DWTS semi-finals Prince Night recap: Who made it into the finals?

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today for what is both a celebration of music icon Prince and the penultimate episode of what has become a juggernaut of a Dancing with the Stars season. The celebrity ballroom dance competition whittled its contestants down to the top five finalists (Elaine Hendrix, Alix Earle, Robert Irwin, Dylan Efron and Jordan Chiles), all of whom will be competing in next week’s 3-hour finale. In a surprise upset, it was Whitney Leavitt who fell short of making the cut on Tuesday night, bidding an emotional goodbye to the ballroom without a chance to compete for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. 

“I already feel like a winner,” Whitney said. “This show has meant the absolute world for me. … I will forever be grateful for the friendships I made. Thank you so so much.” Her pro partner, Mark Ballas, expressed gratitude to the entire crew that makes DWTS possible week after week. 

The rest of Prince Night brought fierce competition and plenty of fashion homages to the late icon, as the stars and their pro partners danced like it’s 1999. And for the first time this season, stars performed two entire couple dances rather than one couples dance and a group challenge. Here’s how all your favorite stars fared in the semi-finals of DWTS season 34. 

Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten

Dance: Foxtrot to “I Wanna Be Your Lover”

Going in chronological order of Prince’s biggest hits, Elaine kicked off the evening with 1979’s “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” Prince’s first major hit single in the U.S. For Elaine, the theme was personal. “I grew up on Prince,” Elaine said. “He was such a showman. He knew how to command on stage. All eyes were on him. That’s what we have to do. Clips of rehearsals showed Alan instructing her to tweak a move to be “a little more like Prince.” Her foxtrot was solid, but the consensus among the judges was that talent wasn’t quite enough without that extra oomph. “You deserve this spot so much,” Carrie Ann said, but hoped to see more effort in the next dance. “That was beautiful: a truly incredible foxtrot,” Derek said. “That is not easy,” he added, though he acknowledged that Carrie Ann’s comments rang true in some regard — he’s also looking for “more fight” in Elaine’s second dance of the evening. 

Scores: Carrie Ann: 9, Derek: 9, Bruno: 9; Total: 27/30

Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy

Dance: Argentine Tango to “Little Red Corvette”

Alix got a perfect score last week, but there’s not much room for celebration. “I just want to unlock a different version of whatever I thought I was capable of,” Alix said. The social media influencer has been surprising judges and fans alike all season, and continued her streak with this Argentine tango, where she made fast footwork and complicated choreography look effortless. The judges agreed — Carrie Ann and Bruno event went so far as to call her the “most improved” dancer of the season, despite a couple of small technical hiccups. “I really think you have the potential to go all the way in this competition,” Derek said. 

Scores: Carrie Ann: 9, Derek: 10, Bruno: 9; Total: 28/30

Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas

Dance: Cha Cha to “1999”

Whitney and Mark have consistently seemed like the couple this season having the most fun on the dance floor. And they did, indeed, party like it’s 1999 (the year that Whitney was 6, mind you), with a groovy, cheeky and complicated cha cha (a dance style that the judges noted was a risky move in the semi-finals). That risk paid off: “This was the best party in America and you threw it,” Bruno said, celebrating the content and execution of a difficult dance. Carrie Ann, meanwhile, lamented that she could see Whitney focusing too much on the technique when it should look more effortless. But she was alone at the judges table in feeling that way. “Carrie Ann, you are out of your mind,” Derek countered. “That was literal perfection.” (Co-host Alfonso Ribiero later joked that Carrie Ann would “need security” when she left the show that evening.)

Scores: Carrie Ann: 9, Derek: 10, Bruno: 10; Total: 29/30

Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach

Dance: Tango to “I Would Die 4 U” 

Daniella didn’t think she and the Traitors competitor/social media creator would make it all the way to the semi-finals. “I’m a slow learner but we’ve really worked hard to get here,” Dylan said. He’s faced some flack in weeks past from fans who complained that he’s gotten top scores despite doing less complicated choreography than some of his competitors, and Carrie Ann did share some gripes with his footwork. But “the real issue to me is that you gotta feel the music. This is Prince,” she added. In other Efron news, Dylan’s famous brother Zac finally made an appearance in the ballroom this season (their little sister, Olivia, who danced with Dylan earlier in the season, sat on his lap during the performance) garnering a couple of comments from the judges. “I was watching oveer there, your brother was like ‘okay!'” Derek joked. “I think leading men run in the family,” Bruno added. 

Scores: Carrie Ann: 9, Derek: 9, Bruno: 9; Total: 27/30

Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa

Dance: Jive to “Raspberry Beret” 

Jordan previously did a Prince-themed routine while competing in gymnastics at UCLA, so she’s ready to get back into the groove. “I did get a couple 10s off of it, but I’ve never got a perfect score out of gymnastics,” Jordan said, hoping that DWTS will finally grant her that dream. Not quite, unfortunately. While Jordan and Ezra’s playful friendship has never been so evidence on the ballroom floor in their fun, upbeat routine, judges pointed out some issues with timing and a lack of more “attack,” “bite” and “sharpness.” For me, this was the best performance so far tonight,” Carrie Ann said. (Mind you, the scores Jordan would go on to receive for this dance landed her tied with Dylan and Elaine for last place thus far in the show.) “I would love to give it a perfect score but,” Carrie Ann began, before unintelligibly grumbling her gripes with the routine. Jordan maintained that she appreciates the feedback, because it means the judges believe she can do better. 

