REVIEW: Charli D’Amelio, Wayne Brady lead ‘Dancing With the Stars’ but Selma Blair wows

Covid sidelined pro Daniella Karagach, TikTok star Charli D’Amelio continued to top the leader board and Cheryl Ladd was spared from going home.

Just another week on “Dancing With the Stars”? Not really. Maybe it’s the extra time they get on Disney+ but the contestants have a bit more invested this year than they did in the past and showed plenty of improvement – in just one week.

Actress Selma Blair, who’s battling multiple sclerosis, continued to amaze with a “Jailhouse Rock” that included a cartwheel and splits. Yeah, they might not have been part of a traditional jive, but they certainly impressed, and they helped cover the fact she doesn’t have feeling in her left leg. If Blair doesn’t wind up in the finals, producers need to create a courage award for her, particularly since she’s doing things we haven’t seen.

Daniel Durant, who’s deaf, was incredible, too, and gave his jive the passion he provided his performance in “Coda.” To add to the moment, his co-stars, Marlee Matlin (a “DWTS” vet) and Troy Kotsur, were in the audience, cheering him on.

Teresa Giudice, the “Real Housewife” who was in the bottom two last week, was there again Monday and didn’t quite have the kind of jive that could pull her out of the hole. She was eliminated, leaving Ladd to find the steps she lost during “Elvis” night.

Most of the others finished in the high 20s and offered their own spins on the season.

1. Opening your shirt helps. Trevor Donovan let the abs out and got a 30 for his rumba.

2. A good performance is possible, no matter what. Wearing a mask, Joseph Baena was able to make his Viennese waltz look good, even though fill-in pro Alexis Warr only had a couple of rehearsals.

3. Shame is powerful motivator. Vinny Guadagnino didn’t want to go home after a lackluster first week. He channeled Elvis and got a 27 for a quickstep.

4. Even the best have problems. Wayne Brady admitted he has bad knees but still pulled out a 32, putting him in first with Charli.

5. News outside the ballroom helps the scores. Gabby Windey got engaged over the weekend and rode the surprise to a 32.

Thus far, it’s a three-way battle. D’Amelio (Charli, not mom Heidi), Brady and Windey are in the lead. But those emotional stories could pull someone else into the top three.

If Cheryl Ladd doesn’t go home next week, look for Baena (who hasn’t brought dad, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to the ballroom) or Heidi D’Amelio to exit. It’s James Bond week, so the dance floor could be littered with victims.

Stray observations: Host Tyra Banks appeared to have grown taller. She’s at least a head taller than co-host Alfonso Ribeiro and at least that next to some of the pros. Also, head judge Len Goodman isn’t as feisty this year as he has been. That could be because the judging panel is crowded (three is enough – and Derek Hough wants to teach too much) or there’s too much Bruno business to bother with a well-polished one-liner.