“I want this dance to be dedicated to Cameron Boyce,” said “Dancing with the Star” contestant Skai Jackson about her week four foxtrot with pro partner Alan Bersten. “He was in my life for half of my life, which is crazy.” The 18-year-old actress worked with Boyce on the Disney Channel series “Jessie,” but Boyce died in July 2019 at age 20 after suffering an epileptic seizure. So the performance she gave in his honor was not only a comeback for her in the ballroom after a couple of weeks of struggling through routines, it was a moment so emotional that judge Carrie Ann Inaba needed a minute to compose herself before she could deliver her critique. Watch Jackson’s performance above and see what the judges had to say below.
Derek Hough: “Last week I said it wasn’t my favorite. This was my absolute favorite dance of the night — so beautiful. It was just exquisite and had so much breath in there. Your neckline is stunning. You are a gorgeous ballroom dancer. Honestly, I’m just really proud of you. I really am. Beautiful.”
Carrie Ann Inaba: “First of all, for me dance is always about the emotion, and I’m sure that Cameron is watching you right now, and he’s so proud of you. What you did, you were like an angel dancing the most beautiful dance. I’m beyond words. It was just sheer perfection. Well done.”
Bruno Tonioli: “One thing’s for sure: you’re back in top form. That was stunning. It was the embodiment of grace and elegance. But what you had that I rarely see in somebody so young is poise. The poise was literally regal. My darling, keep doing jobs like this.”
It was clear from those comments that Jackson was about to get the highest score of the evening, but I don’t think anyone expected a perfect 10 so early in the season, especially on a night that only just saw the season’s first 9 a few dances earlier. It might have even surprised Inaba to see a performance she wanted to give a 10 to this soon, but when she said “sheer perfection” she meant it. Hough and Tonioli gave Jackson 9s, which brought her to a total of 28 out of 30, which was three points higher than the next highest score on the leaderboard, Kaitlyn Bristowe‘s 25. Do you agree with the judges that she gave the best performance of the night? Vote in our poll below to let us know which routine was really the class of the field.
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