'DWTS' Ballroom Stunned by Unexpected Elimination
The Dancing with the Stars ballroom was jolted once again on Monday night with another shocking elimination that roused the judges to their feet in dismay.
[SPOILER ALERT: Results from the show revealed below]
With the Mirrorball Trophy being awarded in just two weeks, the celeb dancers worked hard to be at their pinnacle in Week 9 as they took on an individual dance and a trio dance with an eliminated pro or member of the troupe.
Amber Riley got the ballroom moving first with an energetic quickstep with her partner Derek Hough. Although the judges seemed to enjoy the routine, they didn't back their sentiments with their paddles. The Glee actress was given her lowest score in six weeks, 24, for her quickstep.
Although the usually leaderboard-topping dancer later earned a 27 for her trio salsa, she was slotted second to last on the leaderboard with her total of 51/60 when all was said and done.
Nevertheless, Riley still remained far above the depths of last place, which was once again claimed by comedian Bill Engvall. Although he and his partner Emma Slater thoroughly enjoyed their routines, the judges did not.
On par with the majority of his dances, Engvall's Charleston was critiqued as offbeat by judge Bruno Tonioli and was granted 21 points, his lowest since Week 4. "Offbeat," was a relatively kind critique, however, as judge Carrie Ann Inanba labeled Egvall's candy-man-themed trio salsa "so weird," and he was once again awarded a 21, slotting him in dead last with 42/60.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, actor Corbin Bleu dazzled once again, grabbing the spotlight with his duo of dances that were collectively two points short of perfection. Bleu's graceful slow waltz, deemed "dreamy" by Carrie Ann, earned 28 points, and it only got better from there.
Adding troupe member Witney Carson onboard for his jazz trio, set to a jazzed-up rendition of Usher's "Yeah," Bleu rendered a performance that Carrie Ann said might have been the best she's seen in 17 seasons on the show. The judges added substance to that assessment by giving him the night's first perfect score.
Leah Remini and Jack Osbourne both pulled totals of 54/60. Remini went for brownie points once again with a tribute to the judges in her trio jive, and it paid off with a 27. Osbourne, however, didn't receive much acclaim for his jungle-themed trio samba, and failed to capitalize on the 29 he earned in the first round for his Viennese waltz.
As she approached her trio dance, the last dance of the night, actress Elizabeth Berkley had to put on her best to ensure that she and partner Val Chmerkovskiy would avoid elimination after their dramatic wedding-themed Viennese waltz put them in the middle of the pack.
Berkley came ready for the challenge, producing a salacious salsa that earned the former Saved by the Bell actress a perfect score, which boosted her to second on the leaderboard.
Yet, when it was time to determine which dancer would be going home this week, Elizabeth found herself in the bottom two. The other contestant in the bottom two, Bill Engvall, was hardly surprised to find himself there, as he's been there for the past three eliminations.
Tears began to stream down Engvall's partner Emma Slater's face as the two stood awaiting what seemed to be an inevitable elimination as their scores on the night fell 14 points short of Berkley and Chmerkovskiy's.
However, somehow, someway, Engvall managed to proceed to the semifinals with strong voter support from last week, and Elizabeth was sent home.
The results stunned the judges, who arose from their seats with disapproval, and Carrie Ann appeared to mouth the words "That's not right." The ballroom was also flooded with boos of discontent from the audience members.
Check out all the scores below, and keep posted on the semifinals of Dancing with the Stars (ABC, 8 p.m.) next Monday with ETonline.
Corbin Bleu and Karina Smirnoff (58/60): 28/30 (9,9,10) Slow Waltz
+Witney Carson 30/30: (10,10,10) Jazz
Elizabeth Berkley and Val Chmerkovskiy (56/30): 26/30 (9,8,9) Viennese Waltz
+ Gleb Savchenko 30/30: (10,10,10) Salsa
Jack Osbourne and Cheryl Burke (54/60): 29/30 (10,10,9) Viennese Waltz
+Sharna Burgess 25/30: (8,8,9) Samba
Leah Remini and Tony Dovolani (54/60): 27/30 (9,9,9) Tango
+ Henry Byalikov 27/30: (9,9,9) Jive
Amber Riley and Derek Hough (51/60): 24/30 (8,8,8) Quickstep
+ Mark Ballas 27/30: (9,9,9) Salsa
Bill Engvall and Emma Slater (42/60): 21/30 (7,7,7) Charleston
+Peta Murgatroyd: 21/30 (7,7,7) Salsa