Dancing With The Stars Season 17 Recap: Standing Ovation For Eliminated Contestant

They may not have taken home the Season 17 mirrorball, but the couple eliminated on Monday’s “Dancing with the Stars” clearly won the hearts of the studio audience and the viewers at home.

(SPOILER ALERT: This story contains the results of “DWTS.”)

Although they competed valiantly, Valerie Harper and partner Tristan MacManus were sent home from the competition.

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“It has been absolutely wonderful, completely unique, like nothing else in the world that you would ever do,” the actress told show hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke-Charvet after learning the elimination news. “And it was an opportunity for me to carry a message to folks, not just with cancer or whatever they have, but whatever challenge, like our song tonight, keep on keeping on. “ (Valerie and Tristan danced to fun.’s song “Carry On.”)

Tristan also shared some touching words about dancing with the TV legend, who has been battling Stage 4 cancer.

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“Sometimes you get very lucky to do well out of your partner and sometimes you get very lucky in your life to meet someone who can affect them more than this could at all,” he said. “So I feel I’ve been very lucky to get that, and I feel like maybe [my] life’s a little bit better since I met Valerie Harper.”

Before the elimination, there was a hot night of competition where three teams — Elizabeth Berkley Lauren and Valentin Chmerkovskiy, Amber Riley and Derek Hough, and Corbin Bleu and Karina Smirnoff — all tied for the top spot on the leaderboard, earning 27 points each.

Julianne Hough, who was filling in as a guest judge for Len Goodman, who is busy with the UK version of “DWTS,” was impressed with all three, but had a little fun with her brother, Derek.

Derek ran over to the judges’ table before she gave her critique, passing her a bill she wasn’t very pleased with.

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“10 bucks! What is that!” she jokingly scoffed at his fake bribe.

“Where’s my Barbie’s head,” she added, clearly a reference to their childhood.

But she was more than impressed with Amber’s tango moves.

“I was actually hoping that something was going to go terribly wrong, so that I could give you a horrible score, so that I wouldn’t get in trouble for liking your performance,” Julianne said. “Holy cow… you were wonderful.”

Julianne called Corbin’s moves on his tango, “Brilliant,” a number he took his shirt off for, but it was Brant Daugherty, who really got the guest judge flustered over his shirtless routine with Peta Murgatroyd.

“I think I told you this, but I’m single now,” she said as Brant mimed the sign for “Call me” back to the judge.

“Dancing with the Stars” continues next Monday at 8/7c on ABC.