Jacoby Jones was in the zone Monday night.
And he knew it.
Jacoby and partner Karina Smirnoff delivered their best performance of the season, as they wowed the judges and audience with their jive. The couple scored a 26, their highest total of the season and the third best mark of the night.
Once he finished the dance, a heavy-breathing Jones laid on the dance floor as the crowd gave him a standing ovation. When he finally got to his feet, Jacoby came to face the judges with a big smile across his face.
"I love me some Jacoby!" said judge Carrie Ann Inaba, who gave him a nine.
"Let me tell you something," Jones responded. "I love you back, girl."
Not only did Jacoby have his dance moves working, but he also had his quick wit ready for when judge Len Goodman said he'd never give Jacoby a nine as long as his footwork wasn't perfect.
"Hey Len I love you so much" Jacoby quipped, "But with these feet, I went 108 [yards] in 11 seconds."
As part of the routine, each couple had to dance alongside two professional dancers. Jacoby and Karina danced with Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Anna Trebunskaya, who opened the routine.
Jacoby was very much in his element with the Jive, and said it reminded him of an old New Orleans dance called the "Skip."
"They're like twins," Jacoby said before the dance.
He brought that New Orleans flare to the routine, and showed once again why he has a good shot to win the entire competition.
The judges were impressed, and here's what they thought about the dance:
Bruno Tonioli: "Jacoby and Maks, it was like watching two stallions at the peak of their power, fighting for supremacy. Masculinity and testosterone pouring from everywhere. Two ladies out there had to be restrained. They thought they were going to jump off the balcony. You have great timing. Very, very sharp. Just one thing: point your feet on the kicks."
Carrie Ann Inaba: "A little bit flat footed, a little bit turned in, but you, I love me some Jacoby. You hammered that Jive. You hammered that Jive out of existence."
Len Goodman:"Your personality radiates throughout this ballroom. You light up the place. But I've got to tell you, you'll never get a nine off me with those feet. You've got to work on that footwork. You've got to get sharper. You've got to get better. You're flat footed."
