Another one bites the dust. After a banner week, everyone seemed shocked that Elizabeth Berkley and Valentin Chmerkovskiy were eliminated in the quarterfinals of this years’ cycle. This comes after she just scored a perfect 30 and was appluaded for both her physical and dance transformations. On her exit, Elizabeth said “I’m sad — there was some more things we wanted to do.” She ended with optimism, however, saying “this is an amazing gift in my life. It’s a one in a lifetime but I’m going to take it with me in all that I do.”
Elizabeth’s departure cleared the decks for Bill Engvall and Emma Slater, who were also “in jeopardy” but ultimately made it through to the semi-finals. As for performances this week, each contestant had to complete two full-length numbers. One was an individual dance, and the other one was a “trio” dance with their partner and a former “Pro” or “Troupe” member.
Corbin Bleu and Karina Smirnoff righted their wrong after their Game of Thrones Viennese Walts. This week they did a traditional waltz set to One Republic’s “Apologize.” The judges gushed over his performance. He also killed it with his jazz trio. Witney Carson from the Troupe joined Karina and Corbin for a rousing routine that incorporated dance moves from both classic Broadway and modern R&B. The jazz was so good it netted the two a perfect score. They got a near perfect score for their waltz, which brought them to the top of the leaderboard with 58 out of 60 possible points for the evening.
Our ultimately eliminated couple tried a different route this week. For once, Elizabeth listened whole-heartedly to her pro. The result was a lovely Viennese waltz representing a modern, dark, and moody side of marriage. The dance was set to Lana Del Rey’s “Young and Beautiful.” While it hit all the marks emotionally, technically, it left a bit to be desired. The trio worked out a bit better for them. They danced with Gleb Savchenko and managed to make a three-way salsa less awkward than you would think. Elizabeth and Val got a 26 for their waltz, and a perfect 30 for the salsa bringing them to 56 out of 60. It still wasn’t enough to carry them through, as we now know.
We move on to Tony Dovolani and Leah Remini. Tony really upped the intensity this week for Leah, starting with a fiery tango. Bruno applauded its difficulty, however he mentioned, “there are still a few moments when you go a little bit shaky … come back and try to maintain that strength.” They also mentioned her fiery attitude really made the dance shine. For their trio, they brought in Henry Byalikov from the Troupe to do a jive. They danced to Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” The trio played the judges, which was clever and fun and put them on their toes a little bit. They received a 27 for both dances, bringing them to a 54 out of 60 for the evening.
Jack Osbourne may be a dark horse to win this entire competition. While he’s not as technically strong as some of the other dancers, he brings a consistently positive attitude and great amount of joy to his numbers. His Viennese waltz with Cheryl was the highest-scoring dance of the first round with an almost perfect score of 29. Their turns were on point and they ended the number with a sweet hug. Later, for their samba trio, they recruited Sharna Burgess. The judges loved it, although not as much as their first number. They got a 25 for the saucy jungle number bringing them to a 54 for the evening.
An injured Amber Riley is trying to keep it together. It’s lucky she has an amazing partner in Derek Hough. They started out with a quickstep, which Derek excelled at. Amber made cute use of her knew brace, although the judges were somewhat disappointed with her performance, despite her injury. The duo earned a 24 for that number before moving on to a salsa trio. They incorporated Mark Ballas to help them shake their way through Corona’s “Rhythm of the Night.” The judges were impressed and gave them a 27 out of 30 bringing them to a 51 for the evening.
We end with Bill Engvall and Emma Slater. The judges were unimpressed with their first number, a messy Charleston. They earned a mere 21 and some scathing comments from the judges. Later, they did a psychedelic salsa trip inspired by Willy Wonka and incorporating Peta Murgatroyd. Again, they pulled in a mere 21, bringing them to the bottom of the board with 42.
Did your favorites make it through? Are you disappointed Elizabeth and Val got sent home? Tune in next week for the semi-finals!