'Dancing With The Stars' couples feel the heat for 'Latin Week': Dance-by-dance recap

LOS ANGELES -- Hot dancers burned up the ballroom during "Latin Week" of "Dancing With The Stars." The show opened with all the professional dancers doing a killer number. Then the couples took their turns and -- along with Rumbas, Salsas and Paso Dobles -- we saw glitter, sweat, smiles, splits, lifts, flips, flops and even blood!

Here's a recap of round three, from highest score to lowest:

RIKER LYNCH - 34 out of 40

Our actor and rocker has flair! That's what head judge Len Goodman thinks. He definitely has commitment. When pro Allison Holker tells Riker he needs to be sexy and shirtless for the Salsa, he seems a little confused, but dives right into learning the new routine. The dance is very athletic and very fast. In the end, yes, she rips his shirt open. Carrie Ann Inaba told him he's the first male to be a contender this year. Julianne Hough said the energetic dance had her out of her seat and on her feet. Bruno Tonioli thinks the couple is really going for the gold.

NASTIA LIUKIN - 34 out of 40

Last week's leader held her own for another week, even with a severely bruised thumb. That's what happens when your dance partner stomps on it (accidentally, of course). Nastia and Derek Hough are clearly a good pair, but they face the uphill battle of only getting to dance together 50 percent of the time. He has commitments to Radio City Music Hall and she has a busy school schedule, but they make it work and do what Bruno called an "inebriating" Samba. Julianne called the routine one of the more difficult ones she's seen. Len simply called her a fantastic dancer.

RUMER WILLIS - 33 out of 40

Rumer and Val Chmerkovskiy are trying to distance themselves from being dubbed the front runners this early in the season, but there's no two ways about it. The girl is good! Val gives her very good advice after last week, and it was simply to have more fun! She took it to heart and had a blast doing the Salsa. Who wouldn't? It was DISCO salsa! Rumer learns lifts aren't as easy as they look, and Val gets beaned during rehearsal. His lip is pretty bloodied, but not enough to cause a trip to the E.R. Len called this the best dance of the season so far. Julianne liked seeing more of Rumer's fun side, but wants even more. Bruno called her disco-fabulous. Carrie Ann's comment was "damn girl!"

WILLOW SHIELDS - 32 out of 40

We are officially retiring the mention that Willow is the youngest competitor ever. She's hanging in with the adults. She shyly worries about finding her "fierceness" for the Paso Doble, but Mark Ballas is a great teacher and they discover it together. Unfortunately, she pushes herself a bit hard and injures her ribs. It looks like it hurts her to breathe, but only in rehearsal. She's fine for the ballroom. Len told them their Paso Doble would be hard to beat for the rest of the season. Julianne reminded Willow that slow and steady wins the race, and to keep improving. Carrie Ann said no matter the age, she acts like a seasoned performer.

NOAH GALLOWAY - 30 out of 40

Noah tried to be his partner Sharna Burgess' hero and tried to use his new prosthetic arm in the routine. Sharna said the Argentine Tango would be better if she could use his full frame. He tries, but the arm gives him more stress than he needs while also trying to learn a tough dance. They chuck the arm and choreograph a new routine two days before show time! It worked, with Julianne calling it their best dance yet. Bruno said it was a miraculous interpretation. Carrie Ann praised the impact of the movement. Len praised the choreography and called Noah his hero.

ROBERT HERJAVEC - 29 out of 40

Robert seems to feel he's disappointing his partner Kym Johnson and that upsets him more than any scores. She offers a pep talk and they work hard on the always-tough Rumba. We learn Robert has a bad back, which sometimes affects his breathing, but he powers through. Carrie Ann thinks their chemistry is "ridiculous" and loves their positive energy. Len thinks everything to date has been good, but nothing is great, and wants him to step it up a bit. Julianne called the dance one of their best.

CHRIS SOULES - 28 out of 40

"The Bachelor" was quite defeated after his low scores and disparaging comments after week two. Witney Carson tells him you can't improve if you're feeling sorry for yourself. He swims out of depression and dives fully into learning the Argentine Tango. What a difference a week makes! Julianne called him the comeback kid and advised him to keep up his razor sharp focus. Bruno agreed that the routine was stronger and Chris was more present in the dance. Carrie Ann was happy to see the Farmer Chris character go away. Len said this was the couple's best dance so far.

SUZANNE SOMERS - 25 out of 40

Suzanne was over the moon with the judges' scores and comments from week two and it lit a fire under her to keep it up. But she still has fun. She wears a Carmen Miranda-inspired fruit hat to rehearsal to learn the Samba. HER OWN FRUIT HAT. Tony Dovolani tells her she is becoming a dancer; that's about the highest praise you can get from a pro partner! Len called the dance juicy, fruity and full of fun. Julianne praised her commitment to character. Bruno thinks she sizzles when it matters, but Carrie Ann said she wants more "depth." No one seemed to know what that means, but, hey, she's a judge!

MICHAEL SAM - 24 out of 40

Peta Murgatroyd treats Michael to a spa day since his previous weeks have been extra stressful with his football/dancing commitments. She choreographs a vigorous Salsa, complete with plenty of lifts, and Michael gets scared that he will hurt her. Peta gets a little nervous too, because she's not used to such a tall, muscular partner. She gets bumped, bruised and dropped during rehearsal, but on show night they were fine. Maybe a bit too fine. The judges thought they were a bit tentative. Bruno also worried about Michael's timing. Carrie Ann called the dance choppy. Julianne thinks his previous weeks were better.

CHARLOTTE MCKINNEY - 22 out of 40

Charlotte was shocked she made it through to another round, but rather than embracing the chance she seemed to only half-heartedly put herself into the process. Keo Motsepe was visibly frustrated during rehearsals because Charlotte spent as much time with her cellphone as her dance partner. Her Rumba featured some great leg extensions, splits and lifts, but not enough content in between. It looked like the judges didn't like the disrespect she seemed to show Keo during rehearsals, and they all called her out on it in various ways. But a rap on the head to Bruno for telling her she'd never win the Nobel Prize for physics... weren't we just talking about bullying last week?

PATTI LABELLE - 22 out of 40

Miss Patti is a performer and a crowd pleaser. Artem Chigvintsev tells her she needs to be flirty and sexy for her Cha Cha and she's game. He also asks if he can lift her. When he does, she adorably giggles. You just can't help but smile while watching her! Len complimented her musicality and charm, but all the judges told Artem it's time for more content in the routine.

It was a tight show for time, so there wasn't much dilly-dallying around at the end. Chris, Charlotte and Noah (yeah, right, who are they kidding?) were called out as being "in jeopardy." Noah was quickly given his reprieve. In the end, Charlotte was sent away from the ballroom to go eat more Carl's Jr. hamburgers.

Ten couples return next week!