Showing improvement! The Dancing With the Stars season 28 cast found their footing during the Monday, October 7, episode as they danced to popular songs.
James Van Der Beek shared happy news, taking the cameras to an ultrasound with wife Kimberly Van Der Beek as the couple confirmed that she is pregnant with their sixth child. The duo are already parents of Olivia, 9, Joshua, 7, Annabel, 5, Emilia, 3, and Gwendolyn, 15 months.
Kimberly, 37, called the baby’s heartbeat “the best sound,” and James, 42, explained the special significance of the moment. “Hearing the heartbeat was, it’s something you never take for granted,” he noted through tears.
The actor then revealed that the pair have dealt with miscarriages in the past. “We’ve had five kids. We’ve had three miscarriages in between those,” he told his partner, Emma Slater. “Miscarriage is something that people really don’t talk about, and we wanted to recognize that it happens to people. We wanted to destigmatize that as much as we possibly could.”
Meanwhile, Hannah Brown took out her anger over her past relationships in a rage room with partner Alan Bersten. “These are all my ex-boyfriends,” the 25-year-old declared while smashing wine bottles and screaming. The reality star ended her engagement to Jed Wyatt ahead of the Bachelorette finale in July. She also failed to reconcile with runner-up Tyler Cameron, despite a date night shortly after season 15 concluded airing.
Bersten, 25, challenged Brown to not smile during the dance, which she struggled with, but her alter-ego assisted. “Hannah Beast’s gonna come out,” she warned.
Peta Murgatroyd also flew in Lamar Odom’s children, Destiny, 21, and Lamar Jr., 17, to surprise him during rehearsals. His daughter noted how “amazing” it was to see him dance after his near-death overdose in 2015.
At the judges’ table, Carrie-Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli were joined by season 17 contestant Leah Remini. The guest judge weighed in as part of ABC’s “Cast From the Past” week. The King of Queens alum, 49, and her partner, Tony Dovolani, were eliminated during week 10 in 2013, while Amber Riley took home the mirrorball trophy.
The bottom two consisted of Odom and Murgatroyd as well as Karamo Brown and Jenna Johnson. The judges chose to save Brown and Johnson. “I’m lucky to be walking and talking,” the former NBA player said after his elimination.
Scroll through the gallery below for a recap of each dance and score.