Photo by Disney/Eric McCandless
Audio By Carbonatix
Editor’s note: This story contains spoilers.
When the 34th season of Dancing With the Stars premiered just over two months ago, two Miami stars joined to compete in what would become one of the show’s most successful seasons in its 20-year run.
But one of them didn’t last long. Fifth Harmony singer Lauren Jauregui was the third contestant to be sent home, and the first true shock elimination of the season. (When asked how she felt about the result, she simply replied, “Pissed.”)
The competition’s other Miami contestant, Alix Earle, has had a very different journey, going on to become a top competitor on the show. Last week, she earned a spot in the show’s semi-finals, against Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, Traitors star Dylan Efron, actress Elaine Hendrix, conservationist Robert Irwin, and Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast member Whitney Leavitt.
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Earle’s two competitive dances on Tuesday night’s episode determined whether she would advance to the show’s finale on November 25. For Prince night, she and her partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, danced the Argentine tango to “Little Red Corvette” and the Viennese waltz to “Purple Rain.”
The first performance got high praise, but judge Bruno Tonioli pointed out some missteps. “I could see it in your face, actually, when you missed it,” he said. Still, he added, “You have the potential to go all the way to the end.”
Fellow judges Derek Hough and Carrie Ann Inaba agreed, saying the content creator was the most improved contestant of the season. Earle earned a score of 28 out of 30 for the performance.
She faired even better during her second dance. “I have no doubt that we’re going to see you in those finals,” said Hough.
“You delivered what I wanted: the perfect combination of motion and emotion,” added Tonioli. Inaba, perhaps the toughest judge of the bunch, said the performance would “go down in history” — a critique that took on more significance when she called the current season “the most challenging and the most competitive” in the show’s 34-season history. Earle’s second performance got 10s across the board.
The judges don’t have the final say, however. Audience votes play a major role in determining who will take home the mirrorball trophy in next week’s three-hour finale, and tonight, the audience determined Earle would move on to compete against Hendrix, Irwin, and Efron. Leavitt was eliminated.
Earle will face tough competition in the finale: Irwin — a part of the DWTS family since his sister won the 21st season ten years ago — is a favorite of fans and the judges. Efron and partner Daniella Karagach are coming off the heels of one of the most memorable dances of the season last week. Chiles and Hendrix are underdogs in a competition where fans love a comeback story.
