"DWTS" Week 10 Recap: Double (Elimination) Trouble

November 16, 2020

We’d like to take a brief moment of silence for the fact that we made it to the semi-finals of this season of “Dancing with the Stars” without a single coronavirus case. The producers of a television dance competition really do have a better handle on this whole “pandemic” thing than some world leaders do, huh? (Though, “Strictly Come Dancing” didn’t fare quite as well…)

And boy are we glad that this season didn’t get shut down, because last night’s semi-finals were chock full of some of the best dancing in “DWTS” history. But in case you missed the episode (or you were too busy counting down the hours until Ariana Grande’s music video release), we rounded up all the best dancing—and the results of last night’s shocking *double* elimination.

Johnny Weir and Britt Stewart: Jazz

There’s something about Johnny Weir’s partnership with Britt Stewart that makes our hearts happy. This is a dancing duo that just seems perfectly matched—in energy, in creativity, in fashion sense, in everything. Johnny and Britt’s jazz showed off that perfect partnership to the fullest, complete with dreamy lifts, flawlessly coordinated choreo, and legs for days. (Side bar: We are deeply jealous of Johnny’s arabesque, but it’s like, not a thing.) The judges gave Johnny and Britt three 10s, for a total 30.

Nev Schulman and Jenna Johnson: Contemporary

We’ll say it: Jenna Johnson is the reigning queen of contemporary on “DWTS.” And Jenna’s contemporary choreography was performed perfectly by Nev Schulman, with all of the drama and emotion we ever could have dreamed of. Nev had us #InOurFeels, y’all! Nev and Jenna also pulled out all the stops with some seriously jaw-dropping lifts (did he just flip her over his head?) and a healthy dose of technique. Snaps, forreal. The judges gave Nev and Jenna a perfect 30, bringing their total score to a perfect 60 (!) for the night.

Nelly and Daniella Karagach: Jive

We’d like to formally name Nelly this season’s “Most Improved,” because talk about a #TransformationTuesday! Nelly’s jive with partner Daniella Karagach made us want to “Jump, Jive” out of our seats—it was jam-packed with classic jive choreo, and seriously fun, to boot. We’re calling it now, “DWTS” fans: Nelly could win this whole thing. There’s nothing “Dancing with the Stars” fans love more than an underdog, and Nelly and Daniella have proved that they’re serious contenders. The judges gave #TeamDaNelly three 10s, for their first perfect score of the season.

But because this is 2020, and we can’t have nice things, this week’s episode came to a major bummer of a conclusion: a double elimination. We know it’s the semi-finals and all, but TBH, we weren’t ready to say goodbye to any of our beloved stars.

Even after a truly dazzling dancing night, Johnny and Britt landed at the bottom, with the lowest combined total of scores and votes—and were sent home automatically. Next up, Skai Jackson landed in jeopardy alongside Justina Machado, and the judges were forced to send Skai home along with partner Alan Bersten.

But keep your heads up, “DWTS” fans, because *the grand finale* is next week! Who do you think is taking home the Mirrorball Trophy this season?