The Switch-Up on last night’s Dancing with the Stars was surprisingly not terrible, and was quite enlightening actually.

Many of the parted couples actually revealed a lot about their partnerships by being away from them. Some stars shone with new pros, like Meryl, Cody, Nene, and Drew. Other stars struggled, like Danica and Amy, and met with varying degrees of success.

Julianne Hough was back as the Only Guest Judge Who Knows What She’s Talking About. Honestly, I’m beginning to think she should just replace Carrie Ann. Under the positive influence of Julianne, all the judges offered actual critiques tonight, talking about the dancing and offering constructive criticism to the stars. One would almost think it’s a dance competition! Feeling that the nines received too much exposure last week, the judges stuck almost exclusively to the eights, leading to a very close leaderboard.

Julianne was not the only one making her triumphant return tonight. Macy’s Stars of Dance also returned, under the direction of her brother. While I, unlike Derek, did not miss Macy’s Stars of Dance last season, tonight’s installment was pretty cool! Derek, two other ballroom guys, and the girl from Step Up Revolution did a very cool Paso/Flamenco hybrid, all bathed in shadowy lighting that made it all look even cooler. And, as befits such an occasion, all the guys were shirtless… because why not? Honestly, handing over the reins to Macy’s Stars of Dance to Derek is one of the best decisions DWTS ever made – I’ll actually start watching them all the way through instead of taking my cue for a snack break. The Houghs are also going on tour in May, they announced. Will you go see them?

DWTS still has no idea how to eliminate people without a results show, so there was no elimination tonight. Instead, they will add up the couples scores and votes from last week, the celebrity’s scores and votes from this week, possibly the scores from next week, the stars’ birth dates, the pros’ social security numbers, and any other numbers they find lying around to eliminate someone next week. Let’s welcome our switched-up stars!

First Place, 39 points: Meryl and Val (Argentine Tango). Finally! This is Meryl realizing her true potential! When there’s a celebrity with her level of dance experience, I expect some “wow” routines, and this was the first one to deliver. I felt like I was watching this dance on fast-forward, she was moving so fast. Her spins, her shapes, her acrobatics were all superb. Meryl just came alive in general this week, acting all sassy whenever the camera would cut to her. Meryl definitely got the better end of the deal in the Chmerswapskiy, and she echoed Danica’s comments about Val being a much more detail-oriented teacher than his older brother. (Meryl’s 2-week score: 78, first place)

Second Place, 35 points: James and Cheryl (Tango). So much to discuss here! James and Cheryl delivered an awesome tango, and to fuel the fires of gossip, they even threw a kiss in there. Cheryl, clearly sensing her last opportunity to get in some awesome choreography this season, went all-out on this routine. The rehearsal package was pure gold – James pretending to be jealous of Charlie and Peta, and agreeing with Cheryl that they hope not to hate each other. As Julianne said, James is “the total package” – good looks, good dancing, and good charisma will take him very far. The judging was priceless! Julianne started by telling James that Peta would have to work on his pelvis, and the thread of tucking in his butt/pelvis continued throughout the judging. Then Erin – whom I’ve been thoroughly enjoying all season – totally crossed a line when she requested DwtS babies from James and Peta. James handled it with panache, saying you can’t have babies while dancing (very true), but it just turned a very fun segment very uncomfortable. (James’s 2-week score: 71, second place)

Third Place, 34 points: Amy and Mark (Salsa). Derek makes us forget how ridiculously challenging it must be to teach Amy how to dance, but Mark gave us a stark reminder this week. Amy said that Mark was not leading her at all, and Mark had to turn to Derek for advice on how to teach her. But something must have gone right later in the week, because Amy and Mark really did deliver a good dance. The choreography, while a tad crotch-thrust-heavy, actually showcased Amy well. The staging was somewhat odd – salsa is supposed to be a big party, but both the music and lighting was very tepid. Still, after a week with Mark that was a success, I am growing more confident in Amy making the finals this season. (Amy’s 2-week score: 70, third place)

