The contestants are almost to the finish line on Dancing with the Stars. This week, the remaining five couples performed two full dances to prove themselves, claim a place on the leaderboard, and make it to the Finals. Competition was high, and the dances were incredible. Check out our full recap below.
The Highlights
- The competition heats up as the five remaining couples brought everything they had to the Semi-Finals.
- The pros perform a Mandy Moore-choreographed mid-show number to Janelle Monae’s “Make Me Feel.”
- Xochitl and Val bring Carrie Ann to tears with a Viennese waltz.
Ariana and Pasha
For their first dance of the night, Ariana and Pasha did a jive to show off all the dance skills she has refined this season. Derek praised her jive skills and Bruno called the performance a “runaway hit” in reference to the Bruno Mars song they danced to.
Score: 28/30
Ariana and Pasha also performed the last dance of the night, hitting the ballroom again to close the show with a foxtrot. Derek loved the balance of elegance and content in this performance, and Bruno called the dance “brilliant.” Carrie Ann called their performance a wonderful way to end the Semi-Finals.
Score: 30/30
Total Score: 58/60
Jason and Daniella
After earning a perfect score last week, Jason and Daniella had a drive to win as they performed a Viennese waltz to Jason’s song “I Won’t Give Up.” Carrie Ann wanted to see Jason open up during his performances. Derek called it a “proper Viennese waltz,” but he did think they could have glided more.
Score: 27/30
When they returned as the first couple to perform a second dance, they learned another difficult style for Jason, the pasodoble. “My man, you paso’d all over that doble,” Derek said of this performance and Jason’s technique. The entire judges’ panel was in love with this dance.
Score: 30/30
Total Score: 57/60
Xochitl and Val
Xochitl is really embracing her newfound love of dance. After sharing that she hopes to bring some dance into her acting career, Val revealed they would be dancing a challenging samba for their first dance this week. “That was spectacular!” Carrie Ann said, showering this dance in compliments. Derek and Bruno agreed that this was a samba fit for the semi-finals.
Score: 30/30
For their ballroom dance, Xochitl and Val waltzed to “La Vie en Rose.” Giving Xochitl the space to be a true ballroom dancer, their dance featured solo moments and a lot of emotion. The performance brought Xochitl herself to tears and earned her praise for her perfection, artistry, and the power of her performance from the judges. Derek said Len would have loved their dance.
Score: 30/30
Total Score: 60/60
Charity and Artem
Leaderboard topper Charity could practically taste a win after her performance last week. She and Artem set out to continue that trend this week with a rumba. Derek said she made the rumba look effortless. Bruno and Carrie Ann loved the technical and emotional performance that Bruno delivered.
Score: 29/30
Charity called their second dance of the night an “all or nothing” performance. Their confident quickstep had the audience on their feet, and Bruno shouting compliments for their “sass and pizzaz.” Their energy and attack made this a performance to rememeber.
Score: 30/30
Total Score: 59/60
Alyson and Sasha
After what she thought was a close call last week, Alyson was shocked and excited to me in the Semi-Finals. This self-described underdog wanted to continue to prove herself with a jive this week. Bruno liked Alyson’s take on “Footloose,” but was disappointed to see her hesitating at times. Carrie Ann and Derek shared they loved watching her perform.
Score: 25/30
For their second performance, Alyson and Sasha were going for awesome with a love story told through a slow waltz. Derek said this was Alyson’s best dance and complimented her for being the best example of how to approach this competition. Bruno called the dance “natural” with appreciation for her timing and grace.
Score: 26/30
Total Score: 51/60
The Results
After 10 incredible performances and a lot of incredible successes in dance, no one wanted to go home, and it was hard to guess who would be left behind after this week. Xochitl and Val and Ariana and Pasha were the last two couples on the stage at the end, but in a surprise twist, no one went home.
Dancing with the Stars returns next week for the finale episode with five couples for the first time live on Tuesday, November 21 on Disney+ and ABC at 8:00 PM ET.
