'DWTS' Recap: A Night of Emotional Performances

Entertainment Tonight, Monday, April 2, 2012, 7:48pm (PDT)

Entertainment Tonight.

On a night marked by tears, eleven stars and their pro partners transformed often painful memories into moving dances; two of which set the bar sky high, nabbing the very first 10's of the competition.

Opera star Katherine Jenkins and Mark Ballas took home the highest score of the night (and the season) with a waltz performed in honor of Jenkins' late father. Carrie Ann Inaba branded the dance "magic" as she and fellow judge Bruno Tonioli handed out their first perfect scores of the game. Len Goodman gave the routine a 9, branding Katherine and Mark as the night's frontrunners with 29 points total.

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Not far behind, William Levy and Cheryl Burke scored two 9's and a 10 from the judging panel following an electrifying salsa that finally gave fans of the Telenovela actor what they'd been waiting three long weeks for; a bare-chested Levy!

Donald Driver chose to honor his best friend who passed away of cancer in 2010 with a rumba that so profoundly affected the football star, he could hardly speak in his post-dance interview. The pair took home 26 points for their moving routine (9, 8, 9).

Disney star Roshon Fegan honored the late Michael Jackson with the Jackson 5 favorite, ABC. The delightful samba was a crowd pleaser and Bruno later proclaimed the music legend himself "would love" the routine. Roshon and Chelsea took home two 8's and a 9 for a total of 25 points.

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Despite rumors of a rift between Jaleel White and partner Kym Johnson, the former child star brought out his alter ego "Stefan Urkel" to create an awe-inspiring rumba, earning two 8's and a 9 for a total of 25 points.

Jack Wagner took home his highest scores ever (three 8's) as he danced for his long-lost daughter with whom he recently reunited with at a concert.

With an identical score of 24, Sherri Shepherd earned three 8's for a rumba dedicated to her son Jeffrey who was born more than three months premature with special needs.

Gladys Knight modeled her Foxtrot after the first time she went out on tour with the "Pips," and in return, the 67-year-old brought home three 8's as well for her lively turn on the dance floor.

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Singer Gavin DeGraw rounded out the bottom four this week, earning three 8's as well with a rumba dedicated to his family's unwavering support for him as a young man, set to the stylings of Billy Joel's New York State of Mind.

Dancing with the Stars returns to ABC tomorrow night for its second round of eliminations.

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