‘Dancing With the Stars’ Semi-final Was an Emotional Rollercoaster

We are one week away from crowning a new Dancing With the Stars Mirrorball champion, and last night’s semi-finals were no easy feat.

The night kicked off with a redemption round in which all of the contestants performed a style that they performed earlier in the season where the judges wanted to see improvement. During this round, fans saw a mix of Tango, Foxtrots, Rumbas, and Salsas as their favorites fought to get the judges’ praise.

literally don’t know what jenna has to do if she doesn’t get an emmy this season. she literally has like 5 dances she could submit. her and jojo really were made for this moment and i am so proud of them #dwts pic.twitter.com/1HrqHXjDsI

— kt (@someboldfeeling) November 16, 2021

The second round of competition was a dance that the couples had not performed yet, and to call this round, a tear-jerker would be an understatement.

Gold-medalist Suni Lee danced a contemporary to Sara Bareilles’s “Gravity” with her pro partner Sasha Farber. During her package, Lee discussed her struggles with navigating her newfound fame and how she’s managing to find her confidence through DWTS.

After her performance, the judges praised Lee for finding herself and scored her a 38 out of 40.

Host of The Talk, Amanda Kloots, closed out the night with a stunning contemporary with her partner Alan Bersten to “Live Your Life” by her late husband, Nick Cordero. In her package, Kloots discussed her husband’s battle with COVID-19 and its complications, which led to his devastating passing.

Kloots said, “To me, the power of holding someone’s hand is so, there is just nothing like it because you know you have someone that has you… I just wanted him to know that I had him.”

Judge Derek Hough fought back the tears as he applauded Amanda for doing this dance and taking this moment for her. Hough said, “I’m really, really happy that you’ll always have this moment,” The piece earned the pair a perfect 40.

In the end, two couples were sent packing before next week’s finale. Suni Lee and The Office actress Melora Hardin were eliminated from the competition.

Season 30’s final four are Amanda Kloots, Jojo Siwa, Cody Rigsby, and making history as the first basketball player in the finale, Iman Shumpert. Who do you think will be the next mirrorball champion?

Excuse me?! this team is everything. #dwts pic.twitter.com/MGIMZTPCIw

— L🍪 (@sixtimederek) November 16, 2021

Dancing With the Stars airs on Monday nights 8/7c on ABC and the next day on Hulu.