Hayes Grier revealed as a mama’s boy on ‘Dancing’

“Vine star” Hayes Grier scored a couple of 7s and an 8 for his foxtrot with professional partner Emma Slater Monday night on “Dancing With the Stars.”

But if he’d been judged solely on his ability to make moms’ hearts melt, the 15-year-old Mooresville native no doubt would have earned a perfect 10.

The night’s theme was “Hometown Glory,” and Grier’s intro package gave generic nods to his hometown (“I loved growing up there; it really shaped who I am today”) and to Lake Norman (“I miss the lake so much”), complete with clips of him riding a motorcycle and a jetski.

We were introduced to his 6-year-old sister Skylynn Floyd and his mother Elizabeth Grier-Floyd, then we got The Big Mom Moment.

Grier-Floyd smiled: “It’s been hard with Hayes staying out in L.A. It’s hard for me to sort of give him to the world.” Then crumbled into tears: “I think every mom is proud of their children, and I’m superproud of mine.”

Her son crossed into the frame and planted a long hug on her: “Don’t cry, Mom.”

Then he choked up. “This is my first time seeing my mom in a couple months, so just being on stage and having my family there to support me is going to mean a lot.”

As for Grier’s live dance, it was a foxtrot done to Florida Georgia Line’s “This Is How We Roll,” preceded by the teenager riding a motorcycle across the stage and capped by him running over to hug his giddy-looking mother in the front row.

Grier and Slater dressed in orange and white motocross suits (hers had flowing silk bell bottoms and a top that revealed a sequined bra; his didn’t), and the theme didn’t totally work for judge Carrie Ann Inaba.

“I don’t know if I liked the motorbike,” Inaba said. “I don’t think that was a good way to start it, because you can dance. You don’t need any of that stuff.”

Judge Bruno Tonioli then jumped in to make a couple of comparisons. One: “Watching you reminds me of a young Tom Cruise in ‘Risky Business.’ ” Two: “You have the arms of a ballet dancer. You extend those lines just so naturally, like somebody out of the Royal Ballet.”

Backstage, co-host Erin Andrews didn’t even bring up the dance, choosing to focus on Grier’s relationship with his mother.

“I know all the moms at home watching right now loved the moment with your mom. All my girls back there were crying when you gave your mom a hug,” she gushed.

Grier fought back tears as he thanked his mom repeatedly for her love and support.

Andrews almost couldn’t take it. “What are you doing right now to us? ... Stop it with those eyelashes and those tears.” And she didn’t let up. “I feel like I just want to take five more segments and talk about the love from North Carolina, but let’s get your scores.”

Grier and Slater earned a total score of 22, which for the second straight week put them squarely in the middle of the pack on the leaderboard. (Singer Chaka Khan was eliminated on Monday night, making her the new season’s first casualty.)

“Dancing With the Stars” returns on Tuesday night with another round of performances and the second elimination. Host Tom Bergeron said Grier and Slater were last week’s most popular couple on Twitter, so it’s a good bet they’ll live to see another week...

This story was originally published September 21, 2015 at 11:43 PM with the headline "Hayes Grier revealed as a mama’s boy on ‘Dancing’."