Whitney Houston Dancing With the Stars heartbreaking exit

Entertainment Weekly's Calie Schepp writes for What to Watch. Dancing With the Stars' Whitney Houston night featured impressive performances and a surprise elimination.

Calie Schepp, a talented editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly, is responsible for writing the script for EW's daily What to Watch podcast and covering a wide variety of pop culture. She is a graduate of Indiana University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in journalism.

The latest episode of Dancing With the Stars was dedicated to the legendary Whitney Houston, with the remaining seven couples delivering mesmerizing performances to some of her greatest hits. The self-proclaimed "male Whitney Houston," Billy Porter, joined the judging panel after opening the night with a powerful performance of "How Will I Know."

The evening kicked off with Harry Jowsey's Viennese waltz to "I Have Nothing" from The Bodyguard. While the performance was graceful, the judges felt it lacked the necessary intensity and awarded a score of 28 out of 40. Xochitl Gomez, despite a sprained ankle, delivered a passionate tango to "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)," earning the first perfect score of the season and high praise from the judges. Ariana Madix followed with a fiery paso doble, earning a near-perfect score of 39 out of 40.

The "dance-off" round saw intense head-to-head battles, with Alyson and Sasha emerging victorious in the rumba, Barry & Peta winning the salsa, and Charity & Artem taking the cha-cha battle. Ultimately, Barry Williams was eliminated, bidding a fond farewell to the show and expressing gratitude for the experience.

As the competition heats up, the next episode will feature the first-ever Taylor Swift night, promising an electrifying celebration of Swift's music.

Don't miss the next episode of Dancing With the Stars, airing Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+, with streaming available the following day on Hulu. Get ready to be swept away by the magic of dance and music!