Guillermo Rodriguez is making a habit of surviving Dancing with the Stars eliminations.
For the second week in a row, the Jimmy Kimmel Live! sidekick found himself at the bottom of the Dancing with the Stars leaderboard Tuesday night—and for the second week in a row, viewers kept him in the competition.
Rodriguez and pro partner Witney Carson earned a 12 out of 30 for their paso doble to Rihanna’s “Where Have You Been” on the show’s “Viral Hits Night,” a two-point improvement over their 10/30 debut last week.
The pair received 4s across the board from DWTS judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli, tying Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten for the lowest judges’ score of the night.
But the judges also saw progress.
“I appreciate that you just did not rely on it and gave us posture,” Inaba told Rodriguez, adding, “I sense a viral moment.”
Hough was even more impressed.
“There was an intensity and intention and commitment,” he told Rodriguez. “You were focused and really in the dance. I was really blown away.”
Tonioli offered a considerably more succinct review: “Olé!”
Rodriguez’s 12 still left him in familiar territory heading into the elimination. Last week, he finished at the bottom of the men’s leaderboard with a 10, only to be rescued by the viewer vote.
“This ballroom was on their feet because they love you,” host Alfonso Ribeiro noted after Tuesday’s dance.
That support once again proved important. Rodriguez and Carson were among the final three couples left standing when the results were announced, alongside De Laurentiis and Bersten and Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess.
Rodriguez and Carson were ultimately declared safe, while De Laurentiis and Bersten were sent home.
And should Rodriguez need inspiration for next week, he apparently wouldn’t mind another Rihanna number.
Asked by Julianne Hough whether Rihanna was his favorite artist, Rodriguez replied, “She is very sweet, smart, and very nice and sexy. She is the whole package.”