Fourth Place (tie), 33 points: Charlie and Peta (Rhumba). When Carrie Ann calls you out on a BS dance, you know it’s bad! Charlie and Peta did a beautiful contemporary dance… that had nothing to do with rhumba whatsoever. Julianne and Bruno ignored this, but Len cracked down on them, and Carrie Ann sided with him, further enraged by the blatant lift in the middle of the dance. I have to ask, when are one of these pros actually going to challenge Charlie to do a proper ballroom dance? I do, however, sense the beginning of a bromance between James and Charlie! This show has not had a good bromance in a while (the pinnacle was back in Season 6 with Jason Taylor and Christian de la Fuente), and it sure could use one. (Charlie’s 2-week score: 69, fourth place)

Fourth Place (tie), 33 points: Drew and Witney (Cha-Cha). As Cheryl said, they were “Cute. Kinda creepy, but cute.” In a rather bizarre twist, both Drew and Witney flourished in their May-December pairing. Witney, for some reason, gave Drew a totally legitimate cha-cha routine to do (whereas Cody always wastes time incorporating his teeny bopper dance moves). Drew came alive in a bright gold suit, likened appropriately to a half-Elvis-half-Liberace hybrid. This dance was honestly just a good time! It most certainly did not deserve eights and Julianne’s nine, because his dancing really isn’t on par with the others. But at least he’s fun to watch. (Drew’s 2-week score: 63, seventh place)

Fifth Place (tie), 32 points: Danica and Maks (Jive). Oh, god bless Julianne Hough! Last season she finally called out Mark on his BS, and this time it was Maks’ turn! She accused Maks of phoning it in – which he’s kind of been doing with Meryl too, in my opinion. Danica said that where Val always explains things to her – the what, the how, the why – Maks doesn’t, just expecting her to get everything with no questions asked. Len also called him out on not including enough jive. Seriously, is this guy too old to choreograph a full ballroom routine? If so, why is he still a pro? Bring back Tristan, I say! Danica deserves better than Maks – thank goodness she’ll be back with Val next week! (Danica’s 2-week score: 68, fifth place)

Fifth Place (tie), 32 points: Nene and Derek (Jazz). This dance… was everything I never knew I wanted. It’s the most delightfully ridiculous and crazy dance of the season. Let’s face it, Nene is no Kristi Yamaguchi, so she needs big silly numbers like this. The costumes, the music, it all just combined into perfect absurdity. It matched the absurdity of seeing the juxtaposition of Derek and Nene together (despite their similar hair). Tony was “alternatively jealous and appreciative,” according to Erin, which seems about right. I do think that this dance might keep Nene around for an extra week. (Nene’s 2-week score: 63, seventh place)

Sixth Place, 31 points: Cody and Sharna (Foxtrot). I’m now convinced that the Cody/Witney partnership just isn’t worth it – both of them were so much better this week! Cody needed someone to whip him into shape – from telling him to pull his pants up (yes, please!) to trying to fix his arms. I don’t think the problem was Witney’s age so much as her lack of experience on the show. Sharna already has two seasons under her belt and is not afraid to crack the whip. Cody danced his best dance by far – and even sang a bit as a bonus. It’s absurd that they got a lower score than Drew and Witney when they were so clearly superior. In general, Cody should not be this low on the leaderboard. Poor Sharna was feeling old at 28 next to Cody… then again, so would I, realizing that Cody was born in 1997. Among the things I don’t understand about this young whipper-snapper is why he keeps feeling the need to make sure his hair is sufficiently spiky? Witney even pointed this out as a warning to Sharna – that Cody is always checking himself out in the mirror. (2-week total: 66, sixth place)

Last Place, 28 points: Candace and Tony (Quickstep). Let’s face it, an hour into the show this couple was completely forgotten about. They did a rock-themed Quickstep, which seems like the dance least amenable to being rock-themed, but at least it gave us Tony’s head-on-fire hairdo! It was okay, though the judges all commented on how there was too much of a gap between them. After coming out strong, Candace has just fallen through the cracks the last few weeks, and I believe there’s a good chance she gets sent home next week. Especially because she has fallen behind in scores, even below Nene and Drew. (2-week total: 60, last place).

Next week is Disney Week! I am so excited for this; it should be a “magical time,” as Erin aptly said. Personally, I hope someone does a jive to “Zero to Hero” from Hercules – since I’ve done one, but always wished I could do it with a DWTS budget for costumes and sets. Are you excited for Disney Week? Who do you think will go home next week? And which of the switched-up pairings was your favorite?