets the axe.

Goodbye Jesse! We hardly got a chance to see what you could do. Hopefully he'll come back for the finale!

Nev is a bottomless well of genuine excitement for dancing and for being on the show, and he always manages to bring every ounce of that joy to the stage with Jenna.

This week was no different as they delivered a fun and enthusiastic quickstep set to "Take On Me" by A-ha which proved to be a really enjoyable conclusion to a great night of retro-performances.

Carrie Ann has some problems with his frame and footwork, but Derek and Bruno have nothing but love and praise for the number -- and that's seen in the scores.

Carrie Ann awards the pair an 8 while Derek and Bruno both give 9s for a total of 26 out of 30.

Johnny has apparently been having tough time this week getting prepped for their contemporary routine, so Britt brings him to an ice rink to ground him with something he's familiar and comfortable with.

It seems to do the Olympic figure skater a lot of good, because they hit the dance floor for their number, set to Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart," and it's fun, beautiful and full of subtext and emotional meaning.

"Connecting, projecting, emoting. What you're doing now which is the sign of an artist, you really give dance a meaning," Bruno shares.

"Johnny, turn around and take a bow. Because consider that contemporary crushed!" Carrie Ann adds, as Derek says the dance was "perfect."

The scores are almost as perfect as well: Two 10s from Derek and Carrie Ann and a 9 from Bruno for a total of 29 out of 30.

Nelly might be the one person in this cast who really loves the 80s in a deep way, and it shows with his performance.

Nelly and Daniella hit the dance floor for a Samba set to "Rhythm of the Night" by DeBarge, and it's clear that Nelly is bringing his love of the decade to every step he takes.

"That was your best dance yet!" Derek says, jumping to his feet to celebrate. "Great job man!"

"I want to feel good when I watch someone dance. That made me so happy!" Carrie Ass adds. "Your journey, breaking through last week, and having this ease... I don't know what is going tonight, but it was yummy!"

Nelly and Daniella earn three 8s for a total of 24 out of 30.

Kaitlyn and Artem decide to embrace everything '80s in a big way, and it's a wonderful tribute.

Set in a high school classroom -- with a fantastic art design and 8-bit graphics backdrop -- the tango, set to Tiffany's "I Think We're Alone Now," is so evocative of all the greatest imagery from the decade.

The dance also blows everyone's mind when it ends with some surprise breakdancing that no one is expecting.

"Okay. I did not see that coming at the end!" Carrie Ann marvels. "You nailed it. Way to go!"

"That really was an action-packed '80s blockbuster!" Bruno screams with glee. "I mean, you never knew what was going to happen next. Always on the spot... that made me happy!"

The effusive praise was rewarded with a trio of 9s, giving the pair a grand total of 27 out of 30, and placing them comfortably at the top of tonight's leaderboard.

It needs to be said, Vernon looks like an '80s rock god with long flowing hair and serious rockstar swagger.

When their Tango, set to Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer," kicks off, the two absolutely own the dance floor.

Sadly, it doesn't last long as Vernon starts to missing his timing and takes some wrong steps, and it's clear from the expression on his face when the dance ends that he knows he didn't nail it as well as she should have.

That being said, Carrie Ann says she likes "the quality of movement" that he brings to the floor.

"There's an understanding of movement that I really enjoy," she added.

While all the judges had critiques, their scores weren't terrible by any means. The pair earned three 7s for a total of 21 out of 30.

Skai and Alan pay homage to Back to the Future, so it's automatically the best performance of the night.

With Skai rocking Marty McFly's red jacket and Alan rocking Doc Brown's lab coat, their jazz routine set to "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis & The News is a fantastic tribute to the iconic classic.

In the pre-taped package, Alan even gets to drive the DeLorean! Seriously, I cannot get enough of this dance.

The judges like it too (maybe not as much as they should have, but still) and they shower the Disney star with praise.

"Great Scott, Skai! That was so fun!" Derek exclaims.

The pair end up earning three 8s for a total of 24 out of 30. (Even though that's just not enough points for such a great, fun tribute to the best movie of the decade were honoring tonight.)

