Laurie Hernandez continues to shine in the semifinals, while Terra Jole is eliminated based on last week's scores and votes.
- Nov 15, 2016
AceShowbiz - The road to the Mirrorball trophy on "Dancing with the Stars" season 23 is nearing its end. Another pair was eliminated on Monday night, November 14 to reveal the Top 4 who will dance in next week's finals. While the elimination was based on last week's scores and votes, first the five remaining pairs danced the usual couple routines and the Trio Challenge with an extra pro dancer in the semifinals.
Sharna Burgess is back after sidelined for two weeks due to an injury. She and James Hinchcliffe danced a sultry Argentine tango, during which she got blindfolded. Julianne Hough loved the control. Carrie Ann Inaba said it was a risky dance but they nailed it. She, however, saw "a few wobbles in the beginning" and gave James 9. The IndyCar driver earned 29 out of 30 points.
Terra Jole and Sasha Farber danced a sweet rumba that brought Carrie Ann to tears. The judges were all raving about Terra's movement, particularly her hip action and her arms. Julianne dubbed it Terra's best dance of the season. The reality TV star earned 30, the first perfect score of the night.
Jana Kramer and Gleb Savchenko danced a quickstep. Carrie Ann noticed "a little bit of rough start, ...but everything after that was so beautiful." Bruno Tonioli called it "elegant, sharp, and slick." Jana earned 28 points.
Calvin Johnson and Lindsay Arnold danced a rocking tango with some high kicks from Calvin. Unfortunately, there was a little slip, possibly because of her dress. Julianne loved the attack and precision though she was upset with the slip. Bruno loved the hand movement. Carrie Ann, on the other hand, had more critiques for the pair. She thought the "high concept in the beginning" didn't work well with the music and Calvin over-powered Lindsay. The pair got 26 points.
Laurie Hernandez and Valentin Chmerkovskiy performed the last dance in the first round. They performed an emotional foxtrot that earned rave reviews. Laurie was overcome with emotion as she remembered her grandmother, who died just days ago. Julianne said Laurie's "performance exceeded everything you do." Laurie earned 30 points.
Next was the Trio Challenge. James and Sharna enlisted the help of Jenna Johnson for their jive set to a racetrack theme. They were in synch and Bruno praised James' partner-swapping skills. He earned 30 points for his second dance.
Terra and Sasha were joined by Artem Chigvintsev for a sensual tango. The judges loved that the choreography made Terra the center of attention and the two guys complimented her. She also earned 30 points.
Jana and Gleb had a threesome with Alan Bersten, dancing a hot paso doble. Carrie Ann said that Jana was so in control of the situation and Julianne dubbed her "the Queen of the Ballroom." Jana got 30 points.
Calvin and Lindsay danced a salsa with Witney Carson. There was an amazing double lift where he lifted both girls, one on his back and one on his front, while spinning them around. Carrie Ann said Calvin "brought the 'A Game' in such a fun way." The judges scored the dance 30.
Laurie and Val rounded out the trio performances with a samba, joined by Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Bruno loved how theatrical it was, while Julianne said Laurie was "a proper Latin dancer" tonight. She also earned 30 points.
Later, the results were announced. Terra Jole and Sasha Farber were eliminated, meaning they are no longer in the race for the Mirrorball trophy. "Sasha has been extremely supportive throughout this entire process and honestly, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Sasha. And I'm just so grateful," Terra said of her pro partner. "I'm so grateful to have him as my partner."
Meanwhile, James & Sharna, Jana & Gleb, Calvin & Lindsay as well as Laurie & Val are in the finals that will air Monday, November 21 and Tuesday, November 22 at 9/8c on ABC.
