“Dancing With the Stars”- Episode 10 Review
For this week’s “Dancing with the Stars,” six couples waltzed into the ballroom with high hopes, but only four would be returning for finale night next Monday.
The judges announced that semi-finals night would have no theme, but instead require each couple to perform two full routines– one ballroom, and one latin. The pressure was on, with stakes so high that a single misstep could end in elimination.
It is clear who the leader of this season is– TikTok star Charli D’Amelio has not left the top of the leaderboard in weeks, and rightfully so. She might have gone into the competition with dance training under her belt, but that simply made Mark Ballas push her to the limit with higher intensity choreography than other contestants.
Tonight, Charli blew the judges and audience away with two flawless performances. The first was a Viennese Waltz to “Glimpse of Us” by Joji, which left judge Carrie Ann Inaba in tears professing that it was “perfection on top of perfection.”
The other judges agreed and gave the couple a perfect 40/40. For their second dance later on in the night, Charli and Mark performed possibly the greatest number on the season so far.
The fiery Paso Doble featured Charli whipping around a red and black flamenco skirt and executing the most precise movements with ease, all while staring Mark down with the heat of a thousand suns.
Carrie Ann left the judging booth after the performance to give Charli and Mark a hug, once again saying it was “mind-blowing” how incredible the pair danced every week. The routine of course earned another perfect score, solidifying Charli as the best dancer on the show.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, this week made it clear that actor Trevor Donovan would likely not stick around to see finale night. While his improvement has been immensely entertaining to watch, Trevor could not keep up with the high scores this week.
He and Emma earned a 32/40 for their Cha Cha, and a 33/40 for their Viennese Waltz (that was dedicated to Emma.)
The middle of the pack was a bit harder to decipher after the night’s performances. CODA actor Daniel Durant put on two incredible performances that received high words of praise from the judges, but their scores were unfortunately on the lower end for this point in the competition.
An overall 69/80 landed Daniel and Britt right above Trevor and Emma at the end of the night, putting them at risk of elimination.
Actor Wayne Brady and drag queen performer Shangela seem to be neck-and-neck with their starpower and quality of performance. Wayne dedicated tonight’s emotional dances to his family, but the judges noted that he still had small mess-ups in his routines that they were obligated to point out at this stage in the game.
Shangela delivered a powerful Paso Doble to Lady Gaga’s “Born this Way,” which received words of praise from the superstar herself later on in the night, and a near-perfect Viennese Waltz.
Just above those two is Bachelorette star Gabby Windey, who has shocked the audience and judges alike with her skill and improvement. She earned a perfect 80/80 for her routines, and is tied with Charli D’Amelio for first place.
“DWTS” fans love a dark horse couple, and this season’s seems to be Gabby and Val. In past seasons, it is fairly common to see the “best” dancer on the show lose the mirrorball in the end.
That might be the case if it comes down to Charli and Gabby, since the two are so close in skill that their fates will lie in the hands of the voters at home.
Tonight it was also revealed that this season would be the last for head judge, Len Goodman. The ballroom erupted into cheers for the “living legend,” who’s been a part of the show since 2005.
He is well-deserving of the time off to spend with his grandchildren in Britain.
*Spoilers for the elimination*
As the lowest scorers of the night, Trevor and Emma were the first couple to leave the ballroom. Trevor breathlessly thanked Emma for believing in him when no one else did, and viewers were left to wonder what the future holds for the pair.
The second elimination came down to the judges deciding between Shangela and Daniel, and since Shangela had higher scores and intensity for the night, she was sent to the finale.
After becoming so connected to the couples this season, it was of course difficult to watch two fan favorites leave. However, next week’s finale will absolutely be one for the record books.
Rating: 4/5
Kaitlyn Murphy is a first-year majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact her, email kvm6255@psu.edu.
