The DWTS Season 33 Semifinals just wrapped up. All season long, fans have enjoyed watching the contestants compete for the Mirrorball Trophy and can hardly believe the season is nearly over.
Tonight, the top five couples performed two dances with hopes of competing in the Season 33 finale next week. Which couples climbed to the top of the leaderboard?
Ilona Maher & Alan Bersten Dramatically Improve For The DWTS Semifinals
During the semifinals, the top five couples performed one unlearned dance — one ballroom and one Latin routine. As always, Joey Graziadei and Chandler Kinney performed remarkably well and took home fantastic scores.
Joey and his partner Jenna Johnson earned a perfect 30/30 for their Foxtrot to “I Won’t Dance” by Erin Boheme featuring District 78. Meanwhile, Chandler and her partner Brandon Armstrong earned high praise from the judges and a few 10s as well.
But fans felt incredibly impressed to see Olympic Rugby player Ilona Maher improve and make so much progress. In prior weeks, they fell to the bottom of the leaderboard. For their first routine, they performed the Paso doble to “Unholy (Orchestral Version)” by Sam Smith & Kim Petras, earning a 28/30. Fans and judges alike agreed it was their most spectacular performance of the season so far.
Alan and Ilona may not have taken the top spot on the leaderboard, but their progress took them higher. For their second routine, they earned a 29/30 for their Viennese waltz to “Golden Hour” by Jvke.
At the end of the night, they were just a point below the first-place contestants. Several weeks ago, that would have been completely unthinkable for Ilona and Alan. There may not be a category for “Most Improved,” but many fans would argue they deserve this title.
Who Finished At The Top Of The Leaderboard?
The competition was tremendously fierce tonight, but one couple narrowly climbed to the top of the leaderboard after completing both performances of the evening.
Once again, there was another tie for first.
The Bachelor star Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson were one couple in the tie. For their second routine, they performed an electrifying Paso doble to “Come Together” by Lennon & McCartney and earned a 28/30 from the judges.
Disney Channel actress Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong may not have achieved a perfect score this evening, but they held their own against Joey and Jenna. They also earned a combined score of 58/60 for the evening.
At the end of the night, Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro proudly announced that each of the top five earned a place in the finale.
What did you think of the judges’ scores this week? Which performances did you like best? Add your own thoughts and ideas to the conversation.
Catch the season finale next Tuesday night at 8 PM Eastern time on ABC.
