This story contains spoilers for the Nov. 19 episode of “Dancing With the Stars”
In Tuesday night’s episode of “Dancing With the Stars,” each of the five remaining couples performed one ballroom dance and one Latin dance but only four earned enough points and votes to go on to next week’s finale… at least that’s how the show usually works.
The elimination came down to the two Olympic athletes: Ilona Maher and Stephen Nedoroscik… but, in a repeat of Season 32, no one was sent home before the finale. Which means all five couples will be competing in the finale.
Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson earned their first perfect score for a Foxtrot to “I Won’t Dance” by Erin Boheme. The beaming “Bachelor” star said, “Never got one of those before. Feels really good!” Derek Hough raved, “Fred Astaire is high-fiving you right now,” and dubbed it “one of the best Foxtrots” he’d ever seen. Bruno Tonioli pronounced it a “Golden Age Hollywood performance,” saying that Graziadei has “the charisma and the charm of a matinee idol.
Graziadei’s second dance was a Paso Doble to The Beatles ‘ “Come Together.” Inaba told “The Bachelor” star that she loved his passion and attack, but dinged him for being ahead of the music. Hough told him, “You Paso’d all over that Doble,” while Tonioli said he was “smoldering” and “powerful… like a rock idol,” but also noted his timing was off for the dance. The dance earned two 9s and a 10 from Hough. Their total score for the evening was 58.
“Pretty Little Liars” star Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong performed a Salsa to Spicy Margarita by Jason Derulo and Michael Bublé, which Inaba said was “spicy” and “amazing,” while Tonioli said, “that cocktail hit the spot, big-time.” Hough, however, thought it was “lacking in salsa content.” The dance earned a near-perfect 29 out of 30.
For their second dance, Kinney and Armstrong performed a Foxtrot to “Too Sweet” by Hozier that Tonioli raved was the best he’d ever seen, telling her she went “supernova.” Hough told pro dancer Armstrong that Kinney has helped him grow this season, while Inaba noted that Kinney’s feet came off the floor twice. The dance scored 29 points for total score of 59.
Danny Amendola and Witney Carson performed an elegant Viennese Waltz to “Gravity” by John Mayer in a routine that featured a prop door. It earned them 27 out of 30.
After fans on social media started trying to recreate last week’s amazing lift, Carson choreographed a trick- and lift-filled Salsa set o “I Like It” by Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin for the football star. Hough told him he “blew the roof off” and that the lifts are “10 out of 10.” The dance, however earned all 9s for a score 0f 27, bringing their total to 54.
Olympian rugby player Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten an intense matador-themed Paso Doble to “Unholy” by Sam Smith and Kim Petras that had the crowd roaring. “The applause is deafening in the house,” said co-host Alfonso Ribeiro, while Tonioli called her a “drama queen,”comparing Maher to Salma Hayek in “From Dusk Till Dawn.” Hough said, “This felt like your dance. It was so sharp, so deliberate, so intentional, so powerful, so strong.” Judges awarded the dance 28 points.
Maher’s second dance was a Viennese Waltz to “golden hour” by JVKE that she thought might be the final time she would dance with Bersten, who she said was now “a friend for life.” Hough called Maher “delicate, graceful and tender” as well as “stunning.” Tonioli told her she showed vulnerability while Inaba said, “I feel so honored” to watch the performance, which she said “is changing people’s lives, “including hers. The dance received 29 points, for a total of 57 for the evening.
Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold performed a Cha Cha to “Bailar” by Deorro. Derek Hough was underwhelmed, saying, “I feel like this dance got the better of you,” while Inaba said he’d “gone backwards” in his musicality from last week. Tonioli said the athlete “wasn’t quite Ricky Martin yet,” but “captured the feel of the dance.” The dance earned 25 out of 30 points. Nedoroscik admitted the scores were fair as “it was a hard dance style for me.”
During Nedoroscik’s second and much-stronger dance, a Tango to “Sweet Disposition” by The Temper Trap, he lost his glasses, prompting Inaba to gush about how impressed she was. Hough told him it was a “triumphant moment,” while Tonioli told him, “You did it, honey.” Inaba gave him a 10 while the two other judges gave him 9s. They ended the night with 53 points.
The “Dancing With the Stars”Season 33 finale airs next Tuesday, simulcasting live on both ABC and Disney+ in local time zones and next day on Hulu.
