Dancing With the Stars Semifinals Recap: Did the Right Couple Go Home?
!['Dancing With the Stars' Recap: [Spoiler] Eliminated From Season 24](https://tvline.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/rebecca-iannucci-1.jpg?w=250&h=250&crop=1)
We’ve officially reached the home stretch of Dancing With the Stars‘ latest season, and you know what that means: The performances will be spectacular, the emotional breakdowns will be frequent… and there’s always time for one more shocking elimination.
All of that proved true during Monday’s semifinals broadcast, which seemed to challenge the final four contestants in ways both moving (Simone Biles tearfully admitting that she’d reached her limit) and just plain weird (David Ross putting a lemon… somewhere anatomically unsavory).
Those struggles in rehearsal weren’t for naught. Over the course of two hours, the remaining couples turned in performances that were emotionally compelling, massively fun or — in at least one case — a combination of the two.
And yet, the night wasn’t without its plot twists: Pitted against David for the last spot in next week’s finale, Simone was sent home during a results announcement that left the entire ballroom — including David and Lindsay, correctly — agape. (But really, after Heather Morris was sent home in Week 6, are any of us really surprised by this turn of events?)
First, let’s review how each couple was scored on their two dances this Monday:
* Normani Kordei and pro Val Chmerkovskiy: Viennese Waltz (36/40) and Jazz (40/40)
* David Ross and pro Lindsay Arnold: Foxtrot (34/40) and Tango (36/40)
* Simone Biles and pro Sasha Farber: Jive (40/40) and Rumba (40/40) — Those back-to-back perfect scores really make the elimination sting a bit more, huh?
* Rashad Jennings and pro Emma Slater: Rumba (38/40) and Quickstep (39/40)
And, of course, the full results:
ADVANCING TO FINALS (in order they were announced)
Normani Kordei and pro Val Chmerkovskiy
Rashad Jennings and pro Emma Slater
David Ross and pro Lindsay Arnold
ELIMINATED
Simone Biles and pro Sasha Farber
OK, your turn! Were you shocked to see Simone and Sasha eliminated? Which finalist do you hope to see snag the Mirrorball next week? Drop all of your thoughts in a comment below!
As much as I was shocked and frustrated, in the end I am not surprised. Simone had not improved for weeks. Tonight she finally broke through but unfortunately that was too late. I may be biased because I am a Cubs fan, but David brightens my week every week. In the end, as long as Normani wins, I’ll be happy!
Had no idea who he was before this season but he’s so enjoyable to watch.
Go David! What a wonderful person he is. He has worked hard, had fun and improved so much. He and Lindsay are so entertaining! I didn’t have high hopes for watching this season but David kept me tuned in. He and Normani are my favorites.
David’s improving, even if he’s not that great as both Normadi and Rashad.
I’m a lifelong Yankee fan, so I shouldn’t like him because he was on the Red Sox (that rivalry runs deep), but damn, I think he’s great. I’m so glad he made it to the final three, because I thought he’d be the one to go last night (the Cubs fans and Boston fans must be voting like crazy). I think it will be Rashad or Normani who wins, though.
More likely, it’s Normadi that will win it all.
Daniel: Spot on! Total agreement!
I think it’s BS, but I also think some chintzy reality competition show trophy can’t replace gold medals, either.
I totally agree with you there.
Oh, make no mistake. She wanted that mirror ball.
Absolutely !
Agree!!!!
First, it’s not replacing any of her gold medals. Second — she’s a competitor. Of course she wanted to win.
I agree.
Yeah, I definitely don’t think Simone should’ve left tonight. I was hoping it’d be her versus Normani when they whittled down to the final two next week.
.
She gave a good exit speech, though. And her dances tonight were lovely.
.
Also, Normani’s second dance in particular rocked. That was so much fun to watch.
I just have one word… NOPE!
Nope!
