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‘DWTS’ Season 33 Semifinals Live Scores, Dances and Elimination

We’re almost to the finish line on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 33, and tonight’s episode is not one you want to miss.

Natalie Zamora

Dancing With the Stars “500th Episode – 3308”
Dancing With the Stars “500th Episode – 3308” / Disney/Eric McCandless

We’ve made it to the five final couples on this season of Dancing With the Stars and tonight is no doubt a pivotal episode as we see who continues to the finale and who goes home during semifinals. Along with SI Swimsuit model Ilona Maher and her pro partner Alan Bersten, we’ll get to see former Bachelor star Joey Graziadei and pro Jenna Johnson, actress Chandler Kinney and pro Brandon Armstrong, Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik and pro Rylee Arnold and NFL wide receiver Danny Amendola and pro Witney Carson compete to advance.

At this point in the season, it’s really anyone’s game. We’ve been rooting for Maher, the Olympic rugby player from Vermont who served as the SI Swimsuit September digital issue cover model, and last week was a big one for her and Bersten. During the special 500th episode of DWTS, the pair received their first 10 of the season after dancing to “Chuck Berry” by Pharrell Williams. It might come as a surprise that judge Carrie Ann Inaba gave them the high score—she had been a tiny bit hard on the pair in previous weeks.

Each couple dances twice this time around, so let’s see how they do! We updated this post live as we watched the dances, the scores and this week's surprise elimination twist.

Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong

Kinney and Armstrong got another perfect score last week, making them a formidable pairing going into these final episodes. To kick off the episode, the two danced the salsa to the song “Spicy Margarita” by Jason Derulo and Michael Bublé. The Pretty Little Liars star wore an awesome lime green set, featuring an embellished bra top and feathered skirt that turned blue at the end. Armstrong wore a silky multi-colored button-down shirt with brown pants. As expected, they totally wowed the audience and judges. The pair went to a salsa club to practice their moves ahead of the episode, and it really showed.

As for their judges’s scores, they received a 10 from Inaba, a 9 from Derek Hough and a 10 from Bruno Tonioli. That means after their first performance, Kinney and Armstrong had a 29 out of 10.

For their second dance of the night, the pair performed a Foxtrot to a cover of the song “Too Sweet” by Hozier, with Kinney sharing how much she’d love to make it to the finals—that said, she also acknowledged how difficult the dance would be. Unsurprisingly, the two brought it to the dance floor, with Kinney looking stunning in a floor-length emerald green gown featuring sequins from her chest to her thighs and satin gloves, while Armstrong wore a detailed green suit jacket and black pants.

The judges generally loved their Foxtrot, with Tonioli calling it “intensely sensual.” That said, Inaba criticized Armstrong’s footwork, saying it was only fair for her to call it out. As for Hough, he called the performance “phenomenal,” feeling like Kinney brought something great out of Armstrong. Their second dance saw the pair receiving a 9 from Inaba, a 10 from Hough and 10 from Tonioli. That means they've got a 58 out of 60 for the total of both performances.

Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson

This week, the pressure was certainly on for the reality star, who noted that if he makes it to the finals he’ll be the first former Bachelor to do so. The pair didn’t disappoint with their first performance of the night, dancing a jazzy Foxtrot to the song “I Won’t Dance” by Erin Boheme featuring District 78. Graziadei wore a teal velvet suit, while Johnson donned a floor-length teal gown featuring a sequined halter top, a full layered skirt and gloves.

The judges went absolutely wild for Graziadei and Johnson’s performance, with Hough even declaring it was one of the best Foxtrots he’d ever seen. So how’d they shape up in terms of scoring? Well, they totally got a perfect score. Inaba, Hough and Tonioli all gave the pair a 10, meaning they had 30 out of 30 points after their first dance.

As for their second performance of the night Graziadei and Johnson tackled a Paso Doble, with the reality star taking on the matador persona. While Johnson acknowledged that her partner is fantastic when he takes on different characters, she also stressed how imperative it is that he brings his A-game this week. The two danced to a cover of the song “Come Together” by The Beatles, with Johnson wearing an awesome black gown with sheer sleeves, a sheer back and sparkles on the bodice. Graziadei rocked an all-black traje de luces-inspired look with sequins.

The audience erupted when Graziadei and Johnson finished their second dance, but not all of the judges thought it was a perfect performance. Inaba criticized their timing, while Hough that their timing was great. Tonioli acknowledged they “messed it up a little bit,” despite the performance still being “brilliant.” This led to Inaba scoring the dance a 9, Hough scoring it a 10 and Tonioli scoring it a 9. This meant their second dance received a 28 out of 30, bringing Graziadei and Johnson to 58 out of 60 points.

Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten

After bouncing back last week and scoring their first 10, it was imperative for Maher and Bersten to keep the momentum up this week. Their first performance was a Paso Doble dance, which Bersten compared to a “bullfight.” They danced to the song “Unholy (Orchestral Version)” by Sam Smith and Kim Petras and had the audience screaming. Maher looked absolutely stunning in a red gown with a sequined top while Bersten channeled his inner matador with a black traje de luces-inspired ‘fit.

Like the audience, the judges loved Maher and Bersten’s performance, with Tonioli calling it an “incredible transformation” and Inaba told the rugby player she’s come the furthest on the season so far. Maher got emotional while speaking with cohost Julianne Hough after the dance, which was truly heartfelt. As for their scores, the pair received a 9 for Inaba, a 10 from Hough and a 9 from Tonioli, bringing their score to 28 out of 30 after their first dance.

