ABC "Dancing With the Stars" aired its semi-finals episode on Monday, November 14.
Season 31 of “Dancing With the Stars” is coming to an end in the coming week with the finale set to air on November 21, 2022. The semi-finals come first, however, with the top 6 competing for a spot in the finale.
The episode featured the remaining 6 professional dancers and celebrity partners performing two dances.
SPOILER WARNING: spoilers for “Dancing With the Stars” season 31 semi-finals are below. Do not read on if you do not want the episode spoiled for you.
Going into the elimination, Trevor Donovan and Emma Slater were at the bottom of the leaderboard. Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy and Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas were tied for the top position.
The bottom three at the end of the night were Shangela and Gleb Savchenko, Trevor and Emma, and Daniel Durant and Britt Stewart.
Trevor and Emma were at the bottom at the end of the night, sending them home immediately with no chance for a judge’s save.
The judges chose to save Shangela and Gleb, meaning Daniel and Britt were sent home.
What Happened on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Tonight? Who Was at the Top of the Leaderboard & Eliminated?
The episode started with the judges talking about the double elimination as well as setting up the two separate dances by each couple for the night.
The first dance of the night came from Wayne Brady and Witney Carson. They danced the Paso Doble to “Beggin” by Máneskin. They kept the dance intense, and the judges liked it. Len thought there was “a stumble near the end,” but he overall thought it was a “great start” to the night. They got some criticism for Carrie Ann about their “quick steps.”
They earned 9s across the board, putting them at 36 out of 40 for their first dance of the night.
Next up was Daniel Durant and Britt Stewart with a Viennese Waltz to “Surprise Yourself” by Jack Garratt. Derek said he thought it felt like a dance from a true ballroom competition. Carrie Ann called it special and teared up after the dance.
They received three 9s and an 8 for a total of 35 out of 40.
Then, Shangela and Gleb Savchenko danced the Paso Doble to “Edge of Glory.” It had a dramatic solo in the middle, which Shangela absolutely killed. Bruno called out a “missed pass” after the performance, but the judges mostly loved the performance.
They received 9s across the board for a total of 36 out of 40.
Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas were up next with their Viennese Waltz to “Glimpse of Us” by Joji. They wanted to make their dance emotional, and they succeeded, leaving Carrie Ann Inaba in tears. Charli was also visibly emotional. Len told them the dance was “so good” that it “literally took my breath away.”
They received 10s across the board, putting them at 40 out of 40 for the first half of the night.
Second-to-last in the first round of the night was Trevor Donovan and his partner Emma Slater. They have survived the bottom two three times so far, and they were hoping to get out of that slump. The couple was fun to watch, and the judges liked the “sharpness and quickness” of the dance. Len called it a little “hit and miss.”
They scored 8s across the board, putting them at 32 out of 40.
Last in the first round was Gabby Windey with her partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, dancing an emotional Waltz to “I’m Kissing You” by Des’ree. They got incredible compliments from the judges, with Derek calling it “stunning.”
They received 10s across the board, putting them at 40 out of 40 for the first half of the night.
Wayne and Witney were up first in the second round as well, dancing the Viennese Waltz. Wayne started the performance by singing “This Is a Man’s Man’s Man’s World,” which led into the actual performance. Carrie Ann liked the dance a lot more than the three male judges. Wayne said he thought the dance felt “amazing.”
They earned a 10 from Carrie Ann and 9s from Derek, Bruno and Len, putting them at 37 out of 40 for the second round and a total of 73 out of 80.
Daniel and Britt came up next to dance their Samba. The dance was high energy, though Daniel almost dropped Britt at the end of the routine. Derek called the dance “fantastic,” and Bruno said he was happy to see Daniel having fun.
They received two 8s and two 9s, putting them at 69 out of 80 for the night.
Next, Shangela and Gleb performed their Viennese Waltz to “I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston. Carrie Ann called Shangela “exceptionally radiant” and Len thought the “fluidity and lyricism was beautiful.”
They received 37 out of 40, putting them at 73 out of 80 overall.
Charli and Mark danced the Paso Doble to “Espana Cani” by Pascuak Marquina. They earned a standing ovation from the crowd, and Carrie Ann even came out to hug Charli and Mark.
“Perfection is different on everybody, you guys know that. But I do believe that your perfection is … another level,” Carrie Ann told the couple. Derek called the routine “iconic.”
They received 10s across the board, putting them solidly at the top of the leaderboard with 80 out of 80.
Trevor and Emma were up with their Viennese Waltz, and they received a lot of love, but it seemed as though they were accepting their fate as a couple being sent home at the end of the night. Len liked the amount of dancing in hold they did, and he complimented their progression throughout the season.
They got a 9 from Carrie Ann and 8s from the men, putting them at 33 out of 40 and 65 out of 80 overall.
Gabby and Val were last for the night with their Paso Doble. They talked in their package about needing to make sure there was intensity. Derek said he thought Gabby was nervous at the beginning, but he complimented the power, attack, and drama of the dance.
They got a 40 out of 40, putting them at the top of the leaderboard with Charli and Mark.
Each Couple Performed Twice During the Semi-Finals
Each of the remaining six couples performed two times during the “Dancing With the Stars” semi-finals in hopes of earning enough votes and high enough scores to move on to the next phase of the competition.
Judge Carrie Ann Inaba posted on her Instagram Stories the night before the show with some advice.
“To all the semi-finalists: Please…No lifts tomorrow night,” she wrote. “In watching the shows back, I see I may have missed a lift or two.”
The “Dancing With the Stars” season finale airs on Monday, November 21, 2022 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Disney+.