Dancing with the Stars sent home Elizabeth Berkley and professional dance partner Val Chmerkovskiy in a shocking quarterfinals elimination during Monday night's live seventeenth-season broadcast on ABC.
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The actress and former Step It Up and Dance host and Chmerkovskiy became the seventh couple eliminated from the competition based on the combination of the Dancing with the Stars judges' scores they had received during last night's performance show and the home viewer votes that were cast following last Monday night's episode.
"I'm sad, definitely. There were some more things that we wanted to do, but I am honestly like beyond grateful for this. This was one of the biggest gifts and blessings in my life and I want to thank everyone, especially Val. I mean, I've learned so much -- obviously in dance but also as a person and growth as a human being from our partnership. It's something I will hold so dear to me forever, and thank you to everybody for voting and supporting all along," Berkley said following her ouster.
"She's done incredible. Celebrate yourself, be proud of yourself, believe in yourself. She came in a little timid, a little uncertain, and now, she grew into this amazing woman again and she shines brighter than ever. I want her to know that about [herself]. That's all. We don't need a trophy, I just want that, for you to love yourself... Everybody loves you," Chmerkovskiy told Berkley.
"This is an amazing gift in my life," added Berkley. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime, but I'm going to take it with me into all that I do with this newfound love for dance and performing. So I'm looking forward to sharing more."
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Judge Carrie Ann Inaba was shown mouthing, "That's not right," amidst all the hype after the night's results were revealed.
Comedian Bill Engvall and partner Emma Slater were the other couple still in danger of elimination prior to Berkley and Chmerkovskiy's ouster, however, Dancing with the Stars co-host Brooke Burke-Charvet revealed Engvall and Slater were not necessarily one of the bottom-two couples even though they were in jeopardy of elimination.
Monday night's broadcast featured each of the remaining six couples dancing an individual routine and a trio dance in which each pair chose a previously-eliminated professional dancer or a member of the Dancing with the Stars Troupe to join them and enhance their routines to show off each star's strengths.
Berkley and Chmerkovskiy finished in second place on Monday night's leaderboard after receiving 56 out of 60 possible points from Inaba and fellow Dancing with the Stars judges Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli.
Berkley and Chmerkovskiy earned 26 out of 30 possible points for their Viennese waltz and then a perfect score of 30 points for their salsa trio dance with Troupe member Gleb Savchenko.
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Engvall and Slater landed in last place on the judges' leaderboard with only 42 total points. They received 21 points for their individual Charleston routine and followed it with 21 points for a salsa trio dance which featured pro Peta Murgatroyd.
Disney Channel star Corbin Bleu and partner Karina Smirnoff topped the leaderboard in first place with 58 total points. They took the stage with an initial slow waltz routine that earned 28 points from the judges and then returned to the dance floor with Troupe member Witney Carson for a jazz trio performance that received a perfect score of 30 points.
Third place represented a tie between former The Talk co-host Leah Remini and partner Tony Dovolani as well as former The Osbournes and Armed & Famous star Jack Osbourne and partner Cheryl Burke. Both couples earned a total of 54 points from the judges.
Remini and Dovolani performed an initial tango routine which received 27 points, and then the couple danced a trio jive with Troupe member Henry Byalikov that earned 27 points. The jive routine was a spoof on the show's judges and seemed to be a big hit.
Osbourne and Burke danced a 29-point worthy Viennese waltz and followed it up with a trio samba performance that received 25 points from the judges. The couple danced with pro Sharna Burgess.
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Fifth place went to Glee star Amber Riley and partner Derek Hough after they received a total of 51 points from the judges. Hough and Riley, struggling with a double knee injury, earned 24 points for their initial individual quickstep routine. The pair then performed their trio salsa dance with pro Mark Ballas which received 27 points.
The five remaining seventeenth-season Dancing with the Stars couples will return for a semifinals two-hour performance show on Monday, November 18, during which the night's scores from the judges and the home viewer voting results following last night's show will be combined and one couple will be eliminated.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski