‘Dancing With the Stars’ Finalists on Semifinals Elimination Shocker & Why It Happened

Dancing With the Stars has opted not to send anyone home on Disney nights and some evenings have had double eliminations, but there’s never been a semi-final where a couple hasn’t gone home — until now. Alyson Hannigan and her pro partner Sasha Farber scored the lowest in the semi-finals, and it was presumed by some (perhaps many) that the two would be sent packing after this week’s competition.

However, in a shocking twist, Hannigan and Farber and the other four semi-finalist pairs were all informed they’d be competing in next week’s finale! TV Insider caught up with the Season 32 finalists on the post-show press line to get their thoughts on continuing their journey as a group. .

“I thought it was a mistake,” Hannigan says of when she heard her and Farber’s names called first as finalists. “I was waiting for [host Alfonso Ribeiro] to say, ‘Oh, sorry. I meant Ariana [Madix].’ I just couldn’t believe he called our names first. I stood there in utter disbelief, waiting for him to correct himself.”

While Hannigan was stunned, she also shares that she actually had a premonition earlier in the day about the unprecedented outcome. “When I talked to Deena [Katz, co-executive producer] this morning, I said, ‘Hey, Deena. Let’s just not have an elimination tonight.’ She didn’t even flinch — nothing but a straight poker face.”

Disney/Eric McCandless

Xochitl Gomez had never been in the “bottom two,” but it appeared that was the case this week; still, she was actually more concerned about Madix going home than she was herself. “[Xochitl] is an empath,” Val Chmerkovskiy, Gomez’s pro partner, says. In turn, he was more concerned about her being locked out of the finals than he was about himself.

“I was just looking at her and thinking about her,” Chmerkovskiy says. “You know, I’ve been eliminated many times before. You feel sad, but you kind of take it on the chin. I want to protect her and keep her away from all these sad feelings.”

“I thought [Pasha Pashkov and I] were going,” Madix says. “I thought there was no way it would be Xochitl and Val but that at least we went out with a bang.”

“I think the level of dance won,” Pashkov says. “Every single couple in the semi-finals was so well-received. There was no reason not to do this.”

Couples are competing next week for the Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy, named after the late judge who passed away earlier this year. Goodman sat at the judges’ table for nearly every season since the show’s inception. Judge Derek Hough commented that Gomez and Chmerkovskiy’s semi-final waltz to “La Vie en Rose” by Lady Gaga was one that Goodman would have loved.

“I don’t know that I think of Len with every dance, but I think of him with certain ones that pay tribute to what this show is all about,” Chmerkovskiy says.

Charity Lawson and pro partner Artem Chigvintsev earned judge Carrie Ann Inaba’s praise after performing their rumba. Inaba not only told Lawson she had the breakthrough that she was hoping she’d have but her performance was “artistry in motion.”

“That was probably one of the biggest victories all season,” Lawson says. “This was something repeatedly pointed out week after week — that I was missing something. [This dance] was just a big moment because it felt special and I was really proud.”

Next week, there will be five freestyle performances. It’s not uncommon for pro dancers to choreograph and plan a routine that resonates with their star. (For example, Jennifer Grey danced to a song from Dirty Dancing; Olympian Shawn Johnson performed gymnastic moves in her freestyle.) “I have a lot to choose from,” shares Farber about what his and Hannigan’s freestyle will be. “But I think I’ve nailed it. I’m very excited.”

“We have something in mind,” Chmerkovskiy teases of what his and Gomez’s freestyle will be. “I think Xochitl’s fans love to see her move and her fans enjoy her performances.”

“I’ll just say Charity’s [freestyle] is not going to be based on The Bachelorette,” Chigvintsev previews. “It’s definitely going to be combined with something that Charity has done before.”

“Ariana’s freestyle is going to literally scream who Ariana is,” says Pashkov, who will be competing in the finals for the first time opposite his wife, Daniella Karagach, who is paired with singer Jason Mraz. Watch for the singer to perform his single “I Feel Like Dancing,” but his performance won’t take place until after his two dances. “By the time I get to my song, it’ll just be a celebration,” Mraz says.

“It’s empowering and inspiring,” Pashkov says about advancing to the finals alongside Karagach. “[Daniella and I] are always there for each other. We all need support from somebody else. The fact that we have been there by each other’s side all the time just makes it that much easier.”

“We’re not competing,” clarifies Karagach. “We’re all rooting for each other — especially Pasha and me. It’s a celebration because if he wins, I win. And if I win, he wins. We’re just happy for each other.”

Dancing With the Stars, Tuesdays, 8/7, ABC and Disney+