Also, Tyra reveals her second wardrobe change -- where she looks like a retro hip-hop star -- and it's certainly a look. Even Tyra only half thinks she's pulling it off, but tonight is the right night for bold fashion choices!

In yet another dance that is supposed to feel like a particularly memorable prom moment (maybe the '80s was just a long string of proms?) AJ and Cheryl deliver a surprisingly beautiful waltz set to Journey's "Open Arms" that was romantic and stylish, and ends with both of them crowning each other the king and queen of prom.

"Such an elegance, and the way you were leading Cheryl through the dance was beautiful," Carrie Ann shares. "This is the perfect place you should be this week. Great job."

Derek and Bruno are equally effusive in their feedback, and it's a sweet moment when AJ reveals that he never got a chance to go to prom in high school, so tonight was an opportunity to enjoy that experience.

Capping off a good dance the pair earned three 8s for a total of 24 out of 30.

Oh. My. God. Val's mullet! 

After last week's elimination weirdness, Monica and Val return tonight with a tango set to "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell, and it was absolutely fantastic.

But also, Val's mullet deserves three 10s all by itself!

Carrie Ann says she's "proud" that Monica came back from the edge of elimination with force and determination.

"I think the best thing that could happen to you was being in the bottom two," Derek shared. "It gave you an extra drive and hunger. That dance was so good."

The pair earn impressive 9s from Carrie Ann and Derek and an 8 from Bruno for a total of 26 out of 30.

For Jeannie and Brandon's jazz routine, the pair took a fun risk during their performance by incorporating a prop -- a bathtub -- into the number.

When they hit the floor for their dance, set to Madonna's "Like a Virgin," the risk pays off and the pair deliver a fun, well-crafted routine that the judges embraced excitedly.

"It's like Madonna has gone PG, all done in the best possible taste," Bruno says beaming.

"There is a confidence about you, when you dance, that just brings an energy and an ease to watching your performances," Derek tells Jeannie. "It's so much fun, you were so committed. It was a simple but clean routine. Well done."

The pair walk away with three 8s, for a total of 24 out of 30.

In the pre-taped package before her number, Chrishell reveals that she used to be (and still is) a huge New Kids on the Block fan.

So, when she finds out that they will be performing a cha cha set to "You Got It (The Right Stuff)," she suddenly realized that the bad might see the performance, an therefor they "can't suck" when they hit the stage.

Luckily, she brings a lot of fun energy to the performance -- sadly, there isn't enough traditional cha cha content to satisfy the judges. They are still pretty supportive, though.

Although doing well or not doesn't seem to matter to Chrishell after Tyra shows her a video message from each of the members of NKOTB sharing their love and support and it's clear she's over the moon.

The scores, however, still matter. They get three 6s for a total of 18 out of 30.

Rocking two seriously striking hairstyles, Jesse and Sharna hit the dancefloor for fun, romantic tango set to "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears and it gives off serious prom vibes -- in a great way.

Despite Jesse and Sharna's chemistry and charisma, some timing problems and missteps take away from the overall performance.

"You started very well," Bruno shares, before sadly adding, "Then you went wrong. You went wrong quite a few times. You kind of lost your timing."

Carrie Ann agrees, but compliments the actor for really starting to feel the music.

Derek assures the pair they everyone is rooting for them, but agrees with his fellow judges that this wasn't his best dance.

The pair earn a 7 from Carrie Ann and two 6s from Derek and Bruno for a total of 19 out of 30.

Straight up? There's no better way to kick off a tribute to the '80s than with a jazz dance performance set to "Maniac" from the 1983 classic Flashdance.

The performance has everything! '80s style, wild sets and a surprising recreation of the iconic waterworks moment!

"What a great way to open the show. Especially for '80s night," Derek marveled. "That was so perfect for this night. You are a maniac, and I mean that in the best possible way"

"Wet, wild, and wonderful!" Bruno exclaimed. "This was so deliciously '80s. I was crying all the way through, for good reason."

The pair earned a trio of 8s (which is so appropriate for the night's them) for a total of 24 out of 30!

Everything weird and wacky that made the '80s the craziest decade are going to be celebrated in a big way!

Tyra's got three costumes changes on the way, and everyone is in different shades of neon and pastel! Let's get going!