Due to Tamar Braxton's withdrawal last week, no one was eliminated tonight and all four pairs will dance in the finals.
- Nov 17, 2015
AceShowbiz - "Dancing with the Stars" season 21 is only a week away from crowing the new winner. As a result of Tamar Braxton's withdrawal due to blood clots, the remaining four pairs danced three routines on the semifinals.
The Monday, November 9 episode opened with a salsa by Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough. It was a fun, light and happy dance, but Julianne Hough wanted a "more down and dirty" salsa. Bindi earned 27 out of 30 points.
Alek Skarlatos and Lindsay Arnold followed it up with their patriotic walltz. The style of dance seemed to suit him best and he managed to deliver a flawless routine. "For me this is where you shine your brightest," Carrie Ann Inaba acknowleged. The dance got a perfect score of 30.
Next, Carlos Pena Jr. and Witney Carson performed a contemporary number. It was raw, powerful, wild and cool, but Carrie Ann said she had "mixed feelings" about the routine. The other judges disagreed, saying they liked it. Carlos earned 28 points.
Nick Carter and Sharna Burgess danced a tango for their individual routine. There were clearly some missed steps, but the judges were nice and urged Nick to do better. "I am so sad that could have been a good dance but there was some foot work issues. Come back and get out of your head," Julianne told him. The judges gave him 24 points.
In the second part, they had a dance-off and the winner would earn extra 3 points. Alek & Lindsay were up against Carlos & Witney, dancing a cha cha. Julianne praised Carlos' technique, but Carrie Ann thought "it was absolutely equal." Carrie Ann voted for Alek, but the other two judges picked Carlos as the winner.
Bindi & Derek later faced off against Nick & Sharna in a samba dance-off. It was a close race, but Bindi narrowly defeated Nick with all three judges voting for her.
In the third part, each pair was joined by another professional dancer for a trio dance. Bindi, Derek and Mark Ballas danced a jazz. While it looked more like a contemporary number, the judges loved it. Carrie Ann gushed, "That was not a trio that was a professional contemporary dance company." They scored the dance 30. Bindi's total score is 60 points.
Alek and Lindsay were joined by Emma Slater for an Argentine tango. Bruno Tonioli that it showed Alek's strength, but Carrie Ann and Julianne noticed that he lost a bit at the end. The judges gave him 27 points for a total of 57.
Carlos and Witney recruited Karina Smirnoff for a charleston. It was fun and entertaining, with Julianne describing it as "sharp and clean." Carlos earned 29 for the trio dance for a grand total of 60 points.
Nick danced a sexy and fun salsa with Sharna and Peta Murgatroyd. He seemed to have got his groove back. "That is how you come back with a huge massive hit. I loved it," Bruno exclaimed. The dance was scored 30. Nick's total score is 54, the lowest among the four semifinalists.
Thankfully, there's no elimination this week so everyone was safe. All four pairs will dance in the finals next week.
