DWTS Semi-Finals: Who Should Make It to the Finals?

After Tamar Braxton’s race against the live TV clock to stay in the competition last week, the talk show host went back to the hospital to learn that she wasn’t just battling the flu or pneumonia. Tests revealed that she has blood clots near her lungs—a season-ending condition.

The silver lining to Braxton’s heart-breaking exit from the show, however, is that all four of the couples who performed last night can release a big sigh of relief as none of them were eliminated. At this point the pack is so tight that the mirrorball trophy could go to any of the remaining couples.

Keep reading to find out how the remaining four did and let us know who you think should make it to the finals!

Round One: Individual Dances

Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough: 27 
Irwin and Hough’s high-energy Salsa routine got the night off to a great start and set the bar high for the remaining semi-finalists. The judges thought the choreography matched the upbeat music, but all wanted to see more “down and dirty” Salsa moves, as Julianne Hough put it. Bruno Tonioli also critiqued the performance and said Irwin “lacked a bit of the side-to-side Salsa action.” Carrie Ann Inaba thought the dance was “uplifting” and “fun” and said that while the star is so clean, from time to time the judges “want to see the edge.”

Alek Skarlatos and Lindsay Arnold: 30
Dancing a patriotic Waltz, Skarlatos exuded grace and earned his best score of the competition so far—a perfect 30! Tonioli said he was able to “capture this sweeping majesty” and noted that his “turns were right on spot.” Inaba called the performance “breathtaking” and added that it was his “best ever.” Hough piled on the compliments telling the hero that his “technique was there” and called the entire routine—free of big production value—”true dancing.”

Carlos PenaVega and Witney Carson: 28
Last week PenaVega’s wife Alexa was eliminated, but that didn’t affect his focus while preparing for his contemporary routine. If anything, he put those emotions into the dance and delivered something unlike any other performance on the show. The judges’ response was a bit confusing. Inaba started things off with “mixed feelings” about it and said she would have liked “more straight dancing.” Hough understood what Inaba was trying to say and added that when PenaVega danced, he danced “phenomenally.” On the other end of the spectrum was Tonioli, who unabashedly loved the whole thing. He said it “was like watching Tarzan doing Cirque de Soleil” — in a good way!

Nick Carter and Sharna Burgess: 24
Hoping to save the best for last in the individual round, Carter performed a Tango routine that had one itsy-bitsy mistake that didn’t go unnoticed. It even prompted a little pep talk in the middle of the routine from his partner. Hough loved the pep talk and said it “could have been a great dance” if not for the footwork issues in the beginning. Tonioli looked at the positives: Carter’s chemistry with Burgess “sizzles.” Inaba shrugged off the mistake and said she’s “not so worried” about how it will affect the Backstreet Boy’s performance in his upcoming dances of the night.

Round Two: Dance Off

Alek and Lindsay vs. Carlos and Witney: Carlos and Witney!
Cha cha
Skarlatos and Arnold brought mild heat to the dance floor compared to PenaVega and Carson’s innate heat. As a viewer, it seemed like the performance was a little more natural for PenaVega than Skarlatos. Hough said Skarlatos “definitely sold it” but added that his “musicality was a little off.” Tonioli noted some of Skarlatos’ “timing issues” while also managing to point out PenaVega’s “wiggly bum.” Inaba complimented both routines, saying the decision would come down to a “matter of taste.”

Bindi and Derek vs. Nick and Sharna: Bindi and Derek!
Samba
Irwin just glides across the dance floor in all of her routines, yet in this performance she also managed to bring some of the “grit” that was missing from her first routine of the night. Carter on the other hand brought his sexuality to the dance and let his chemistry with Burgess really shine. Tonioli couldn’t believe how much Samba content both stars managed to pack into the routine and was thrilled to see the passion that Irwin brought to the routine. Inaba said that Carter came back strong after faltering in the first round. Ultimately, all three judges voted for the conservationist from Australia.

Round Three: Trio Round

Bindi Irwin, Derek Hough and Mark Ballas: 30 
Given both Hough and Ballas’s capacity for innovation and creative brilliance, there was no denying that this performance would be anything short of impressive. While Irwin is no stranger to perfect scores, this one seems different than her others — this performance lives in a league of its own. Julianne called Irwin a “ninja warrior princess” and said she didn’t miss a beat during the “amazing” jazz routine. Tonioli said the routine was a “totally compelling and intriguing work of genius” while Inaba was at a loss for words at first and finished by saying that the performance was worthy of a professional contemporary dance company.

Alek Skarlatos and Lindsay Arnold and Emma Slater: 27
Delivering perhaps one of the sexiest Argentine tango’s in DWTS history, Skarlatos brought the heat and the precision missing from some of his dances earlier in the season. As Tonioli declared, “it takes three to tango!” He also said that Skarlatos “handled the threesome like an expert” and called the whole performance “effective.” Inaba marveled at the whole routine and said “everything [was] executed with such a power” but thought he lost a bit of steam at the end. Hough agreed and thought that it could have been even more melodramatic at the end, but said the choreography was beautiful.

Carlos PenaVega and Witney Carson and Karina Smirnoff: 29
For his trio Charleston, PenaVega got in touch with his Vaudeville side. The cheeky routine had style and pizzazz for days. Inaba was the first to say how much she enjoyed the routine and just thought it was “fun.” Hough said that PenaVega “completely took over that dance” and called it “sharp and clean.” She even said he could have been mistaken for the professional. Tonioli agreed and said he “stole the show from the girls.”

Nick Carter and Sharna Burgess and Peta Murgatroyd: 30
Carter was in his element during his trio Salsa, putting his boyband dance skills and everything he’s learned this season to work. On top of all that, his confidence during the routine was off the charts. With this dance, Inaba deemed that “our Backstreet Boy is back.” The judges fawned over the performance and were thrilled to see Carter at the top of his game with this one. Hough said she still believes he is a contender while Tonioli loved that the routine “was like a salsa pop with lots of cross references.”

Final Standings:
Bindi and Derek: 60
Carlos and Witney: 60
Alek and Lindsay: 57
Nick and Sharna: 54

Which three couples would you like to see in the finals?