Agree. Now, I really don’t care who wins. Actually, I may throw all my votes to David next week. The judges have been incredibly biased toward Normani since the beginning. I stand by my statement from several weeks ago…this week should have been Simone, Normani, Nancy, and Heather with any three of those making excellent finalists. But oh no, they can’t have an all female semi-final. ABC completely engineered this one.
Biased toward Normani? She is an amazing dancer and performer. They were just being truthful.
Yes, she’s very good, but it’s pretty obvious she’s the one the judges wanted to win from the beginning. The funny thing is, she has almost as much dance experience as Heather, but I don’t hear anyone complaining about her the way they did Heather.
I completely agree.
This is the worst season. How is David in the finale when he’s not a good dancer, time for Normani to win this
Please watch it again. He can totally dance.
no, he can’t.
Yes he can.
He’s not better then the other three on the show. 34 and 36 while the others made 40’s and 39’s
He is better than Simone and Rashad.
You’re delusional.
No, I am not delusional. I watched. Just because I don’t believe what the “judges” are told to say does not make me delusional. Anyone who believes the “judges” and what they are told to say is delusional. Which makes you…delusional.
You are wrong. I agree with Sarah
Maybe you’re not delusional but you’re obviously not a dancer or someone that should be judging because he is not in any which way a better dancer than anybody that’s left on the show or Simone!!
Terrible! I was shocked that Simone is going home. I think if she had a different partner maybe she could have gone on. I don’t know, but i will not be watching next week.. i usually watch the mirror ball, not this year. I cannot figure out how the baseball dude has gone this far.. he gets lower judges scores than Simone and has not improved in my opinion. The three left are very self confident to say the least.
Are you serious? He is a very poor dancer. Had he been coming to my studio I would have refunded his money and told him there was no hope. It just goes to prove this should be renamed WHo Do You Like The Best, rather than DWTS because it isn’t a dance competition, voters vite for who they like rather than who really deserves to win. That lumbering ungainly giant shouldn’t be anywhere near the finals.
He is not better than Simone. And he may be a nice guy and that’s all fine and dandy but he is not the best dancer. And that’s what the show is about dancing not his the nicest.
He is in the finals because he has an enormous fan base, winning world series titles in both Boston and Chicago. That is the way the game is played.
When Nancy went home I was over caring who stayed. Truly though Simone was not that fun to watch – very boring.
Then we weren’t watching the same show, Simone was very fun to watch and not boring at all, she should have been in the top 3. Maybe you need glasses.
I agree, I don’t know what show she was looking at. To me Simone and her partner did à great job. Stop being jealous.
Nancy is a gnat. A personality-challenged slug. It totally came through on there.
You are a lovely human, aren’t you?
Yes, I am. You know who is not? Nancy. There’s no hiding a hideous personality on this show. You put yourself out there and it comes through. She tried but just could not hide it. And it’s certainly not the first time she has displayed her hideousness, nor the second, third, fourth, fifth….
Ok Tonya Harding.
Okay that was so predictable we need a new word for predictable. I should have addressed that but didn’t think I needed to here. So disappointing. Here goes: My comments regarding Nancy Kerrigan in no way whatsoever mean nor show support for Tonya Harding. I can’t stand either one of them. I feel both are equally heinous for altogether different reasons. I reserve the right to feel the way I do about both of them, and respect your right to do so as well.
How you can judge someone from knowing them on an hour TV show where they have about 10 minutes of air time – tells me that you are the gnat.
What makes you think I’m judging Nancy based on her time on DWTS?
Well said. I felt the same way about James last season.
my last comment was not meant to be posted here.
I wish people voted based on who was the best dancer rather than who is more popular/who they like best
Why? It’s supposed to be about who is your favorite dancer and your favorite doesn’t have to be the best. I don’t look at DWTS the same way I would look at a competition like SYTYCD where the best dancer is expected to and should win. I know everyone has a different opinion on the voting, but for me it’s about the joy of learning how to dance and who I enjoy watching dance the most.
Tenney…exactly right! We watched 5 weeks of Strictly Come Dancing in the UK and I tell you, they don’t have any of those celebrities on because they can dance! But it is fun to see how they might improve each week and their show is on Saturday and Sunday with a rundown Mon-Fri for 30 minutes…it is all about the dance!
