With the finale just two weeks away, the remaining six couples were ready to bring their best to trio night on Dancing With the Stars on Monday, November 6. Mixing it up, the additional dancer for each of the trios didn’t come from the DWTS troupe but from a past season. That meant that each couple was joined by a former mirrorball winner … so … uh … no pressure! At the very end, it was revealed which couple was missing the semi-finals by one week. Here’s how it all went down.
The Good
One week ago, Terrell Owens didn’t know what the Charleston was, but he killed it with his performance. After he and Cheryl Burke finished their flapper-studded routine, Len Goodman declared him the most improved dancer of the season and Carrie Ann Inaba told him that he was peaking at just the right time. For their efforts, they received 9s across the board.
Right on their heels were Lindsey Stirling and Mark Ballas. Lindsey was still recovering from falling to the bottom of the board last week, so she and Mark were more determined than ever to bring their A game to the ballroom. Len thought Lindsey didn’t look as “sure-footed” as usual, but Bruno Tonioli thought Lindsey totally embodied the “wildcat” she was playing. Carrie Ann praised the creativity but agreed with Len about Lindsey’s footwork. They ended up with a 26.
After being on the top of the leaderboard last week, Frankie Muniz was feeling new pressure to deliver on the dance floor. Carrie Ann said his dance with Witney Carson was close to perfection, but Len disagreed and thought it “lacked rise and fall.” Frankie insisted he was having an amazing time regardless of Len’s critique – and then Erin Andrews reminded him that he had agreed if he made it to week eight, he would take off his shirt. Spoiler alert: He didn’t. They ended up tying with Mark and Lindsey for a 26.
The Bad
While no one is really “bad” at this point, some are definitely weaker dancers than others. Victoria Arlen had a spasm in rehearsals but she decided to dance anyway. Val Chmerkovskiy, meanwhile, was worried she was going to make their Argentine tango look “corny” by breaking character. The judges had a lukewarm response. Len said it was “good” and Bruno said Victoria needed to work on transforming herself more during her performance. They ended with a 24.
Joining them at the bottom were Drew Scott and Emma Slater. Bolstered by their strong marks last week, the pair felt they were contenders for the mirrorball. This week, Drew looked to his fiancée, Linda, for inspiration for his waltz. “It was a romantic dialogue set to music,” Bruno said. “Your intentions were very clear and very deeply felt.” Carrie Ann didn’t think the lower half of his body cooperated very well and Len couldn’t stand his “droopy” elbow. They ended up with a 22. Ouch.
The Best
Jordan Fisher was bummed that he and Lindsay Arnold had fallen so far on the leaderboard last week. He also felt pressure to deliver the mirrorball for Lindsay, since she was the only pro left in the season without one. All of his anxiety seemed to melt away, however, when he hit the floor to perform their groovy quickstep. Carrie Ann said the routine was as if “Bob Fosse and Austin Powers had a baby.” Bruno said it was like “psychedelic pop art,” and Len simply stood up and applauded. For their perfect routine, they earned a perfect 30.
The Trios
The trio routines played out much in the same way as the regular routines, which meant the past champs didn’t have much impact on the standings, for better or for worse. Jordan and Corbin Bleu had a major bromance going on, so they were very excited to finally get to work together. Lindsay seemed like a bit of an afterthought, actually (well, kind of). The trio performed a speedy salsa that came complete with pyrotechnics and laser beams. “Normally, they say two is company and three is a crowd,” Len began. “On this occasion, three was perfect.” They ended with a 30.
Next on the scoreboard came season 6 champ Kristi Yamaguchi, who joined Mark and Lindsey for an energetic jazz routine. They ended with 28 out of 30. One point behind them were Witney and Frankie, who had Alfonso Ribeiro along for a power-packed jive. Frankie and Alfonso had a lot in common, seemingly from both being child stars. The judges loved the routine but felt Frankie looked a little nervous. They scored 27.
In the bottom of the pack were Drew and Emma, who were joined by Rashad Jennings. The judges thought Drew was a little “wooden” during the cha cha, but they liked that all three dancers contributed to the routine as a whole. They ended with a 25.
Tying for last with 24 points were Terrell and Cheryl, who were joined by season 1 winner Kelly Monaco, and Victoria and Val, who partnered with Laurie Hernandez. Kelly had joked that she would go out with Terrell if they got a perfect score, but that didn’t happen (wah wah!).
The Gone
Terrell and Cheryl, as well as Frankie and Witney, were in jeopardy. Ultimately, Terrell and Cheryl were eliminated. “I had a great time. She was a great teacher. I couldn’t have asked for anything more,” Terrell said. Cheryl added that she was “so proud” of the dancer he’d become and the person he’d allowed everyone to see.
Tell Us: Did the right person go home?
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
