Instagram/DancingABC Pictured: DWTS Co-Hosts Erin Andrews and Tom Bergeron
Tonight was the semifinals on Dancing With the Stars 2019. And, each contestant performs two routines, one of which is a “redemption” dance.
For season 28 of DWTS, there is live voting throughout the course of the show, with the bottom two contestants revealed at the end of the episode. Then, the judges get to cast their own votes to choose just one of the bottom two contestants to stay in the competition. Read on below for the spoilers on the show tonight, along with a live recap of tonight’s scores and the performances.
And, for those who just want to skip right to the spoilers on who was eliminated tonight, scroll down to the bottom of this post, as the results are revealed live.
Tonight’s DWTS Performances & Scores
The semifinals started out with the celebrity introductions and the redemption round was the first up for the night. Lauren Alaina and Gleb Savchenko were the first pair to perform and they were joined by head judge Len Goodman. Goodman let them know that they were being given a Paso Doble for their comeback dance. The two carried out a fun, yet sexy performance and Goodman said the routine “had a lovely mix of expression and aggression”. Carrie Ann Inaba said that Alaina was “commanding” on the dance floor. For their scores on this dance, the two earned a 27 out of 30.
Kel Mitchell was next up, dancing with partner Witney Carson, and last week they got a perfect score. So, the pressure was on. For their redemption dance, Bruno Tonioli assisted them with a Tango. Tonioli said Mitchell has been inspiring to watch because he’s worked so hard and has improved so much in the competition. After the performance, Tonioli said he was so proud of Mitchell. Carson and Mitchell also got a score of 27 out of 30 for their first performance tonight.
Ally Brooke was the next contestant to perform. She and her pro partner Sasha Farber were joined by Len Goodman, who let them know they would be dancing the Viennese Waltz. He previously felt their waltz was lacking in many ways. Brooke said she hopes viewers can see her growth from the start of the season to today. Brooke gushed over Farber after their performance and said that she is very grateful for Farber. Tonight, they received a 29 out of 30 for their redemption routine.
Hannah Brown was given Carrie Ann Inaba for her redemption coach with partner Alan Bersten and Brown told the cameras that Inaba has not been “a source of confidence” for her this season. Brown started to shut down and said she has felt attacked by Inaba. Both Brown and Inaba became emotional. For Brown’s redemption dance, she performed a Rumba, and after her performance, Brown apologized to Inaba for her emotions and reaction to Inaba’s criticisms. The two then shared a hug. Ultimately, Brown and Bersten ended up with a score of 27 out of 30 for their performance.
James Van Der Beek and Emma Slater were the last to perform their redemption dance and Goodman was helping them. Goodman started by congratulating Van Der Beek on his dancing. For his redemption dance, Van Der Beek was taking on the Cha Cha, which earned him his lowest scores of the season. Van Der Beek flawlessly carried out the disco-themed routine. Even though the dancing was great, Goodman said he would have rather seen more Cha Cha in the routine. Tonioli said he liked the routine but saw Van Der Beek off-time a few times. Inaba said the performance was very entertaining but that Van Der Beek’s posture was “broken”. The two ended up with a 24 out of 30 for their performance.
For their second dance, Lauren Alaina performed to the song “Humble and Kind” by Tim McGraw. Alaina said she wants to dedicate the dance to her parents for always believing in her. Carrie Ann Inaba said that Alaina has really grown up in this competition. A 27 out of 30 was Alaina’s score for her performance.
Kel Mitchell and Witney Carson performed a Contemporary dance to Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”. Mitchell said the song has always meant something to him and then he opened up about gun violence. He then revealed his friend Sam was murdered when he was just 16 years old. Mitchell said that instead of guns, “choose love”. The routine was emotional and powerful. Tonioli called the performance “pure art”. The two received a perfect score for this routine.
Brooke and Farber were taking on a routine where they could incorporate a lot of “tricks”. Brooke said that before being on the show, she was made fun of for her dancing. She also said that she has been worried about being eliminated after being in the bottom two twice on the show. For the duo’s second performance, they danced the Charleston. The judges gushed over the routine and gave them a perfect score, bringing their total to a 59 out of 60 for the semifinals.
Before Van Der Beek’s final performance of the night, he revealed that he and his family suffered a great loss this week. He and his wife lost their baby. Their pregnancy was revealed on the show this season, even taking fans inside an ultrasound appointment. For Van Der Beek’s performance, he danced to Hozier and dedicated the performance to his wife, who is still in the hospital.
The routine was very emotional and Tonioli said that Van Der Beek “put so much heart” into the performance. Inaba was very emotional but managed to make light of the situation and make Van Der Beek laugh. One of Van Der Beek’s children was in the audience and was crying, so he picked her up and included her in receiving his scores. Van Der Beek held his crying daughter and gave a romantic shout out to his wife. For his scores tonight, Van Der Beek got a 27 out of 30, with a 51 out of 60 for his total scores.
Hannah Brown’s performance with Bersten was a Contemporary routine and she opened up about the demise of her relationship of Bachelorette winner Jed Wyatt. Brown broke down crying. After the performance, Tonioli was the first to comment and he said that he liked the dynamic of the lifts and drops in the dance. Goodman said that normally he isn’t fond of Contemporary dances, but that he enjoyed the performance. The two earned a 27 out of 30 for this dance, totaling a 54 out of 60.
Who Got Eliminated on DWTS Tonight
Kel Mitchell and Witney Carson were the first couple to be announced as moving on to the finale, followed by Hannah Brown and Alan Bersten. And, the last couple announced as definitely competing in the finale were Lauren Alaina and Gleb Savchenko.
This left James Van Der Beek and Ally Brooke’s fates up to the judges. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba became emotional when picking Brooke to move forward. She apologized to Van Der Beek for her choice. Tonioli and Goodman both agreed with Inaba and Van Der Beek was sent home.
Van Der Beek’s partner Emma Slater was in tears, but it was Brooke who sobbed and asked if she could give her spot to Van Der Beek. The other contestants all showed their upset and shock over the elimination, as Van Der Beek was the front-runner this season. Just one night of unfavorable scores can take a contestant out of the mix.
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