Besides the individual routines, the remaining five contestants perform trio dances before one of them gets eliminated.
- May 9, 2017
AceShowbiz - "Dancing with the Stars" narrowed it down to four pairs, after shocking double elimination last week. Simone Biles & Sasha Farber, Bonner Bolton & Sharna Burgess, Rashad Jennings & Emma Slater, Normani Kordei & Valentin Chmerkovskiy as well as David Ross & Lindsay Arnold returned to dance on Monday night, May 8 and the results announced tonight would determine who enter the semifinals.
Each pair danced an individual routine before performing a trio dance with another pro dancer. Rashad and Emma delivered a Jive number in the first round. It was a fun dance and the judges loved the energy, but Len Goodman and Julianne Hough agreed that Rashad's footwork could be sharper. He earned 36 out of 40 points.
Normani and Valentin followed it up with a contemporary number, which depicted how she got bullied on social media with racist comments. Her eyes welled up while she listened to the judges' positive comments. Len said he's not a big fan of contemporary, but he was "spellbound" throughout the performance. She got a perfect score of 40.
Bonner and Sharna performed an Argentine Tango. He got frustrated during rehearsals and was too stiff during his performance. Len didn't try to hide it that Bonner was not supposed to be in the top 5, saying, "Don't blame the judges, blame the viewers. You've gone a switch too far in the competition." The professional bull rider earned 30 points.
Simone and Sasha danced a Foxtrot that was very fun and bubbly. Julianne said, "There wasn't something that wowed me, but nothing disappointed me either, it was sort of safe." Bruno Tonioli said Simone made it look so easy, but he wanted her to "bring surprise into the game." The Olympic gymnast earned 36 points.
David and Lindsay performed a Waltz for the last dance in the first round. It was a very sweet and tender dance. Bruno dubbed it "the best father and daughter dance at a wedding." Carrie Ann Inaba praised his technique and the attention he put on the detail, though Len noticed that it was a little unsteady. David earned 36 points.
Up next was a trio dance by Rashad, Emma and Witney Carson. They danced an Argentine Tango. Len said it was full of passion, but he complained about his feet again. The other judges had nothing but praises, though, with Carrie Ann calling it Rashad's best dance by far. He earned 39 points.
Normani and Valentin were joined by Alan Bersten for a Jive number, during which the two men ripped off their shirts to impress Normani, but she ended up going with Bonner instead. Again, Len was not as pleased as the other judges were, complaining that Normani wasted time by just standing on the table and not doing much. She earned 39 points.
Bonner and Sharna teamed up with Britt Stewart for a Jazz routine. It was too raunchy and the judges tried to be polite though it was clear that they're not comfortable watching it. "I feel like we watched the security cameras and I feel bad," Julianne described it. The judges scored the dance 28.
Simone, Sasha and Brittany Cherry danced a Paso Doble. Bruno said, "You hit everything with such a ruthless efficiency that at times we love artistry." Len added that she's his favorite to win, though she has never got a 10. Simone earned 36 points.
David, Lindsay and Hayley Erbert performed the last trio dance, another Paso Doble. David looked overwhelmed and Len admitted that he didn't like it at all. Julianne said of David's portrayal of a gladiator, "You were definitely committed to the character, but you lacked shaping." The judges gave him 29 points.
The results were then announced, with Normani & Val, Simone & Sasha and David & Lindsay entering the semifinals. Bonner and Sharna were eventually eliminated, meaning that Rashad and Emma joined the other three pairs in the top 4.
