Jimmie Allen's Dancing With the Stars swan song played out on "Janet Jackson Night" with two solid performances.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Allen and dance partner turned family friend Emma Slater began the night dancing the Cha-Cha to Jackson's "Escapade" while dressed in sparking gold. In the first sign that Allen and Slater's stint on the show was coming to an end, judges awarded their dance 32 out of 40 possible points.
Later in the show, Allen faced Olympic gold medal gymnast Suni Lee in a dance-off. Allen and Slater's salsa dance to Jackson's "Made for Now (Latin Version)" ended their run on the show, but they went down swinging against a world-class athlete.
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"Queen Night"
Allen staved off elimination with two different dances as Dancing With the Stars celebrated classic rock royalty on Nov. 1 with "Queen Night."
The country singer and Slater first wowed judges with a Viennese Waltz to Queen's "Somebody to Love." After his performance, Allen presented a bouquet of flowers to his wife, Alexis. The duo earned two 10 scores from judges en route to picking up 38 of 40 possible points.
Later, Allen competed against fellow celebrities JoJo Siwa and Olivia Jade in a foxtrot dance-off to Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure." Though Jade and her dance partner wowed judges the most, Allen's prior high score kept him in the competition.
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"Grease Night"
Allen pulled off his best Danny Zuko, John Travolta-style, on Oct. 18 during "Grease Night" on ABC's Dancing With the Stars.
Allen and Slater foxtrotted to the song "Sandy" while surrounded by a makeshift dive-in movie theater, complete with vintage cars. It earned them their best score so far: 34 out of 40 possible points.
The performance came just two days after Allen welcomed his third child, a daughter named Zara James Allen.
https://youtu.be/ZdkZBlwuIOw
"Disney Week"
One week prior, Allen used his first "Disney Week" performance on Dancing With the Stars to pay tribute to his late father, James "Big Jim" Allen.
"When I think of heroes, I think of my father," Allen shared during rehearsals. "He's the one that raised me on 'never make an excuse' and that's helped me so much with my career."
No excuses needed for Allen and dance partner Emma Slater's paso doble dance to "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from Mulan, which incorporated the required Mickey Mouse steps.
The pair, known as Team Jemma, earned a score of 30/40 and high praise from judge Derek Hough.
"Jimmie, what I'm so impressed about you with is your texture and your movement, the resistance when you move something you don't just hit it," Hough said. "You actually move through it, it looks just wonderful and also this is my favorite Mickey dance challenge so far. So well done brother."
Allen picked up two bonus points for pulling off the best nod to Mickey, upping his team's score to 32.
"Disney Week" began on Oct. 11. It continued the following night with dances inspired by Disney villains.
Allen's father died in Sept. 2020.
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"Britney Night"
On Oct. 11, the show had its "Britney Night" where Allen and Slater appeared in some extravagant costumes, featuring fluorescent print ensembles and pink hues.
Allen had previously stated that he isn't competing each week for himself, but rather for his wife, Alexis. The singer said he wanted to make her proud, and through an emotional clip, you could see Allen tearing up as he FaceTimed his family.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QThEfVIBag4&t=13s
Allen also revealed that he has been to eight of Spears' live concerts, making his performance a tribute to a musical influence.
Allen on Dancing With the Stars
The country singer's run on the show was announced on Good Morning America on Sept. 8. Other contestants confirmed at the time included The View co-host Amanda Kloots, actor Brian Austin Green, Bling Empire star Christine Chiu, Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby, actor/singer JoJo Siwa, former NBA Player Iman Shumpert, Real Housewives of Atlanta's Kenya Moore, The Bachelor's Matt James, Cobra Kai's Martin Kove, Spice Girls' Melanie C., WWE wrestler Mike "The Miz" Mizanin, Melora Hardin, Olympic gymnast Suni Lee and Youtube Influencer Olivia Jade.
As far as judges for this season, Carrie Anne Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, Len Goodman and professional dancer Hough returned for the 30th season while Tyra Banks hosts for her second season. ABC had hinted that Allen would join the cast through a post on the Dancing with the Stars Instagram page.
#DancingOnGMA: Country music star @JimmieAllen takes his talents to the ballroom in season 30 of @DancingABC!#DWTShttps://t.co/QX4Y8kun89 pic.twitter.com/BdogcSZkZM
— Good Morning America (@GMA) September 8, 2021
The caption read, "Go ahead, take your best shot. If you can figure out who this celeb is, sing it out loud." The caption was a reference to the singer's debut single, "Best Shot." The image showed the DWTS mirror ball trophy and a trumpet, which was likely a reference to the singer's recently-released children's book, My Voice is a Trumpet.
Other country artists who have previously competed in Dancing with the Stars include Lauren Alaina, Billy Ray Cyrus, Sara Evans, Jana Kramer, Kellie Pickler and Bobby Bones. Dancing with the Stars returned to ABC on Mon., Sept. 20.
Allen launched his career back in 2018 with the release of his debut single "Best Shot," which reached No. 1. He scored another chart-topper with his hit "Make Me Want To" in 2019. His recent single "Freedom Was a Highway" is a collaboration with Brad Paisley, who he performed with on the ACM Awards in April. He also took home the New Male Artist of the Year honors at the 2021 ACM Awards.
Editor Note: This article was originally written on September 8, 2021. It was updated on Nov. 2 following "Queen Night."
