Alix Cried Happy Tears After Her ‘Purple Rain’ Performance
4 minutes ago
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Val said dancing to “Purple Rain” lends itself to a more “emotional performance,” for his Viennese Waltz with Alix. “I’ve gotten more emotionally in turn with myself throughout this,” said Alix.
She began crying saying, “I’m going to be so upset when this is over. I’ve just learned so much about myself, it’s given me a different work ethic.”
She added, “I’ve loved waking up every day and getting to come here and dance and challenge myself.”
Derek said Alix had transformed into a “beautiful dancer” and said he had “no doubt” he’ll see her in the finals. “It was a passionate and stunning Viennese Waltz,” he said.
“You delivered what I wanted, the perfect combination of motion and emotion,” said Bruno. “You felt the music, you trusted [Val] and together you gave us a fabulous [performance].”
Carrie Ann said “a performance like this is going down in history.” She added that Alix delivered a “passionate” routine. “I am so proud of you.”
Score: 30
“I’m gonna keep crying,” Alix said after her perfect score.
Elaine Earned Her First Perfect Score
14 minutes ago
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For Elaine’s last dance to get to the finals, she reflected on her years as an actress. She explained that she’s trained herself to “just keep going” within her profession, and letting the public see her (and not the characters she plays) has been “really scary.”
“Every week, my body is showing up for me and I’m really grateful for that,” she said. Alan said they’re going to perform their Paso Doble to “When Doves Cry” for Elaine’s younger self who wanted to be a dancer growing up.
Carrie Ann jumped out of her seat and hugged Elaine on the dance floor screaming, “That was amazing!” The judge then bowed down to Elaine while the live feed got bleeped as she cursed.
“It was a proper, beautiful Paso Doble,” said Derek, praising her passion. “It was powerful, you filled the room with your energy.”
Bruno unbuttoned his entire shirt while he praised the performance. “That really was an authentic Paso Doble, as it should be done. It was a regal performance. Majestic!”
Score: 30
After earning her first perfect score, Alan teared up as Elaine praised him: “We worked so hard for this!”
Robert Blew the Judges Away with His Jive
24 minutes ago
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Robert earned the first perfect score of the season last week and won the relay dance. “I have one word for that: “Crikey!” said Robert.
As he worked on his Jive to “Baby I’m a Star” with Witney, Robert said he related to Prince’s energy, but said, “The pressure is on. We are just going again and again and again. Our only option is perfection.”
He kicked off their performance by standing on the judges table and leaping into the air. Towards the end of his dance, he did a full backflip to finish the high-intensity performance.
“For Prince, only a superstar Jive would do — you did that,” said Bruno. “So energized and at the same time, controlled. You never put a foot wrong. Superstar Jive!”
“That is how you tell everyone you demand to be in the finale. That was insane!” said Carrie Ann.
Derek said he danced with his “full body,” and said that Jive “had it all! Incredible!”
Score: 30
Jordan Lost the Pace of Her Jive
33 minutes ago
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“Making the semi-finals is like making the Olympic trials,” said Jordan. “The competitor in me is definitely coming out.”
Ezra said the hardest thing to teach with a Jive (they danced to “Raspberry Beret”) is stamina, “and luckily my girl has got that down,” he added.
Jordan said she did a Prince routine during her gymnastics career at UCLA and wants to bring her passion to “finally” get a perfect score tonight.
“that Jive had that pure Prince funky fun,” said Derek. He said he wanted more “bite” and “sharpness” but said it was “well done.”
“High energy funk,” said Bruno. He called out the fast tempo and said she was on it for a bit, until she lost the pace.
“For me, this was the best performance so far tonight,” said Carrie Ann. “I loved the energy. Super sharp, super strong.” But she did call out the “mishap” that Bruno mentioned with the tempo.
Score: 27/30
Dylan’s Famous Family Member Finally Made an Appearance in the Audience
46 minutes ago
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Dylan said getting perfect 10s last week was a “moment I’ll never forget.”
“I’m a slow learner, but we’ve really worked hard to get here,” Dylan told his partner Daniella. “Exactly,” she said.
As they practiced a Tango to “I Would Die 4 U,” Dylan said they’ll give it “everything they got.” Daniella said the biggest challenge they faced was working on keeping Dylan’s “bum” tucked in, after many comments from the judges.
Carrie Ann said it was “impressive” but there was a “little bit of a mix-up with the footwork.” She told the audience to “hold your boos” while she said, “the real issue is you have to feel this music. It’s Prince.”
Derek complemented Dylan’s “strong frame” and praised his improvement. Then, he called out Dylan’s brother, Zac Efron, who was in the audience and was also impressed with Dylan’s performance. Derek’s one critique was the star’s lack of heel leads, but said it was “well done.”
Bruno called it “sharp” and said he felt Dylan’s “intensity” during the dance.
