It takes two to tango…
Or, perhaps, ten. After all, the Dancing With the Stars semifinal has come and gone and, in a shocking twist, none of the couples were eliminated.
That’s right. All five dancer-celebrity pairings—including NFL alum Danny Amendola and Witney Carson, Olympians Ilona Maher and Stephen Nedoroscik and their partners Alan Bersten and Rylee Arnold, Bachelor Nation’s Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson as well as Disney’s Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong—will compete in the finale for the coveted Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.
What this means is that all of the scores from judges Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli, as well as all the viewers’ votes from this week’s two dances will carry over into the finale as each duo will perform a freestyle dance. This marks the second year in a row where the semifinal didn’t send any couples home.
And after the scores received during the finale, it looks like the finale will be a tight race. Leading the pack are Chandler and Brandon as well as Joey and Jenna, who each scored 58 between their two routines.
Following close behind were Ilona and Alan, with a score of 57, leaving Danny and Witney as well as Stephen and Rylee bringing up the rear with scores of 54 and 53 respectively.
And for the now-finalists, making it to the finale is no small feat—both personally and physically.
For Ilona, having made it this far acts as a testament to the full breadth of what she is capable of.
“I’m a tough rugby player who loves to lift weights and run through people,” she said during the video ahead of her performance. “Making it to the finale would only reinforce the message that you can be elegant and graceful, and to not hold yourself back from trying things that you want to because of how you look or how people perceive you.”
She also shared a special shoutout to her partner Alan, to whom she dedicated their Viennese waltz, telling cameras, “We truly created something special, and honestly, I think I’ve found a friend to life.”
Meanwhile, Joey’s progression into the season finale has made history for the series.
“I want to take in the celebration, but I also want to get back to business as well,” he said in his video confessional. “There has never been a male Bachelor in the Dancing With the Stars finale and the crazy thing is that if I do it, it will be Dancing With the Stars history.”
And for Stephen—who first won over American hearts in his efforts to help bring home a medal for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics—he’s hoping to come out on top once again.
“The last few months have been nothing short of amazing,” he shared during the episode. “I have put my mind and body through it, trying to make sure I get these dances perfect, and I’m not stopping. I won an Olympic medal, and now I’m coming for that mirrorball.”