DWTS Semifinals 5th Judge: Viewers Send Home Frontrunner in Shocking Upset

Nevertheless, it was a fiercely competitive night with a jaw-dropping final result that we feel had way more to do with the audience vote than it did with what the judges thought. The audience carried Andy Richter through nine weeks of this competition because they loved him. Tonight, they sent someone home in one of the most shocking upsets across 34 seasons.

Of course, with a four-point divide from the top score to the bottom, the judges again rendered their input almost negligible. But at this point, all six remaining couples have brought incredible performances, touching moments, and have amazing partners. At this stage, the pros' fans can have just as much influence, and all of the remaining ones are beloved.

In a fun continuation of how "Wicked Night" presented the songs of the musical movie in order, the music of Prince was explored in its order of release, allowing fans and newcomers alike to explore highlights from across his catalog while experiencing his evolution as an artist across his entire career. It's a great way to honor the visionary artist.

Who is your Fifth Judge, you ask? Well, Jason Hughes spent nearly a decade of his life sweating and bleeding to the music as a dancer. From learning a shuffle-ball-change to performing with the St. Louis Ballet Company, he experienced the ups and downs of one of the most difficult physically demanding sports on the planet. And he's spent two decades analyzing and critiquing reality competition shows. As he puts it, "I've got this."

Fair warning, since I'm safe at home, I'm probably going to be a little harsher than my colleagues Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli. But I might be nicer, too. Maybe.

("Let's Go Crazy," Prince) Once again, we have to give props to producers and choreographers for seeing that Alfonso Ribeiro can still move and incorporating him and Julianne Hough into so many of these opening numbers. This may be the most they've had to do yet and it was great seeing them leading the troupe and pros through the back half of this dance. It was also a very fun, high-energy piece with a lot of great pictures -- we see you Jaxon Willard -- and symbols related to Prince, kicking off the night with style!

With the night formatted around exploring Prince's music in the order it was released, producers have mixed up the format a bit. Contestants were tasked with mastering one new style and one "Repeat" style, or a style that they've performed before, but the order of the night had some "Repeat" styles and some originals in each round.

To clarify below, we've added indicators to the dance that is a repeat for each couple where the judges were looking for improvement.

(Foxtrot - "I Wanna Be Your Lover," Prince) We're not sure if Alan choreographed a mid-turn switchup halfway through this piece or if Elaine got momentarily mixed up and they recovered beautifully, so we're prepared to give the benefit of the doubt. She still didn't fully follow through with her arms and her performance (acting) was a bit too much in the opening bars, but she did enjoy a graceful fluidity throughout the dance that painted a pretty picture moving across the floor. She's grown so tremendously throughout this journey and has such tremendous heart and likability. We're not sure this was her 10s performance, but it was still very strong.

Judges Scores: 9, 9, 9

My Score: 8

(Argentine tango - "Little Red Corvette," Prince) One minor lift placement adjustment, one tiny gancho shift and that's really all we saw. This was a mesmerizing piece of choreography with some of the best musicality we've ever seen in an Argentine tango. Val put this together like the song was written for this style and we were drawn in by every dramatic flick, turn, pose, and moment. Alix was incredible at hitting each of her marks as they just showed one of the most beautiful dances of the season. They wanted to stand out among Argentine tangos this year and they really delivered on that hope.

Judges Scores: 9, 10, 9

My Score: 9

(Cha-cha-cha - "1999," Prince) If you watched Mark and Whitney next to one another, Mark's spine almost liquifies as he loosens up and really pours himself into the routine. There was something still tight around Whitney's middle is the best way we can describe where she felt off throughout this routine. She never quite cut it loose and melted into the rhythmic abandon of the cha-cha-cha. This was the first time in weeks that she didn't quite rise to Mark's status, looking almost like a pro next to him. And it's the first time in a long time we could see her working and not altogether comfortable with what she was doing.

Afterward, she acknowledged the scene from the new season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives where she admitted the only reason she returned midway through the season on that show was for the opportunity to do this one. She thanked DWTS producer Deena Katz for choosing her "because this has changed my life and I'm just having the time of my life and I couldn't be more grateful." We suppose we respect the honesty and candor, but it does feel weird to admit the hustle so openly.

