While the time has come to crown the next Mirrorball Trophy winner, Dancing With the Stars fans are still demanding an explanation after actress Melora Hardin and Olympian gymnast Suni Lee were sent home in the semifinals — while Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby advanced to the season 30 finale.
After weeks of heartfelt rehearsals and show-stopping performances, the remaining six couples faced off Monday night in the season 30 semifinal, which featured a redemption dance followed by a new routine. Melora and pro partner Artem Chigvintsev performed a rumba and a contemporary routine; Suni and pro Sasha Farber danced a foxtrot and a contemporary; The Talk cohost Amanda Kloots and pro Alan Bersten did a tango and a contemporary.
Despite their best efforts, these pairs found themselves in the bottom three at the end of the night. Melora and Artem were automatically eliminated after getting the lowest combined scores and viewer votes. Then it was up to the judges to decide between Suni and Amanda.
“You both have done incredibly well tonight … you both did fantastic. Suni, I’m so proud of you, but the couple I’m going to save is Amanda and Alan,” Carrie Ann Inaba said. “This is a tough one, honestly. I’m pretty shocked that both of you are here. But the couple I’m going to save tonight is Amanda and Alan,” Derek Hough said in part. “It’s so hard because not just all of you but all the dancers tonight have worked and done some amazing performances. The standard is incredible. Hard to choose. I have to go with Amanda and Alan,” Bruno Tonioli said.
With that, host Tyra Banks declared there was a majority of votes for Amanda and Alan. As the closing credits began to roll, Len Goodman also shared that he would've chosen them, too. But folks watching from home didn’t agree with the night’s results. Many immediately took to Twitter to express outrage that Suni was eliminated when, in their opinion, Cody should've gone home instead. He and pro Cheryl Burke were the last duo to be sent on to the next round.
“Cody Rigsby does not deserve to be in the #DWTS finale….. Suni deserved that so much more but the peloton cult keeps voting him through 😒,” one person wrote. “#DWTS is supposed to be about who dances the best not a popularity contest.. Suni danced better than Cody. I am confusion 🤔,” another added. “WHO VOTED FOR CODYYYY?????? MY GIRL SUNI DESERVED TO BE IN THE FINAL,” a different fan said. “Cody should have gone home before Amanda and Suni. Guess the Peloton fans really are passionate,” a follower commented.
Speaking with Us Weekly after leaving the DWTS stage one last time, Suni admitted that she was sad to say goodbye and felt that she had her “best two dances.” But she was still happy with the outcome.
“I feel like I finally found myself and I’m more confident in myself,” she told the outlet. “I feel like I’m more open now. That was the main goal to come on the show. Obviously winning was there, but, like, I feel like I love myself more than ever — and that is a really important thing.”
We really can’t wait to see what Suni does next. And now, the last four couples will battle it out for the grand title, including Cody and Cheryl, Amanda and Alan, JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson, and Iman Shumpert and Daniella Karagach. If the semifinals were this shocking, we truly don’t know what to expect for the finale.
Selena is the entertainment and news editor for Good Housekeeping, where she covers the latest on TV, movies and celebrities. In addition to writing and editing entertainment news, she also spotlights the Hispanic and Latinx community through her work. She is a graduate of CUNY Hunter College with a B.A. in journalism and creative writing.
