Finally, the first set of perfect scores were handed out on Monday night's "Dancing With the Stars" — and then some. But they came with a price.
Kym Johnson and football superstar Hines Ward were practicing last week when Johnson fell on her head and cried, "I can't feel my arms!" The incident was captured on film — the show aired it Monday night — and it looked as if the injury was bad enough that she might not finish the competition.
In the end, doctors cleared her to continue competing — she practiced wearing a neck brace — and she and Ward did the tango for their first dance.
"Praise God she's walking; she's a warrior," Ward said while fighting back tears. "I love her." Johnson added that "it could have been really bad. I feel so blessed and lucky to be OK."
The judges were amazed and handed out a round of 10s to the pair, for a total of 30 out of 30. Ward and Johnson performed the salsa for their second dance and once again earned a perfect score, making their grand total for the night 60 out of 60.
"It was like something from the Kama Sutra; that is a tango!" exclaimed head judge Len Goodman. Bruno Tonioli agreed, saying, "It was like good sex ... you never want it to end."
Everyone had to perform three dances on Monday night, two regularly scored performances and then a winner-take-all cha cha. And all four couples fared pretty well.
Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas: This is the couple that won't quit. Even though they didn't earn the two sets of perfect scores like Hines and Ward, they did win the bonus points from the cha cha, giving them the top total of 73. Judges loved their Argentine tango and their second dance, the rumba, earned them a perfect 30/30 score. "It had mood. It was very expressive. Lovely feet and legs, which created a natural hip action. Tonight, you have fulfilled your potential," Goodman said of their rumba.
Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy: Their Viennese waltz earned 27 points; their second dance, the paso doble, earned the pair another 27. "You guys were tight the whole way through, the technique was amazing. You transform the ballroom into something different every time you step out there," Carrie Ann Inaba said of the waltz. Total score: 54/60.
Ralph Macchio and Karina Smirnoff: Macchio was still smarting from last week's injury, but the judges applauded his stick-to-it attitude. The couple danced the Argentine tango — they got 25 points from the judges — and chased it with a salsa dance that earned 23 points. "It didn't really smolder; however, having said that, I liked the setup around the lamp post, into the dance. It was sharp and precise, full of content. Well done," Goodman said of their tango. Total score: 48/60.