Maher and Bersten took to the dance floor again tonight, performing the Viennese Waltz to “golden hour” by JVKE. The rugby player acknowledged it could be the last time they’d be performing together, while Bersten didn’t want to hear that. Maher shared in her voiceover that was her job tonight to prove she was worthy of making it to the finale. During their second performance, Maher rocked a stunning glittery light lavender floor-length gown with a v-neck and full skirt, while her pro partner matched her in a purple suit. They finished off their dance smiling ear to ear and embraced.

The judges were very impressed with Maher and Bersten’s Viennese Waltz, with Tonioli calling the SI Swimsuit model “radiant.” Inaba said she felt “honored” to have witnessed their performance, even going as far as to say the pair had “changed [her] life.” This amazing dance saw the pair receiving a 10 from Inaba, a 9 from Hough and a 10 from Tonioli. The scores added up to a 29 out of 30 for their second dance and a 57 out of 60 total.

Danny Amendola and Witney Carson

Like Maher and Bersten, Amendola and Carson have come a long way this season of Dancing With the Stars. Tonight, the pair performed the Viennese waltz to a cover of “Gravity” by John Mayer. Carson explained that she intended to tell a story with this dance of two people who want to be together but know they aren’t good for one another. Amendola admitted his competitive side was coming out, and fortunately, that translated in the best way on the dance floor.

Carson looked great wearing a floor-length dark blue-gray gown with a deep v-neck, open back and sequins everywhere. For the athlete’s look, he opted for a dark blue-gray suit and bowtie. The audience cheered loudly when their emotional performance was over, and the judges were left feeling very impressed. For their first performance of the night, Carson and Amendola received a 9 from Inaba, a 9 from Hough and a 9 from Tonioli. While Hough said he didn’t fully buy the emotion between the two, the other judges felt differently. That brings the pair’s total so far to 27 out of 30.

The final performance of the semifinals saw Amendola and Carson dancing the Salsa to the song “I Like It” by Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin, making for a very exciting number to end the night. “We’re working our tails off for hours; whatever it takes,” the NFL star said in his voiceover ahead of the performance. For their big dance, Amendola leaned into the Latin vibe with a red and cheetah print shirt featuring tiered flare sleeves—though his sleeves were promptly ripped off as soon as they started dancing. Carson wore a matching halter top and miniskirt set, and a red flower in her hair.

“You blew the roof off,” Hough told Amendola after their performance, and likewise Inaba and Tonioli were very impressed. Their rocking dance saw them scoring a 9 from Inaba, a 9 from Hough and a third 9 from Tonioli. This brought their second performance to 27 out of 30 and their score for the night to 54 out of 60.

Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold

Nedoroscik and Arnold did fantastic last week and this week was, unsurprisingly, no different. Dancing the Cha Cha to “Bailar” by Deorro featuring Elvis Crespo, Arnold pushed the gymnast to lean into his sexy side, trying to get some more movement out of his hips. Wearing matching hot pink, the pair looked great on the dance floor, with Nedoroscik rocking a sequined button-down shirt and white slacks, and Arnold donning a sequined mini dress with multiple cut-outs. Just like with the other performances of the night, the audiences were totally loving Nedoroscik and Arnold.

As for the judges, however, Hough told Nedoroscik he thought the dance was too difficult for him, while Tonioli agreed he needed to work on his footwork. That said, the judges acknowledged how fun the dance was and how excited they got the audience. Their Cha Cha saw them scoring an 8 from Inaba, an 8 from Hough and 9 from Tonioli, totaling 25 out of 30.

Nedoroscik was ready to "really lock in" for his second performance alongside Arnold. The pair danced the Tango to a cover of the song “Sweet Disposition” by The Temper Trap and really impressed us. Arnold looked gorgeous in a bright red floor-length dress featuring sheer cut-outs on the bodice and a unique high neckline, and Nedoroscik turned his style up a notch with a red suit with iridescent color-changing fabric. Hilariously, Nedoroscik ended up losing his glasses during the dance and didn’t even stop, proving how concentrated he was on the performance.

The judges loved this performance, with Hough telling the pair he found this one more “triumphant” than their first. Inaba scored them a 10, Hough gave them a 9 and Tonioli also gave them a 9. This brought their score for dance number two to 28 out of 30, totaling 53 out of 60 for the night.

No one is eliminated during the semifinals!

As we all know by now, the leaderboard doesn’t always transfer to who advances and who gets eliminated—it’s also about the fan voting. For the semifinals, we believed the at-home voting would make a difference in who would be headed to the finals. But we were, instead, in for a twist! Tonight's episode ended on a close call, but the hosts totally shocked the contestants and audiences by announcing no one would be going home tonight! All five couples will move on to the finale next week.

The Dancing With the Stars Season 33 finale—a special three-hour event—will air on Tuesday, Nov. 26 on ABC and stream on Disney+.

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Natalie Zamora
NATALIE ZAMORA

Natalie Zamora is a leader in the digital media space who specializes in entertainment and lifestyle topics. After graduating from Rutgers University where she majored in English and minored in Cinema Studies, she currently works as the VP of Entertainment Content, FanSided/SI Swimsuit at Minute Media. In addition to SI Swimsuit, her work can also be found on sites such as Winter is Coming, Mental Floss, and more. With a deep passion for pop culture, Natalie has her finger on the pulse of trending topics and loves to keep up with her favorite celebrities.

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