That’s the best answer and comment! Totally why I stopped voting. It has become a popularity contest not a dance contest.
The biggest fanbase and the best dancer aren’t always the same person. As long as you remember that countless voters think of DWTS as a popularity contest and not a skills competition, your frustration level doesn’t get out of whack.
I blame the judges. Simone’s dances have been flawless yet her scores were the same as the guys. How can they act so surprised when she was sent home. It was their fault. I think I am finally over this show..
This is a cliche thing to say, but the judges’ scores only count for half. And I don’t think they’ve been wrong, really – she always seemed to be holding something back, which I get is a result of her training, but they’ve been telling her for weeks to work on it. She was amazing tonight, but that’s the first time I REALLY enjoyed her in a while! I think that the talent has just been really good this season. You could argue that David should have gone home instead, but he’s actually been improving, so that’s been fun to watch.
I agree 100%
I agree with you Elisabeth. I wanted to really like Simone but I just really wasn’t that interested when she danced. David made me watch. No, he’s not the best dancer but I look forward to his routines. He makes me smile. I never felt Simone connected with the audience.
I couldn’t agree more. I wasn’t at all shocked that she went home. Was she a technically proficient dancer? Yes. Was she fun to watch? Not really.
And sadly, she wasn’t likeable. She came across as entitled. Even if that’s not at all who she really was, it’s the way she seemed UNTIL tonight. By then it was too late.
Simone’s dances have been that of a cheap steel wind up doll. No emotion. Hideous dances (not her fault but count). I did like that she explained she has spent the past 14 years of her life in a gym – no chance for showing emotion there. Not if you want to succeed as an Olympic athlete anyway. But she never “got with the program” enough and this show is about improving, fun and entertainment and she was never any of those imperative things.
She most certainly was fun and entertaining to watch. But they couldn’t let a gymnast win 2 seasons in a row. Simone was made a scape goat. But she is the Greatest of All Time for gymnasts.
Why do you think she was made a scape-goat? The judges were in shock and it was genuine. She didn’t connect with the audience the way David Ross did or anywhere near Laurie Hernandez the season before.
Ms April has your mind gone to the blackhole or something?!😠Simone Biles dances was awesome from the get go I mean hello perfect forty scores in both dances so Ms Biles should’ve stayed and go after that mirrorball trophy not that lousy stinky baseball guy who cannot dance worth nothing plus low judges scores too tsk tsk Mrs April shame on you😡
Definitely big popularity contest and good dancing too!
THEY ELIMINATED THE WRONG COUPLE,
The elimination of Simone was indeed shocking as well as sad. How ironic it happened on the night she attained perfect scores.
David was very congenial and appealing but he should have been the one to leave.
Simone was gracious in her elimination and came off as classy.
David is what this show is all about: someone who has no dancing experience who learns and grows throughout the process. He is having a great time and it shows. Is he the best? No. But this show has never been about who the technically best dancer is out there. He got all my votes and then some. If you want to see pro level dancing, So You Think You Can Dance should be starting soon.
I completely agree w you Sara!! I absolutely love the idea that the public has had alot to say in this series. David has always been the underdog but he’s so good and genuine and fun to watch. I’m excited to see a non dancer make the top 3. This is absolutely what this show is about, someone who’s dancing skills arent the best who proves capable week in and week out. I think it’ll be between Normani and David. Rashad is absolutely amazing (and hot) but I think David has more of a fan base. I also felt bad that they didn’t celebrate his finalist spot and instead focused on the shock that was Simone getting eliminated. She’s the world’s best gymnist no doubt…I guess she decided to come out of her shell a little too late. #teamunderdog
I wouldn’t celebrate his final place, because he doesn’t deserve to be there.
I agree 100%. The competition is never level from the beginning. David, has by far been the most improved and I would be ecstatic if he upset the entire apple cart and won.
He probably would if left entirely to the fans. However, the judges try to destroy the chance of any contestant who goes further than they believe he/she should by scoring them so low it is insurmountable by fan vote. We’ll see.
I totally agree with you…some contestants have an edge over the others.Example: last year the gymnast won when it should have been Sharna and Hinch . He turned out to be fantastic and had no previous dance experience
Linda, I totally agree with you. Hinch was my very favorite amateur dancer in all of DWTS history. Never heard of him before the competition but was so very impressed with him throughout. I truly felt he should have won.
Well said. I felt the same way about James last season.
Well said. I felt the same way about James last season.
Yes OF COURSE the right one left! Should have been gone weeks ago (but not before that slug Nancy). I’m disappointed the “judges” acted “shocked”. It was an insult to the ones left standing there who should not have been in jeopardy: David and Lindsay. Yet another insult was the score for Rashad, who I just love and think is very charismatic. But his dance was wooden compared to David’s, and Rashad’s received higher scores. Normani is wonderful. Such a nice person, it shines through. I’d like to see a final between David and Normani with David winning. He is just class and grace personified. Not to mention charisma, which he has in spades, and not to mention that he has really shown he’s having a great time there. Truly nice people always shine. No one has worked harder, no one has improved more than David. Isn’t that what DWTS is all about anyway?
I thought the same thing about David and Lindsay haha – no, he’s not the most talented/perfect dancer left, but he puts his heart and soul into every performance and works every week to be better. And it shows! I felt so bad that he had to stand up there and watch everyone from the judges to Tom and Erin stand there with their jaws on the ground like he didn’t have a chance. Poor guy!
Totally! I thought that was horrible of them. He deserved better from all of them. Whereas Simone deserved her ousting and they should not have acted differently.
She didn’t deserve the ousting, she is a much better dancer than David and should have been in the final 3.
Believe it or not, there’s much more to it than the actual dancing. And she certainly fell short.
The judges who were so “shocked” need to learn how to score honestly. Stop grading the worse dancers on a curve and stop under grading the better dancers. The judges are the ones with the experience and are half the vote. The inexperienced voting audience votes for popularity, not dancing ability.
Right on. If they would stop inflating the scores of the poorest dancers, the popular vote wouldn’t be able to “shock” them. It is their own fault.
Kept waiting for Tom to say “Hold on, I read the card wrong”
Really??
SURPRISED….NOT! This whole year has not been practical. Perhaps it’s a lack of people not voting, don’t know!??? How does a go
Wow…I am shocked by this one, though not because I thought she was the best or the most deserving. I figured she had a lock on the finals purely based on America’s vote. But I feel like she’s been on a plateau for weeks, and she showed a little bit of immaturity by snapping back at the judges (who have been telling her for weeks that she needs to show emotion…she needed to try a lot harder and stop making excuses at some point). So I’m not totally sorry to see her go, though she had a great night. Normani and Rashad definitely deserve to be in the finals, and I appreciate David because he represents exactly what this show is about – improving week after week, and not taking anything for granted. Slightly shocking elimination, but I’m okay with the final three!
Not watching anymore….officially boycotting any and all ABC shows, including anything Disney….ABC cancelled my favorite show on TV….LAST MAN STANDING!!!
Simone should not have been eliminated. She was excellent.
Rashad should win.
I like Rashad the best, too!
Not watching anymore!! ABC cancelled my favorite show, last man standing!! Will not watch anything ABC and Disney!!
Too chicken to post my comments!!! Good bye ABC!!
If you come back and look, they got posted. It’s not the site being “chicken”, it just sometimes takes a few moments for the comments to load. The same thing’s happened to some of my comments. too. Settle down.
Shocked!
Normani and Val to win the Mirrorball.
This show is done!!! Perfect scores and you get sent home!! I’m done!!
I am done as well. I don’t think David has improvedl. He is still flat footed and doesnt move fluidly! People seem to love him, but i think it is because he excudes self confidence
You didn’t want 2 gymnasts winning back to back!! Gymnast should of been safe from elimination because of her scores!!!