‘Dancing With The Stars’ Recap: “America’s Choice” Reveals A Shocking Elimination [PHOTOS]
Week nine of Dancing With the Stars revealed "America's Choice," and a trio routine for each of the remaining teams. In a week where the stakes were higher than ever, the contestants definitely rose to the occasion. This week's episode determined who would head to the semifinal round next Monday and the results are not what you'd expect.
"America's Choice" means that America got to vote for the style, song and costume of one of each of the pair's routines this week. The outcome was interesting to say the least. In addition to their America's Choice routine, each team performed a trio dance with a former pro or team dancer. Before the dancing began however, one team was told they were safe and therefore headed to the semifinals. Who was it? Tommy and Peta! The result was shocking, since the pair has consistently been at the bottom of the leader board.
Now for this week's routines...
Alfonso & Witney:
Alfonso Ribeiro and his partner Witney Carson took the stage first tonight with a foxtrot that America chose. When asking the public what they should do in their routine, the duo took to the streets to ask people in person and it was adorable. The routine itself was elegant and romantic. As usual Alfonso's personality shined throughout the routine and the couple earned 37 points. In their trio routine, later in the evening, the pair stepped up their game even more, despite Alfonso's ongoing groin issues.
Witney chose her friend Lindsay Arnold as their third dancer in a futuristic paso doble. The performance was stunning, insane and out of this world. They received rave reviews and a perfect score of 40 points from the judges.
Tommy & Peta:
Tommy Chong and Peta Murgatroyd took the stage next, after a surprising save in the beginning of the show. America picked a Viennese waltz for the duo and it was definitely one of Tommy's stronger routines to date. After having a cyst removed, Tommy bounced back and earned 29 points with Peta by his side.
For their trio routine it was an Aussie invasion. Peta chose a fellow Australian dancer Sharna Burgess as the third dancer for their samba routine. The whole concept of the dance was about Tommy and the mile high club. Sharna and Peta rocked the routine, but Tommy did very little dancing. The judges were speechless after the sexy routine and gave them 28 points.
Lea & Artem:
Lea Thompson and Artem Chigvintsev have been floundering the past couple of weeks with some serious highs and lows, but this week they stepped up their game. In their America's Choice routine, they got the samba and it was both traditional and sexy. Lea regained her confidence in their routine, which was a breathe of fresh air. They earned 34 points for the hot routine.
In their trio routine, hot, shirtless men surrounded Lea, which was very entertaining to watch. Henry Byalikov joined the duo for a strong paso doble that centered on Lea being the dominant character. It was fierce, had a lot of skirt and cape moves and very intense. They received 36 points for the dance.
Bethany & Derek:
When the fans picked a Viennese waltz for Bethany Mota and Derek Hough they decided to focus on nailing the concept. They decided on a love story about heartbreak and both Bethany and Derek delivered. The waltz was beautiful, elegant and full of emotion. The judges loved it and gave them 36 points.
Derek chose Tony Dovolani as the third dancer in their trio and it was a great fit. During rehearsals, Derek hurt his back, so Tony took over the lifts with Bethany in order to continue the practice. When it came time for the actual show, Derek pulled through and the trio killed it with their Argentine tango. It was a very strong routine and basically used Bethany as a prop between the two male dancers, which was awesome. They received 38 points.
Sadie & Mark:
Duck Dynasty's Sadie Robertson and Mark Ballas got the jive for their fan pick and it was really interesting. The fans chose Sadie's sassy dress and the song, but by asking for a "competition style" routine, it actually hurt them. The routine was very fast and fun to watch, but it was a little too hard for Sadie and it showed. They got 33 points.
When it came time for their trio Mark again took a risk, but this time it paid off big time. Mark decided to go with Emma Slater as their third performer, which was an interesting decision, because she could have easily outshined his young female partner. Their foxtrot routine ended up being the perfect blend of three people dancing together while looking flawless. They received a perfect score (40 points) for their beautiful performance.
Janel & Val:
Pretty Little Liars' star Janel Parrish and Val Chmerkovskiy took the stage last tonight and they didn't disappoint. Their America's Choice routine was a quickstep and the thing their fans wanted to see most was a giant kiss. Despite a hard week in rehearsals, Janel and Val nailed their quickstep. It was very hard, but very well done and the judges loved the whole thing... even though Val made a mistake. They received 38 points... plus there was an amazing kiss at the end of the performance, which was great.
The pair's trio routine included Keo Motsepe, who is a first-year pro this season. The salsa routine revolved around an animal-like premise with colored powder and tribal music. The routine was animalistic, intriguing and really entertaining as a whole. There wasn't a ton of salsa steps, but the body contortions and movement made up for it. They earned 39 points.
In the final moments Alfonso and Witney, Bethany and Derek and Janel and Val were saved. The final two teams of Sadie and Mark and Lea and Artem were up for elimination. In the end Lea and Artem were sent home. It was a shocking move, but someone with high scores had to leave based on Tommy and Peta being safe earlier in the show.
What did you think of Monday's routines? Did the right team go home?