SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from Tuesday night’s episode of ABC‘s Dancing with the Stars, including who goes home.
It’s the Season 34 Dancing with the Stars semi-finals, and the remaining six couples are celebrating with a tribute to the High Priest of Pop.
Prince Night in the ballroom requires at least 12 songs from the late musician’s discography, because each couple will have two individual dances this week, including a “repeat” of a style they’ve already performed this season as well as a new-to-them dance style.
Here’s how things shook out this week.
REPEAT DANCES
Actor Elaine Hendrix with Alan Bersten. The actress says she’s “beside herself” to have made it to the semifinals, especially with all the issues that have plagued her this season. The only thing left to do is finally get a 10, and she and Bersten are hoping tonight will be her night. Dancing a foxtrot to “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” starts the show off on a high note, literally jumping for joy after she nails the routine. “That was beautiful, truly an incredible foxtrot,” Derek Hough says. However, they do say they want to see “a little bit more fight” in her next performance. SCORE: 27 out of 30
Social media personality Alix Earle with Val Chmerkovskiy. This influencer is running back her Argentine tango, this time to “Little Red Corvette.” She got a perfect score last week, and she’s following up two very memorable Argentine tangos from the 20th anniversary show that also got perfect scores, so she’s got a lot riding on this performance. Earle says she admires how Prince was always “authentically himself,” and she really wants to channel that this week. Bruno Tonioli calls her “the most improved” after the dance and, while all the judges loved it, they also said she had quite a few things she could’ve improved on. SCORE: 28 out of 30
Whitney Leavitt (The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives) with Mark Ballas. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star is getting another shot at a cha cha, dancing to “1999” this time around. She last showed off her cha cha skills during One-Hit Wonder Night to “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry. Leavitt and Ballas also got a perfect score last week, so they’re ready to keep that hot streak going. The judges were mixed on this one. “Once again, a wonderful dance…at times, I could see you focusing on the technique…but it was still well-delivered,” Carrie Ann Inaba offers. Derek couldn’t disagree more: “Carrie Ann, you are out of your mind!” he insists. “That was awesome!” SCORE: 29 out of 30
Reality TV star Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach. Per Derek, Efron had his “breakthrough moment” with his Argentine tango last week, and he won the relay round, so he’s really hitting his stride as is determined to keep the momentum strong. His do-over dance is a tango to “I Would Die 4 U,” and this week, Karagach is determined to get her partner to address one of his biggest critiques from the judges: keep that booty tucked in! Inaba points out a few mistakes, and Derek reminds him that the tango is all heel leads, but overall the judges agree with Tonioli. “You’re very, very much improved,” he says. SCORE: 27 out of 30
Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles with Ezra Sosa. Performing a jive routine to Prince’s Top 10 hit “Raspberry Beret,” Chiles is still aiming for her perfect score for an individual dance. So, she’s bringing all her energy to her second jive of the season. It’s safe to say, she delivered. “For me, this was the best performance so far tonight,” Inaba says, though she and Tonioli both point out that there was a mistake in Chiles’ timing that will prevent them from giving her a 10. SCORE: 27 out of 30
Wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin with Witney Carson. These two got the very first perfect score of the season (which three couples followed up with perfect scores of their own) last week, so they’ve got a lot riding on this jive routine to “Baby I’m a Star.” Carson really wants to showcase Irwin’s growth with this dance, so she’s pulling out all the stops with the choreography. It pays off, too, because for the first time tonight, the judges are floored. “Superstar jive!” Tonioli exclaims. Added Inaba: “That is how you tell everyone you want to be in the finale!” SCORE: 30 out of 30
NEW DANCE
Actor Elaine Hendrix with Alan Bersten. It’s a whirlwind of a night, and before long it’s already time for the Parent Trap star to give one last performance in the hopes of landing a spot in the finals. Dancing a paso doble to “When Doves Cry,” she and Bersten are looking to bring emotion and intensity to the ballroom floor with this routine. Seems like she can call that one a success. Inaba is on her feet the minute they hit their final marks, and she can barely contain her joy as she runs over to hug Hendrix after the dance. “That was amazing!!!” the judge gushes, quite literally bowing before her. SCORE: 30 out of 30 (her first perfect score!)
Social media personality Alix Earle with Val Chmerkovskiy. Earle says she’s become much more emotionally in tune with herself throughout this experience, so let’s see if she can bring that vulnerability to her Viennese waltz to “Purple Rain.” She says she’s not afraid to push herself, even if she risks failing in the process, but she’d be lying if she says there wasn’t a ton of pressure. Based off the judges’ comments, she meets the moment. “I have no doubts that we are going to see you in those finals,” Derek tells her. SCORE: 30 out of 30
Reality TV star Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach. The last dance standing between Efron and the finals is a cha cha to “Kiss.” No one is more impressed by his improvement than he is! Karagach tells him he’s already got what it takes to be a champion, since he shows up every week focused and ready to improve. With this routine, she really wants up boost his confidence and get those hips going. That’s been one of his weaker points in the Latin dances. Well, not anymore! Anyone else catch Derek’s mouth on the floor when he saw those hips rolling? “The details, man,” he says. “It was so, so impressive, man! You should be so proud!” SCORE: 28 out of 30
Whitney Leavitt (The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives) with Mark Ballas. Their second dance of the night is a Viennese waltz to “Slow Love,” which they are hoping will be their gateway to the finale! In her intro package, Leavitt gets emotional as she tells Ballas how much this experience has reintroduced her to herself and reignited her passions. There’s a lot riding on this dance, so she wants to make it as perfect as it can be. Inaba called it her “absolute favorite” of all Leavitt’s performances this season, and Tonioli calls it “impeccable!” SCORE: 29 out of 30
Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles with Ezra Sosa. This gymnast feels incredibly proud that she’s been able to showcase her love of dancing for the world and stretch herself throughout this experience. They’re dancing an Argentine tango to “U Got the Look,” and Chiles calls it “one of the harder dances” she’s has to learn, especially because her gymnast tendency to tighten her quads is causing her to keep kicking her dance partner! Let’s hope she sorts that out before she hit the ballroom floor. Good news is, she doesn’t kick him once, and it’s all praise from the judges. “That was a top performance,” Derek says. SCORE: 30 out of 30
Wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin with Witney Carson. A Viennese waltz to “WOW” might just get Irwin into the finale (as if, after the only perfect score from the first round of dances wouldn’t). He’s ready to ramp things up, though, with this second routine. The 21-year-old says the hardest part of this dance in particular is showing a ton of passion and chemistry with Carson, which he says is a bit “weird,” since their dynamic is pretty friendly and goofy. He finds the intensity somewhere inside him though and leaves it all on the dance floor. “That was so thrilling, I want to see the sequel. I didn’t want it to stop!” Tonioli declared. SCORE: 29 out of 30
So, now it’s time to find out who will not be sticking around for the finals. Based on judges’ scores, Irwin and Carson were at the top of the leaderboard for the night, while Efron and Karagach were at the bottom.
Dun dun dun…sadly and shockingly, this is the end of the road for Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas.
Tune in next week for the finals.
