If there’s one thing we’ve learned on Dancing With the Stars this season, it’s that no one is safe. Tonight, two weeks of combined scores and viewer votes came together to determine the fates of the remaining six couples. While it’s easy to look at the leaderboard and see who’s been at the bottom again and again (Robert Herjavec and Kym Johnson, we’re talking to you), that’s just one piece of the glittering puzzle.
We’ve seen passionate lip-locks (Herjavec again), cringeworthy trio dances (Chris Soules and Witney Carson, what happened there?), and flashes of brilliance (courtesy of Nastia Liukin, Derek Hough, and Sasha Farber). And let’s not forget Rumer Willis and Valentin Chmerkovskiy nabbed not one but two perfect scores in one night.
Based on skill alone, it certainly seemed that Liukin and Hough, Willis and Chmerkovskiy, and Riker Lynch and Allison Holker should all move to the semifinals, leaving the fourth and final spot up for grabs — but this isn’t based on skill alone. Read on to find out who went home and who’s one step closer to the Mirrorball prize.
Rumer Willis and Valentin Chmerkovskiy – Safe
After being tapped by the judges to perform their paso doble again because it was their favorite dance of last night, Willis and Chmerkovskiy got the unsurprising but happy news that they were, indeed, safe. “I feel like we kind of have figured out that going classical is our forte,” the actress gushed after learning of her spot in the semifinals. “So I hope that I can just keep improving on that.”
Noah Galloway and Sharna Burgess – Safe
“I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow,” Noah Galloway said of the impending elimination. Fortunately for the army vet, he and Burgess scraped by to the semifinals. Tom revealed that earlier in the season Galloway had said that if he made it to week 5, he was going to buy himself a motorcycle. Guess it’s time to buy that bike!
Robert Herjavec and Kym Johnson – Eliminated
“Do I have to go?” the Shark Tank mogul asked when questioned about how he was feeling about the elimination. Sadly, his concerns about the night were well founded, as he and Johnson became the first couple of the night to be eliminated. Though Erin Andrews candidly asked what the future held for the twosome now that their dancing days were over, Herjavec’s answer wasn’t so straightforward. “It was so great to be here at this show,” he mused. “It was so much fun.” For his part, Tom Bergeron consoled Herjavec with the news that even though he hadn’t won the trophy, he clearly had “won someone’s heart.”
Nastia Liukin and Derek Hough – Safe
The Olympic gold medalist called the experience “an amazing ride so far” and revealed that Hough’s ankle injury actually brought them closer together. Though footage from last night showed Liukin stressing about how she came across in their video package this week, her face lit up with the news that they were safe.
Riker Lynch and Allison Holker – Safe
“I’m a little nervous,” the R5 singer admitted before learning his fate — but his feelings were unfounded as the pair learned they had skated into the semifinals after all. Still, you could see on Lynch’s face how stunned he was to have been in jeopardy at all.
Chris Soules and Witney Carson – Eliminated
“I’m hopeful my fans will continue to vote,” the Bachelor star said before going into the double elimination. But news that he and Carson had been eliminated brought the Midwest farmer to tears. “It’s just been an incredible experience. I’m just thankful to have been part of it,” he said before adding that it was “life-changing.”
Tell Us: Did the right two couples go home? Who are you rooting for in the semifinals?