Scores: Carrie Ann: 9, Derek: 9, Bruno: 9; Total: 27/30

Robert Irwin and Witney Carson

Dance: Jive to “Baby I’m a Star”

Robert was brought to his knees last week after an emotional performance dedicated to his dad that landed him the first perfect score of the season. This week’s jive is the polar opposite, bringing an upbeat, that began with Robert jumping off the judges table before a series of flips, lifts, speedy footwork and energetic facial expressions. Judges couldn’t find enough synonyms for “amazing.” “For Prince, only a superstar jive would do. You did that… All that energy could power the country. and you never put a foot wrong,” Bruno said. Carrie Ann added: “That is how you tell everyone you demand to be in the finale.” 

Scores: Carrie Ann: 10, Derek: 10, Bruno: 10; Total: 30/30

Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten

Dance: Paso Doble to “When Doves Cry”

Round two of dances began with Elaine, in sharp contrast to her first dance, a lighter, more delicate performance. The paso doble, the dance of the matador, is all about power and strength, and Elaine aimed to use it to send a strong message that she’s not done fighting for the Mirrorball Trophy. Judges saw that fight, gushing over the strong, decisive performance.  Carrie Ann actually left the judges table to run over to Elaine to give her a big hug. “That was amazing. You left it all on the floor,” Carrie Ann said, before bowing down on the floor herself. Audio cut out on the show, seemingly due to an expletive dropped by the judge. “You came with that fight,” Derek said. “Elaine, that is what we’re talking about.” 

Scores: Carrie Ann: 10, Derek: 10, Bruno: 10; Total: 30/30 (Two-dance total: 57/60)

Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy

Dance: Viennese Waltz to “Purple Rain”

Purple Rain is one of the most iconic songs in all of music history, and Alix acknowledged that there’s a ton of pressure to do it justice. Literal purple rain showered the couple as they began an emotional, dramatic and tender performance, filled with spins that let Alix dizzy in rehearsals, but had her gliding effortlessly across the ballroom floor. Bruno applauded the way Alix was able to deliver on the “perfect combination of motion and emotion.” “I have no doubt that we are going to see you in those finals,” Derek added. Carrie Ann went a step further in her compliment, leaving Alix in tears: “A performance like this is going to go down in [show] history.”

Scores: Carrie Ann: 10, Derek: 10, Bruno: 10; Total: 30/30 (Two-dance total: 58/30) 

Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach

Dance: Cha Cha to “Kiss”

Dylan was tied for last place after round one, and he’s wasn’t guaranteed a spot in the finale the way other higher-scored competitors seemed to be. “If you work hard and stay focused, that is everything a champion does,” Daniella said. “We still have another week left in us, so don’t give up yet.” While his first dance may have left a little to be desired, the swinging hip action in dance number two left room for the redemption he was looking for. “You sexy beast,” Bruno said, complimenting Dylan’s major hip and footwork improvements. Derek, too, loved Dylan’s attention to detail. “You should be so, so proud,” he said. 

Scores: Carrie Ann: 9, Derek: 9, Bruno: 10; Total: 28/30  (Two-dance total: 55/30) 

Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas

Dance: Viennese Waltz to “Slow Love”

We’ve fully reached the waterworks and reflecting on the “journey” portion of the season. “Being a part of this experience blossomed something in me that i feel like had been missing,” Whitney said, her voice breaking. She now knows that she feels most like herself when she’s dancing. Her second dance was as graceful and elegant as the previous one was exciting and full of energy. (But it’s Whitney and Mark, so they obviously found some chances to be silly and have fun, too.) “That was, for you, from all the performances you’ve done, my absolute favorite,” Carrie Ann said, joining in on the tears. “You showed us, truly, your soul.” She hinted at struggling to give Whitney a perfect score due to some technicalities, prompting Derek to throw some serious side-eye. “Impeccable,” Bruno exclaimed. 

Scores: Carrie Ann: 9, Derek: 10, Bruno: 10; Total: 29/30 (Two-dance total: 58/30) 

Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa

Dance: Argentine Tango to “U Got the Look”

Jordan previously shared that she grew up watching DWTS, and now feels like “that little girl is definitely looking up at me right now, like ‘you did it,'” Jordan said. Hoping to make her younger self proud, Jordan told Ezra she was “willing to do anything,” choreography-wise, to land them in the finale. “Being eliminated before the finale would really suck,” she said. Along with some Olympic-level flips, she and Ezra spent extra time perfecting the most iconic kicks associated with the Argentine Tango, which the judges took notice of. “Beautiful, powerful, so strong,” Bruno said. “She was literally leading Ezra. You were the leading lady, my darling. Derek called it a “top performance,” while Carrie Ann highlighted Jordan’s perpetual penchant to take the most risks in the competition. 

Scores: Carrie Ann: 10, Derek: 10, Bruno: 10; Total: 30/30 (Two-dance total: 57/30) 

Robert Irwin and Witney Carson

Dance: Viennese Waltz to “WOW”

It’s tough to follow up your first dance when you already landed a perfect score. But let’s be honest: This is Robert Irwin we’re talking about. The final performance of the night brought out a passionate, sexy dynamic that he might not be the most comfortable with given his buddy-buddy dynamic with Witney, but it didn’t show in his full-body, all-out, dynamic Viennese Waltz. Bruno likened Robert’s performance to that of Tom Cruise in Top Gun. “That was so thrilling, I want to see the sequel,” Bruno said. “I didn’t want him to stop. What is he going to do next? He’s going to do it in the final, trust me.” 

Scores: Carrie Ann: 10, Derek: 9, Bruno: 10; Total: 29/30 (Two-dance total: 59/60)