Welcome to ... wait, there was no forced theme this week on "Dancing with the Stars"? It wasn't '90s-centric or Corporate Synergy Night or a tribute to the tributes of "The Goldbergs"? It was simply about ... the dancing?! What a pleasant change of pace!

Indeed, the dancing competition focused on the footwork again on Monday – complete with a bonus Derek Hough dance routine that was spicy and eye-poppingly staged. It was so good, it almost made up for Tyra's hosting, which has unfortunately not improved. True, some of the clunkiness is the show's fault, revealing scores awkwardly after commercial breaks not once but twice Monday night – and she's no longer reading the wrong names off the elimination cards, so that's a positive! But her post-dance questions are still stiff, and it sure feels like she uses up a lot of air on a show that routinely runs out of episode and pushes its eliminated contestants off the program with all the grace of me trying to dance. Remember when they had the time to end episodes with the eliminated couple getting a final slow dance together? I miss that. 

Speaking of things you'll miss: Vernon Davis. The former football player got cut from the team this week after a cha cha that was lovingly performed (and, acccording to the set, inspired by the posters for "Wonder Woman 1984") but too leaden for a lively dance done to "Celebration." Davis didn't quite live up to the high mark normally set by football players on the show, but he still represented well and is leaving at about the right time. 

That leaves us with ten contestants remaining – and very few bad dancers left in the bunch. Who should stay? Who should go? And who thinks a Halloween/villains theme next week is a bad idea? (So ... is there gonna be, like, a paso doble with Val chasing Monica Aldama around the floor in a Michael Myers mask? Or a contemporary routine danced between Darth Vader and a stormtrooper? Must we do this? I have such questions.) The judges had their say, but here are my rankings for another week of "Dancing with the Stars."

10. Skai Jackson

Dance: Cha cha

Score: 18 out of 30

Who needs horror movies this Halloween season when I already spent Skai's routine terrified, hiding my eyes and fully scared for her. I truly felt bad for Jackson after her cha cha, as she seemed to lose the steps for about an entire third of the routine. She blamed it on a foot slip, but honestly it looked like she simply forgot her steps and couldn't figure out how to get back into the number – which, fair, the poor girl's trying to take college classes at the same time. That being said, she looked scared and strained from the very beginning of the cha cha, with a stapled-on grin seemingly hoping to hide her nerves. 

I have a theory (or more like an excuse to bring up sports in a dancing show recap) that she had what Aaron Rodgers had on Sunday. Rodgers started out great against the Tampa Bay Bucs, but after he threw an interception, he got in his head and made things worse. Skai Jackson similarly started out promising on the show in week one, but after she had her first tough number, she's rarely seemed as loose or confident since. Props to her for finishing her routine, but I'm afraid she may be finished on the show completely.

9. Johnny Weir

Dance: Salsa

Score: 22 out of 30

Talk about a wake-up call of an episode. Weir was an easy frontrunner to start the season – ice skaters always kick butt on here – but he's been just been generally OK, so much so he ended up in the bottom two and almost eliminated over Vernon Davis. He'll have to come back strong next week after that scare and his salsa, which was sassily performed but not quite grounded enough for Bruno. We're running out of bad dancers to get rid of on this show, so the merely decent ones are on the chopping block next. Consider this week a shot across the bow, Johnny. 

8. Chrishell Stouse

Dance: Contemporary

Score: 24 out of 30

The good news: This was probably the "Selling Sunset" star's best routine so far, an emotionally performed comtemporary dance dedicated to her parents who both passed away recently. (Between that and her high-profile tabloid divorce, can the girl get a break this year?) The bad news: She still got notes on her feet, and the choreography didn't seem the most challenging, coming off as a starter kit contemporary dance. She's doing better and growing each week – but this also seems like her ceiling. 

7. Jeannie Mai

Dance: Rumba

Score: 25 out of 30

Quick, guess how old Jeannie Mai is. Surprise: She's 41! Based on her energy, I thought she was my age and maybe even younger, so props to her for defying the concept of linear time – and props to an often lovely and emotional rumba, even if the routine seemed ... strange. The music seemed like an odd match with the slow and sensual rumba ... which felt like an odd match with her very heartfelt inspiration, based on her family's immigration story from Vietnam. Carrie Ann pointed out that her transitions needed work, so maybe that's why it didn't entirely come together for me this week – but still, she scored her first nine of the season, so she should be safe. 

6. Monica Aldama

Dance: Rumba

Score: 27 out of 30

Monica Aldama is a lovely dancer, and her rumba was smooth and sensual. But I have to admit: I forget about her number every week before the episode even ends, and this one's no different. There's just little that grabs me about her performances, even though they're technically very sound. Every season, somebody who's a good dancer goes home sooner than expected. I still bet on it being her – yes, because of her modest, barely-a-celeb status, but mainly because of her Teflon dances. 

5. Kaitlyn Bristowe

Dance: Samba

Score: 27 out of 30

At this point, we know the former "Bachelorette" is a good dancer and probably one of the most technically sound celebs on the show, hitting all her marks on her Biebs-centric samba. But being a good performer and being a good dancer are two different things, and she hasn't mastered the former quite yet, leaving me (and Carrie Ann! It's not just me being persnickety!) still wanting. Her routines are like air to me, in and out of the room without me even realizing. I think if she can add a little more pizzazz to the performance, she may become the frontrunner she clearly could be. 

4. Nelly

Dance: Viennese waltz

Score: 24 out of 30

I like watching Nelly dance so much. I like it so much I didn't even mind the shameless plug for his upcoming country-flavored EP, "The Heartland Project." He's not the most technically sound dancer – his Viennese waltz had little rise or fall – but there's a flow and musicality to his movements that charm me, and there's an endearing commitment and kindness on the dance floor. I wasn't expecting Nelly to be the David Ross of this season, but here we are – and he's better because he was never a Chicago Cub! (*puts finger to ear*) Wait, I'm getting reports that he is a St. Louis Cardinals fan, so he should probably get voted off immediately. 

3. Justina Machado

Dance: Viennese waltz

Score: 27 out of 30

My notes on Justina's Viennese waltz are simple: It was a dance so lovely and smooth that I was able to forgive her distractingly feathery dress. Between her strong dance moves and charismatic presence on and off the floor, I feel confident in predicting she makes it to the finale – but now that I've said that, she's probably going home next week. I'm so sorry, Justina; it's all my fault. 

2. Nev Schulman

Dance: Jazz

Score: 26 out of 30

Jenna Johnson, you've done made a goof out of yourself on national television. Not knowing that Marky Mark and Mark Wahlberg are the same person? Humiliating. For your punishment, you must watch the "Planet of the Apes" remake ten times without falling asleep. In the meantime, I'll talk about the dance – which, surprise, Nev was great again. This guy just has too much swagger and confidence on the dance floor for somebody who got famous for dating a fake person on the internet. Anyways, the performance was charismatic, the footwork was snappy, and the judges' only complaints seemed to be about the choreography itself, noting that the dance answered the question, "What kind of jazz routine would you like to do?" with "Yes."

1. AJ McLean

Dance: Samba

Score: 27 out of 30

The former Backstreet Boy spent most of his segment apologizing, but his bright and energetic samba was nothing to say sorry about, finally delivering a breakthrough after hovering around "OK" for the first several weeks. He was in the pocket of the music, he was having fun and he was performing seemingly outside the choreography, adding his own flourishes and feeling. It was so good, I'm not even going to make my usual Backstreet Boys pun.