6 Emotional Moments From Last Night's Heartbreaking 'DWTS' Semifinals
It was a night of raw emotion as celebrity dancers shared their personal stories and struggles.
Stars and professional dancers alike brought their A game on a heartbreaking semifinal round on last night's "Dancing with the Stars."
Emotions ran high in the ballroom, where five couples faced off to advance to the finals. After the judges’ scores and votes were in, James Van Der Beek and his partner Emma Slater went home.
Each pair danced to songs, including a redemption performance. The redemption performance consisted of the couple redoing a style that they needed to improve on.
Find an in-depth breakdown of all the emotional moments below.
James Van Der Beek's Heartbreaking Message
It was a very tough night for James Van Der Beek. The actor announced that his wife Kimberly suffered a miscarriage. The couple was expecting their sixth child. “My wife Kimberly and I went through every expecting parent’s worst nightmare. We lost the baby,” an emotional Van Der Beek said in his video package. “The little soul that we had expected to welcome into our family took a shortcut to whatever lies beyond.”
Audience members watched the actor dance a touching Foxtrot to Hozier's "Take Me to Church." After the performance, both Van Der Beek and his partner Emma Slater cried in each other's arms.
Ally Brooke's Kind Gesture to James Van Der Beek
The show ended with a shocking, emotional ending. The two couples that ended up in the bottom two were Ally Brooke and Sasha Farber and James Van Der Beek and Emma Slater. Judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli all agreed they were surprised to see both couples in the bottom two. They all decided to send both James and Emma home.
After the results, a teary-eyed Ally Brooke asked host Tom Bergeron to surrender her spot and give it to James. Earlier in the show, he revealed that his wife suffered from a miscarriage. During the night James and Emma received the lowest scores of the night.
According to Entertainment Tonight, Brooke revealed why she wanted to give up her spot. "I'm really sad and I just feel like it's not right that he went home and that is how I feel," Brooke said. "Obviously I know Sasha and I have been through hell and back on the show. We've overcome so many obstacles and we're strong people, we adore the show more than anything. I have had the time of my life on this show. But it's really tough, especially given James' circumstances that he went tonight," she added.
Hannah Brown Breaks Down
During the redemption round, Carrie Ann Inaba came to Hannah Brown and Alan Bersten's rehearsals. She provided tips and how they can perform their rumba better a second time. Brown was open to the comments, but things got emotional as Inaba offered constructive criticism. "You're doubting yourself, so you're trying to cut it short. You have to show it off more," Inaba said. "I know it’s hard, stay with me," she continued. Brown replied "I'm fine," as she started to cry. Inaba responded, "I'm a judge, I can take it. Trust me," Inaba said. "I'm not here for any other reason but to help you."
After the judges offered great comments for their rumba, Brown interrupted and wanted to apologize. "I just want to say I am so sorry if it seemed like I was dismissive," Brown said. "I had a really hard day that day. It was really emotional learning my contemporary [routine]." "I didn't handle my emotions very well," she added. "I'm so sorry if it seemed like anything else."
Inaba responded and told Brown that she was never offended. She told Brown that she improved a lot and that she was proud of her.
Kel Mitchell Dedicates Dance to Victims of Gun Violence
There wasn't a dry eye in the house as Kel Mitchell and his partner Witney Carson performed a contemporary dance to Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You." During his pre-taped package before his performance, Mitchell said that he lost one of his childhood friends to gun violence. The routine received a standing ovation from everyone in the room, including the judges. Carrie Ann Inaba was brought to tears by the performance and said, "You tell a story, you express your feelings. Thank you for that."
The contemporary dance received a perfect score, a 30/30.
Following the dance, Mitchell wanted to send a message to children and teenagers. Mitchell said, "To any kid dealing with something right now, do not choose the gun. Do not take your life. Choose love." Mitchell offered his thoughts and prayers to the victims of the Santa Clarita high school shooting.
Highest Score of the Night
Ally Brooke and her partner Sasha danced a Charleston to "Sing, Sing Sing" by Ray Chew Live. The couple received a perfect score of 30/30 for their routine. For both dances, their total score was a 59/60.
Lowest Score of the Night
James Van Der Beek and his partner Emma Slater were sent home. They also received the lowest score of the night, a 24/30. For their redemption dance, they received the lowest score for their Cha cha dance.
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