“Dancing With the Stars” said goodbye to one pair, and saw a different side of Maksim Chmerkovskiy on Monday night.
(SPOILER ALERT: This story reveals who was eliminated on “DWTS.”)
He’s been saved by the fans to dance every single week in Season 17 and Bill Engvall and his professional partner Emma Slater, will carry on into the finals, after actress Leah Remini and pro Tony Dovolani were sent home.
WATCH: Bill Engvall On ‘Dancing With The Stars’ — What’s His Secret Weapon?
The former “King of Queens” actress said she learned a lot while participating in the program.
“I take away so much,” she said. “I have to thank Tony. He’s put in so much work. And the crew. This has been an amazing experience and I want to thank everybody here, Tony especially, my family for supporting me, my fans and to everybody here. Everybody’s been amazing.”
PHOTOS: ‘Dancing With The Stars’ — Highlights From Season 17
Tony suggested it was one of the best experiences he’s had on the show when he shared his Season 17 parting words.
“I’ve been on this show for 16 seasons now and after 16 seasons, you [would] think it might get stale and all that. I have to tell you, I’ve never looked so forward to practices, every single day,” he said. “This woman would go the extra mile for me. This was an incredible experience and if every season’s like this, I will be living a very long life.”
Earlier in the evening, the competition was tough, but nearly two perfect scores (79/80 overall) gave Amber Riley and Derek Hough the top spot on the leaderboard (Corbin Bleu and Karina Smirnoff took second with 75 points).
Guest judge Maksim was actually the one judge who kept Amber and Derek from achieving a perfect score, but he was impressed with the pair and, in fact, all of the others throughout the night.
PHOTOS: ‘Dancing’s’ Marvelous Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Maks had great praise for Corbin and Maks’ own ex-fiancee, Karina, after their tango.
“There was so much tango it was two routines worth,” he told them. “It was awesome. That’s the type of tango that I like. And I can overlook the fact that the butt was sticking out a little bit. I have a similar issue.”
After Bill and Emma hit the dance floor, Maks complimented the celeb on his efforts.
“I personally don’t believe in talent. I believe in hard work. You showed that,” Maks told the comedian and actor. “You put in the hours. There are a lot of holes in this set, a lot of issues. Don’t worry about [it]. Just keep doing what you’re doing. You’re amazing. A lot of people are looking up to you for even attempting this.”
The “Dancing with the Stars” Season 17 finals will see the following four couples compete on Monday night at 8/7c on ABC:
Amber & Derek
Corbin & Karina
Jack Osbourne & Cheryl Burke
Bill & Emma
— Jolie Lash
Copyright © 2024 by NBC Universal, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be republished, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.