To quote the lovably looney Bruno Tonioli, it was a night of miracles in the ballroom during this week's 'Dancing With the Stars.' It was the last dance-off before the semi-finals, and everyone brought their A-game. But no one brought it quite like J.R. Martinez. The Iraq War veteran not only scored the first perfect score of the season for his dreamy waltz -- but then he did it again with his high-energy jive. That's a perfect score of 60, and it was just as incredible as it sounds.

This week J.R. was on a mission to dance a perfect waltz, and he most certainly succeeded. The pair got a standing ovation -- before their dance was even finished. J.R. and Karina were absolutely lovely together, so it's pretty fitting that the two would receive that first perfect score of the season. Despite J.R.'s goofy moves in rehearsals, this soldier is in it to win it. His lines were clean, his toes were pointed and he even managed to pull off some pretty impressive tricks (watch out, Derek!).

Not to say 'I told you so' or anything ... but I totally told you so. From week one, I knew J.R. was going to be the one to beat, and I couldn't help but feel like a proud mom watching him on that dance floor.

Just when I thought J.R. couldn't get any better, then came the instant jive, and it was clear J.R. wanted redemption after his last jive (or lindy hop, according to Len) failed to impress the judges. J.R. and Karina's instant jive was so on point that it looked like anything but instant. Len even told J.R. that he has "the X-Factor." Did you hear that, Simon? You can stop searching now, because I think we found your $5 million act.

Seriously, I can't think of a more deserving star than J.R. to receive the season's first perfect score. Week after week, he comes in with the right attitude and dedication, and he's an absolute pleasure to watch. But what I love most about J.R.? He never beats himself up or gets down on himself for not doing as well as he could have. Ricki, Hope, Rob and Nancy could definitely learn a lesson or two from this soldier.



Meanwhile, Ricki Lake and Derek also had the waltz this week, and it was beautifully executed, with the exception of a few hiccups. Watching Ricki is like a breath of fresh air. She's not dancing because she has to -- she's dancing because she loves to. Sure, Ricki has consistently been on top of the leaderboard, but that doesn't mean she hasn't transformed.

She's more confident, more energetic and definitely fitter. Seriously, Ricki is looking incredible. She almost makes me want to take dancing lessons. And having Derek as my teacher would definitely serve as some much-needed motivation.

Unfortunately, Ricki didn't impress the judges like she had hoped. Len even had a few harsh words for the former talk show host: "Unless you nail your footwork, you will never get a 10 from Len." But cheer up, Ricki. At least you got a 10 from Bruno.

For her instant jive, Ricki pulled out 'Land of 1000 Dances,' or what I call the 'FernGully' song. Of course Derek literally had a leaping start as he jumped over Ricki's head to kick off their instant jive. In my opinion there was a bit too much razzamatazz and not enough technique, and for once, the judges seemed to agree. When she didn't score as well as she wanted, Ricki started to cry. Cue sympathy votes now.

Rob Kardashian and his partner, the long-lost Kardashian, Cheryl Burke, danced the quickstep this week to the A-Ha classic 'Take On Me.' Honestly, I can't think of a pop song better suited for a quickstep, and Rob pulled it off amazingly well. Guys, forget what I said a few weeks ago, because Rob really has what it takes to make it to the finals, and dare I say it, win the Mirror Ball.

But the best part of Rob's dance? When Tom Bergeron told him: "And you've having the best week of any Kardashian." Oh Tom, I love you. With his sister Kim Kardashian filing for divorce and his mom Kris Jenner calling out "Indian givers" on live television, Rob really is having the best week in the Kardashian kingdom.

For their instant jive, Rob pulled out 'Maneater' by Hall & Oats, which happens to be his "favorite group ever!" That was obviously sarcastic. His instant jive was a bit stomp heavy, but for only having 20 minutes to prepare, it's clear how far Rob has come since week one.

But I will say one thing: Watch that bum, Rob! It took Carrie Ann two minutes to recover from the excessive booty shaking. Looks like Rob really is coming out of sister Kim's shadow, proving that he too has some big assets to offer.

Is it me or does Hope Solo always get the weirdest outfits? Regardless of the silly raincoat ensemble, Hope had her best dance of the competition. OK, so her footwork was a little off, but the judges seemed to agree that Hope and Maks dominated the dance floor with their lively quickstep.

Although was I the only one that felt like when Len told her that she had "fulfilled her potential," he was simultaneously telling her to kiss off?

Maks also took full responsibility for being "overly rough" last week, and this week he turned into a big softie, trying a gentler approach with the soccer star. In an attempt to humanize their PR nightmare, the 'DWTS' producers took us inside Maks' home this week, where we learned that he used to cry a lot as a child -- practically every day, according to his father.

For her instant jive, Hope pulled out 'What the Hell' by Avril Lavigne, and it became instantly clear that the US women's soccer team does not jam out to Avril before their games.

But despite Hope not knowing the song, she totally rocked her instant jive. In fact, she never looked happier or so on point throughout the entire competition. Len nearly had a heart attack! Her kicks and flicks were practically flawless, and for the first time, I actually saw her competing in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, Nancy Grace and Tristan's love-hate relationship is sort of adorable, even though you can see how visibly frustrated they both are at each other. But it's kind of endearing, no? I know for sure that I probably wouldn't have been able to put up with Nancy this season had it not been for Tristan bringing out her funny side.

And this week's tango proved that maybe the more Tristan and Nancy bicker during rehearsals, the better they do on the dance floor -- unlike Hope and Maks. While I don't think that it was her best, Nancy and Tristan's tango was a pretty solid effort from the television host. It wasn't the best, but it was certainly better than her frightening jive last week.

For their instant jive, Nancy got another chance to prove to the judges that she could jive ... unfortunately, her instant jive was just as bad as her non-instant jive. However, for the first time since I can remember (ever!), Nancy literally got down on her knees and begged the judges to giver her a break. Begged! Nancy Grace does not beg. I fear that 'DWTS' is turning her into a big softie. Maybe it is time for Cinderella to leave the ball after all. But can't we keep Tristan?!

Compared to the others, Nancy just can't keep up, but that might not stop her from making it to the semi-finals. After all, she does have a fierce fan base, and as we've learned from previous weeks, the judges' scores don't really matter too much.