Dancing With The Stars Week 9: Who Goes Home?

SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from Dancing with the stars Week 9.

The time has almost come to mention another Dancing with the stars champion. There are only five contestants left vying for the mirror ball, and they brought their A-game to Monday night’s semi-finals.

To get to the finals, they each had one final ballroom style and one final Latin style to tackle. Let’s get into it and see how they fared.

Chandler Kinney (Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin) with partner Brandon Armstrong. After two perfect scores in a row, the pressure is on for Kinney. She and Armstrong kicked off the show with a salsa to Jason Derulo and Michael Bublé’s “Spicy Margarita.” To get this dance right and boost her score, Kinney and Armstrong ventured out of the studio to dance at a real salsa club — and it looks like it paid off. “You’re on fire, Chandler. You’re so spicy and a new side of you is coming out,” Carrie Ann Inaba said, praising her “well-defined artistry.” Score: 29 out of 30.

The Bachelor‘s Joey Graziadei with partner Jenna Johnson. Johnson and Graziadei tackled a Foxtrot for their first appearance tonight. As Graziadei mentions in his pre-dance package, he’s not just competing for his own bragging rights. He is looking to make history as the first male lead from Bachelor franchise to get to DWTS final. And this dance brings him one step closer. “That dance was a master class and a breath of fresh air,” said Derek Hough. “That was one of the best, if not the best, Foxtrot I’ve ever seen (on the show).” Score: Perfect 30.

Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher with partner Alan Bersten. Maher seemed to show his range with this Paso Doble. She brought tons of passion to her fiery dance with Bersten, set to Sam Smith’s “Unholy.” After many semi-finals in rugby, Maher knows what it takes to win and she is going all out for this performance, as evidenced by the referees’ heaping praise. “What an entrance! Talk about a drama queen,” raved Bruno Tonioli. “It was so strong, so focused. You look beautiful … what an incredible transformation.” Score: 28 out of 30.

Super Bowl champion Danny Amendola with partner Witney Carson. Amendola put in a lot of work to get to this point in the competition as an underdog with no dance experience. And for this Viennese waltz, he had to dig even deeper to tell the story that Carson wants to convey, because there’s nothing wrong with some fun tricks or lifts. It’s all about the beautiful lines. Despite a bit of stiffness from Amendola, the judges eat it up as the pair sway around the dance floor to John Mayer’s “Gravity.” Inaba says it was “really impressive,” adding, “Danny, I’m really proud of the way you approached these dances.” Score: 27 out of 30.

Olympic Stephen Nedoroscik with partner Rylee Arnold. Nedoroscik and Arnold closed the first round of dances with a Cha Cha. Arnold encourages the Olympian to bring out his inner sexy side, which he is a little nervous about during the trials. I have to move my hips to perform a Cha Cha! He doesn’t let his nerves shake his confidence and tries his best to deliver the spicy performance the judges are looking for, but they don’t end up feeling much of the heat. “I feel like this dance got the better of you,” Hough meekly admitted, urging Nedoroscik to bring it to his next performance tonight. Score: 25 out of 30.

Before long it is time for the other dances. Here’s how everyone did it:

Kinney and Armstrong. The one dance standing between Kinney and the finals is the Foxtrot. The actress aimed to bring everything she had to this performance, hoping to tame the beast that is this traditional ballroom style and stick around for another week. Unsurprisingly, she does just that to the tune of Hozier’s “Too Sweet,” leaving the judges pretty impressed. “This was the most intensely sensual Foxtrot I have ever seen!” Tonioli raved. “One of those dances you’ll never forget.” Unfortunately for them, as Inaba pointed out, Kinney’s foot came off the ground twice – a big no no. Lucky for them, the judges didn’t seem to care. Score: 29 out of 10.

Graziadei & Johnson. Graziadei must defy the Paso Doble to advance to the final and, after achieving a perfect score for their Foxtrot, he and Johnson will be looking to repeat that for this performance. Time to channel your inner matador! “I love the attack, the passion…” Inaba says, though she had some criticisms of his footwork. Tonioli is on the same page, but Hough disagrees, insisting that Graziadei made it. Score: 28 out of 30.

Maher & Bersten. Maher needs to slow down for his next semi-final dance. It’s a Viennese waltz that requires a lot of control and flow, which proves a bit difficult for Maher, but she’s up for the challenge. With this dance, she will prove that she belongs in the finals by giving her best performance to date. And she succeeded! “What a great contract from your first dance,” says Hough, adding that there could have been “a little more step in the Vienna process,” but overall he was pleased. Inaba tells Maher she felt “honored” to see the performance. Score: 29 out of 30.

Nedoroscik and Arnold. The next task for Nedoroscik and Arnold is a Tango, which gives the gymnast a bit more of an edge that he had with his Cha Cha, thanks to his upper body strength. It’s clear that he approaches this style with a lot more confidence, and it comes out on the dance floor as well. The judges told him to come back swinging with his next dance and he delivered. “You can breathe now! Mission to Tango accomplished,” says Tonioli. Score: 28 out of 10.

Amendola and Carson. The professional footballer and his partner ended the night with a salsa. Amendola is really excited to bring everything he has to this dance, and Carson wants to show off his strength by incorporating plenty of tricks that will hopefully impress the judges. High risk, high reward! The elevators were pretty crazy and it really paid off. “You blew the roof off,” Hough says. “You should be so proud of what you’ve accomplished on this show.” Score: 27 out of 30.

And the couple going home is…nobody! To everyone’s surprise, there was no elimination on Wednesday and their results from this show will carry over next week to the finals.

Time for the final.