'Dancing with the Stars' recap: Who was the first celebrity elimination?

Time to Say Goodbye

NBA star Charles Oakley and “Tiger King’s” Carole Baskin found themselves in the tiger pit... the bottom two. Despite Oakley showing improvement in his technique week-to-week, judge Derek Hough was the deciding factor and he gave Baskin another shot at the Mirrorball Trophy.

Oakley spoke with “Good Morning America” the next day and remained positive adding that he was “glad” he had a “chance to come on the show.”

All the Way to the Top<br /><br />

“One Day at a Time” actress Justina Machado took the lead with a romantic foxtrot set to Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston’s “When You Believe,” which scored her an impressive 42/60. Not only is she a natural dancer, but she seems to be having such a fun time on the dance floor. Even Bruno Tonioli noticed stating: “You make me happy. There is such an honest quality about you.”

But Not So Fast…<br /><br />

Fans were concerned when it was teased that “Bachelorette” star Kaitlyn Bristowe might not be able to perform due to an ankle injury. But she proved that competing is in her blood and that she has a stake in this competition by dancing through the pain. I will dance through anything!” she declared. Even more impressive is that her foxtrot set to LeAnn Womack’s “I Hope You Dance” landed her a 42/60 and in a tie with Machado!

As Long As You Love Me<br /><br />

AJ McLean tapped into his inner-romantic by dedicating his foxtrot to his wife of nearly ten years, Rochelle. The Backstreet Boy had everyone swooning at home as he professed his love to her: “She's the most compassionate, caring, understanding woman. An amazing wife and an amazing mom. She's my superhero." We’re not crying, you’re crying. He scored a 37/60, which isn’t surprising -- he’s been dancing and entertaining the ladies for years as a boy bander!

Post-'Tiger King' Life Isn't All That Glam

As Baskin bared her soul about life after Netflix premiered the “Tiger King” documentary, she broke down crying recalling all the negative attention explaining that it took a toll on her mental health.

"I actually had to contact my family and say, 'Be prepared,'" she told host Tyra Banks. "Because I try not to ever cry in front of them, ever. To break down in front of everybody, it's -- it's really out of character for me."

She said that she hopes “DWTS” can be a turning point for her family and her reputation. “I see what the media can do to you ... I don’t know how to make it better. I hope 'Dancing With the Stars' makes it good for my daughter. She can tell her friends, 'This is who my momma is. She doesn’t really dance, but she can learn to dance.'”

There were some positives, however. For her performance, the Big Cat Rescue founder danced to Tom Jones’ “What’s New Pussycat.” Derek Hough, who voted against eliminating Baskin, said her dance was a “big improvement from last week.”

Getting Out of the Comfort Zone

Carrie Ann Inaba told Nelly that he needed to work on his technique a bit, but he was “the easiest to watch," and he contributed his infectious energy to being hip-hop artist in a pre-show interview with V-103. During the show, Nelly showed off his new dancing kicks (thanks to the Shoe Surgeon) while dancing the Cha Cha snagging a 34/60.

In the interview, he revealed that his constantly evolving style motivated him to join the series and get out of his comfort zone. “When somebody tells me I can’t do something, that’s going to make me want to do it even more,” he explained. And the fact that he can’t dance professionally meant that he would try his best.