Score: 27/30
Whitney Was Called Out by Julianne
56 minutes ago
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“I can’t believe it,” said Whitney. “I didn’t think I’d make it this far.”
As Mark and Whitney practiced the Cha Cha to “1999,” Whitney said it was hard for her not to be “so stiff.”
Bruno called their Cha Cha, “saucy.” He praised the execution and placement with the level of difficulty. “You did it stunningly well.”
“Once again, a wonderful dance,” said Carrie Ann. “At times, I could see you focusing on the technique, and normally that doesn’t happen when you perform. It almost kind of hindered it.”
Derek told Carrie Ann she’s “out of her mind,” calling the dance “literal perfection.” He said doing a Cha Cha in the semi-finals “really risky” but it kept getting “better and better” as the dance went on.
While in the skybox with Julianne, the co-host called out the comment Whitney made on Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, rehashing the comments Whitney made when she said she only wanted to do the reality show to be on DWTS. Julianne asked Whitney point blank: “Why do you want to be here so much?”
“After two season of SLOMW, I wanted to take a break, but once I found out this [DWTS] would be an opportunity for all of the girls to be able to go after this, I wanted to take that chance. I will forever be so grateful for [DWTS executive producer] Deena Katz because this changed my life and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Score: 29/30
Alix’s Tango Got Mixed Critiques
1 hr 11 min ago
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Alix said her perfect score last week isn’t getting to her head. “Now it’s go time!”
As Val taught Alix the choreography for their Argentine Tango to “Little Red Corvette,” he said this part of the competition is about how much “pain” one can take.
“I didn’t like it, I loved it!” said Derek. “I think you have the potential to go all the way to the end. Beautiful lines, well done!”
Bruno agreed, praising their “lines” and “bodywork” as “top notch.” But he said there were moments that could have been “sharper.” He concluded by calling her the “most improved.”
Carrie Ann said Alix had “grown the most, steadily.” But she critiqued her shoulders and said she was “gripping on to the dance instead of being in control of the dance.”
She added, “Take a deep breath for the next one, and come back stronger.”
Score 29/30
Elaine Left the Judges Wanting More
1 hr 11 min ago
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“I wasn’t sure if I’d make it,” said Elaine of her score last week. “I’m beside myself that I’m in the semi-finals.”
Her partner, Alan, told cameras during practice that he’s focused on making sure her shoulders are correct to avoid any critiques from judges.
After they danced a Foxtrot to “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” Carrie Ann told Elaine: “You deserve this spot so much!”
After praising her “solid” dance, Carrie Ann said she wants to see Elaine “push a little.” She added, “I want to see the edges a little bit more. You make it look so easy, I want to feel like maybe it’s not that easy for you all. If that makes sense.”
“Truly incredibly foxtrot,” said Derek. He echoed Carrie Ann and said that he wants to see Elaine “more fight” during her second dance.
“Radiant as ever,” said Bruno. He said she needs to “push it a bit harder” but said, “You are a a great performer.”
Score: 27/30
The Ballroom Goes Crazy
1 hr 11 min ago
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The show kicked off with an electric performance to Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” by the Dancing with the Stars troupe dancers.
Each contestant and their partner danced out as they were introduced — and even judges Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough came out dancing to finish off the high-intensity intro.
After a quick tribute to Prince, the semi-final was off to the races!
Whitney Leavitt Makes an Honest DWTS Confession
2 hr 6 min ago
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In season 3 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Whitney revealed to her friends outside of MomTok that she had no intentions of returning to the reality show.
“I just found out if I came back to film, I can audition for Dancing with the Stars,” she said.
She further explained in a confessional that she had initially decided “to step away from the show” after wrapping season 2 “but never quite MomTok.”
“I was always in MomTok, still a part of that group. I just really needed a break, but then I heard from my team Dancing with the Stars was going to cast someone from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, and that’s a motivator,” she said. “I’ll come back for that.”
Kevin Winter/Getty
Nothing Compares 2 This Lineup
2 hr 6 min ago
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Alix Earle and partner Val Chmerkovskiy will perform an Argentine Tango to “Little Red Corvette” and a Viennese Waltz to “Purple Rain.”
Robert Irwin and partner Witney Carson will perform a Jive to “Baby I’m a Star” and a Viennese Waltz to “WOW.”
Whitney Leavitt and partner Mark Ballas will perform a Cha Cha to “1999” and a Viennese Waltz to “Slow Love.”
Dylan Efron and partner Daniella Karagach will perform a Tango to “I Would Die 4 U” and a Cha Cha to “Kiss.”
Elaine Hendrix and partner Alan Bersten will perform a Foxtrot to “I Wanna Be Your Lover” and a Paso Doble to “When Doves Cry.”
Jordan Chiles and partner Ezra Sosa will perform a Jive to “Raspberry Beret” and an Argentine Tango to “U Got the Look.”