Judges Scores: 9, 10, 10

My Score: 8

(Tango - "I Would Die 4 U," Prince) For the second week in a row, Daniella demanded a fierce attack from Dylan and he was serving. He couldn't quite match her 12-out-of-10 in ferocity and sharpness, his footwork wasn't delivered quite properly -- which impacted the overall character of his performance -- but this was a leading man in control and with moments of perfection. It's clear that she's really starting to push him with the finale looming and Dylan is stepping up just when he needs to prove he's a real contender. And he even had to impress his brother Zac, in the audience for the first time. He had solid frame and great moments, but this lacked a consistent intensity that held it back from really being all the way there.

Judges Scores: 9, 9, 9

My Score: 7

(Jive - "Raspberry Beret," Prince) Jordan noted that she's never had a perfect score as a gymnast, hoping that maybe DWTS will help her finally land one. She also gave Ezra his flowers for being in the semifinals in only his second season as a pro. But can she take him all the way? She certainly has the work ethic and the talents to do it, but this routine fell short of the perfect she's looking for. She looked a little too heavy in her movements, not quite getting the proper bounce and energy of the piece. She kept up with the fast footwork but it didn't have the sharp edges, corners, transitions … there's a visual bite to the jive that almost feels like a series of stillshots being run fast together and she lacked that (which is hard to explain, but there it is)

Judges Scores: 9, 9, 9

My Score: 8

(Jive - "Baby I'm a Star," Prince) A great opening move, tandem drop, Witney flipping Robert and the guitar side-by-side, this choreography was really innovative and a lot of fun. We did see one minor misstep early on, but the cameras are on and off his feet so there may have been more. Overall, though, he was light on his feet, kept things moving, had great energy and athleticism and brought that effervescent joy that the format wants. Putting him back to back with Jordan helps illustrate what was missing in hers because he and Witney had it in spades here. It's amazing that he wasn't the strongest dancer of the group early on because he's definitely in the mix now.

Judges Scores: 10, 10, 10

My Score: 10

(Paso doble - "When Doves Cry," Prince) We have not really mentioned or harped on Elaine's age in this competition, and intentionally so, but we have to point out that this 54-year-old woman just went out there and did that! It proves we are so much more capable than we think we are and that life is there to be lived. Elaine is living! And she was sharp and so strong and so in control throughout this piece. It was absolutely stunning. Her head dipped down and forward a bit too much in the start and her swivels could do with a little more completion, but this was a transcendent performance -- at any age, we should add -- and a powerful statement for why she deserves her spot in next week's finale. Her season journey has been inspiring and incredible.

Judges Scores: 10, 10, 10

My Score: 10

(Viennese waltz - "Purple Raine," Prince) From start to finish, we're not even sure if we breathed. Val once again outdid himself with a stunning routine that Alix stepped into and embodied to perfection. Her head placement could have tilted back just a bit more early on but the rise and fall, the fast turns, everything was just executed so beautifully we were literally breathless watching it. Alix talked about how much this experience means to her and she is definitely fighting for her chance to continue. She's been strong since the beginning, and yet we can still see that she's growing and improving into a proper dancer week by week. This was so elegantly stunning.

Judges Scores: 10, 10, 10

My Score: 10

(Cha-cha-cha - "Kiss," Prince) Who is this guy? For the entire first half of the dance, we could not take our eyes off of Dylan, and that's quite a feat when dancing with Daniella. Those hips, those arms, the way he hit each moment so hard. This is such a far cry from the tepid dancer he started as, he's believing that he can do this and it's carrying through. He did lose some of that toward the back half with floppy arms in the side-by-side, but we can't say enough about the character of his performance. He was on it, sharp, and so incredibly strong. It's nice to see that last week's breakthrough was not just a one-off, but truly a transformative step on his overall journey.

Judges Scores: 9, 9, 10

My Score: 9

(Viennese waltz - "Slow Love," Prince) Whitney opened up about how the experience has taught her that it's okay to just be herself and said she feels most like herself when dancing, "so it's been nice to reunite with that person." Which begs the question, who has she been before this if not herself? It is good to hear she's re-embraced her authentic self as that has to be a positive growth step for her. We're still amazed each season by how much this experience impacts each celebrity personally, even outside of learning how to hoof. 

When she hit the floor, this was the Whitney we'd missed in the last dance. She was again elegant and so smooth throughout, holding that arch and really hitting strong with Mark on beat and with the music. We saw a slight stutter in her glide, but the camera angle didn't reveal what happened (might have been Carrie Ann's "hop"), and she didn't continue Mark's ripple at the end, which let it kind of fizzle, but she remains a very compelling performer and really has shown incredible talent and consistency throughout the season.

Judges Scores: 9, 10, 10

My Score: 9

(Argentine tango - "U Got the Look," Prince) We're not quite sure the final two lifts were executed to perfection, but there was a lot of greatness before them. Jordan definitely had her game face on, bringing the right level of intensity to what was a rather slow and intentional tango. That left less room for mistakes as the eye had more time to linger on each moment, but Jordan was really delivering with a lot of great flicks and some complex footwork in the choreography. She vowed to bring her Olympic competitiveness to that little girl's dance of dreaming and she continues to deliver, fighting for her sport in the finale.

Judges Scores: 10, 10, 10 

My Score: 10

(Viennese waltz - "WOW," Prince) Robert has a buddies relationship with Witney, which is very cute, but this style demands a more intimate, passionate relationship be displayed. In other words, it was time for him to get closer than ever and pair his acting socks with his dancing shoes. If he couldn't make us believe in the connection, the dance falters. She gave him some very intense choreography, making for a more rock-and-roll type of waltz than you might typically see, but Robert stepped up and into the character, leading her across the floor with a commanding, yet tender presence. We agree with Derek that his frame wasn't quite as strong as it could have been, nor was it always consistent, but he was definitely there for Witney at each moment and she was serving enough for both of them.

Judges Scores: 10, 9, 10

My Score: 9

And just like that, Robert Irwin has risen to become the bona fide frontrunner of the season with the judges, even as it's felt like he's had the audience vote pretty much all season long. After last week's touching tribute, he soared again this week, taking sole position of the first spot on another very, very tight night of votes.

Tight as in there are only four points between the frontrunner and Dylan Efron, in last place. As we've seen already this season -- and pretty much all season -- judges' scores don't carry as much weight as we might think, and when they're this close they might as well be negligible. And so we turn to the audience vote.

The audience is much more expansive in why they vote the way they do, and with this season setting records, it seems there is a new generation of fans discovering the show, shifting even traditional voting patterns. Could that spell trouble for Elaine Hendrix, who was just two points off the bottom of the leader board, tied with Jordan Chiles.

Honestly, we didn't really think so, because hers has been a story of perseverance and overcoming challenges. Plus, with Andy Richter out of the competition, we could see a lot of her fans really embracing her story and journey. Honestly, if we look outside of the show, the biggest controversy among this cast has been the aforementioned Mormon Wives drop that revealed Whitney Leavitt only agreed to do that show so she could get this show. 

It feels kind of shallow, but perhaps refreshingly transparent about the self-serving reasons many people seek reality television fame. Again tonight, she talked about how this show could be a stepping stone to an entertainment career, so she's nothing if not ambitious. But would that turn off voters enough to overcome the fact she's been one of the strongest dancers of the season, and probably still has the highest overall judges' tally?

Then, you factor in the pros and Daniella Karagach is absolutely beloved, while Ezra Sosa has the younger generations really rallying behind him and Jordan in his second season. That might make Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy vulnerable, even though they, too, have been consistently incredible through much of the season.

We knew this was going to be harder to predict once the middle of the pack thinned out, leaving the front-runners in Robert, Whitney, and Alix, followed by the second-tier of Jordan, Elaine, and Dylan, but we didn't expect it to be this hard to predict. Even Zac Efron finally being in the audience for his brother could have thrown a few votes his way. Our final guess was that Dylan was perhaps just a bit too far behind his competitors to carry forward, but what did America do?

Once again, Alfonso revealed another all-time voting record for DWTS, which means viewers are definitely passionate about the season. But what do they want to see happen? For the finale, they definitely wanted to see Elaine & Alan, Alix & Val, Robert & Witney, and a genuinely shocked Dylan & Daniella.

At this point, we started to think that maybe the Whitney backlash was very real because could Jordan really be voted out? A few weeks ago, we'd have said yes, but her fire has been unmatched, and she really has quite a strong fanbase online. And in the end, those fans carried through for her, sending Whitney & Mark home. Whitney's eyes were already tearing up before the final reveal, kissing Mark on the cheek, she saw it coming, too.

Talking with E! News after the show, Mark said, "We knew, we felt it. I think we just had a feeling."

"We had a gut feeling it was us," Whitney agreed, expressing her appreciation for the entire team behind the show and feeling happy that she knows she gave it her all each time she stepped onto that floor.

Dancing with the Stars expands to three rounds of competition -- judges' choice, instant dance, and freestyle -- for an epic 3-hour finale next Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.