Dancing with the Stars Semi-Finals Season 33, Episode 9 Recap: Stephen Nedoroscik’s Cockeyed Glasses

For the semi-finals, each couple was challenged to not only choreograph and perform two dances, but they were in styles they’d never performed before. One was in the Latin style, while the other was ballroom, so they had to tap into different parts of their technique and training for each.

In many ways, this leveled the playing field, as no pairing had any sort of real advantage going into the night by being familiar with any of the styles they were tackling. And with no contemporary and more technique than ever, there was definitely an energy of competition in the air.

There was also at least one pair of glasses in the air, too, and this time it wasn’t because Stephen Nedoroscik threw them intentionally. The viral “Superman” Olympian has been dancing without his glasses all season, so he tried one dance tonight with them on — and it was immediately disastrous. Could he recover from cockeyed lenses? Would it throw him off enough to knock him out of a strong night of competition?

It was one of the most competitive semi-finals in years, with some very, very strong performances, and even tougher marks from the judges. After last week’s perfect sweep of perfect scores by Chandler Kinney, the judges only handed out one perfect score across tonight’s ten dances — and it wasn’t to the Disney star!

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.

(“Greedy (Acoustic),” Tate McRae) Emphasizing the importance of chemistry and performance, the pros really showcased how elegance and grace can expand into artistry and storytelling with the right facial expressions and connection between partners. It’s a professionalism that creates a fiction — like any great acting partner — layered on top of great technique. It’s the difference between a technician and a true artist.

(“Looking for a Man in Finance,” Megan Boni) This kind of came out of nowhere, right after Stephen’s second dance, but it was a lot of fun. Props to Julianne for being able to shift gears from hosting to dancing with the handoff of a microphone, as she swiveled her way to the dance floor and put all the male pros through a workout trying to keep up with her. It was a powerfully strong performance, showing how a woman can lead in dance without giving up the traditional female parts. It’s all in how you do it!

(Salsa – “Spicy Margarita,” Jason Derulo & Michael Bublé) With the Latin styles bringing her lowest scores across the season, Brandon took Chandler to an actual salsa club to shake off some of those nerves, and break the rehearsal routine. She felt like it helped her get out of her head before the performance, but how did that translate on the floor?

She was definitely invested out there, bringing lots of great energy and movement. The skirt was the right call to allow some forgiveness if her hips weren’t moving quite as much as they should have been. The biggest issue out there was that those lifts looked a little labored, which could be more of a Brandon issue. They got through them all, but there was definitely some momentum slow as they did. The moves still looked smooth and graceful, so it’s a small issue, but nevertheless one that did stand out.

Judges Scores: 10, 9, 10

My Score: 9

(Paso doble – “Unholy (Orchestral Version),” Sam Smith & Kim Petras) Ilona was cast in the matador role so that her natural power and command as a leading lady could take center stage. The strength of the role played to her strengths and she really did create some beautiful pictures out there. There were a few moments where we would have liked a little more grace between movements, and she did get ahead of the beat just a bit, but this was nevertheless a testament to her growth throughout the competition, and her growth in just seeing her own potential outside of being this power rugby presence. She was strong and graceful, powerful and elegant. You can have it all!

Judges Scores: 9, 10, 9

My Score: 9

(Cha-cha-cha – “Bailar,” Deorro f. Elvis Crespo) Well, he got through the dance, but it wasn’t a particularly strong performance from Stephen. He lacked almost all of the Latin flair that makes the style so compelling and exciting to watch. He lost his timing again — this felt very much like a midseason routine working out the kinks style — and stuttered into place. For the most part, Stephen did all of the steps, but he didn’t follow through on most of them, didn’t perform them with proper technique and placement, leaving it all feeling very amateurish. Basically, he lacked confidence and fell back into all of his early bad habits he’d been shaking off.

Judges Scores: 8, 8, 9

My Score: 6

(Paso doble – “Come Together,” The Beatles) Joey was a little late getting into that final pose, and some of his movements were even stiffer than the style demands. It was that little flair, the curve of the arm (those raised elbows) that got him into very minor trouble here and there. What he did great was the character of the piece. He was strong and in command from the start with some great pictures throughout the routine. There was just something a bit off in his movements — a stiffness that betrayed thinking more than just hitting the style — that threw it off here and there.

Judges Scores: 10, 9, 10

My Score: 8

(Salsa – “I Like It,” Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin) Embracing the viral leg lift from earlier in the season, Witney planned plenty of lifts for this final routine of the semi-finals. In rehearsal, though, they were definitely struggling with some of them. If they can pull this one off, it will truly be a dazzling crowd-pleasure, but it’s also a very, very tall order.

They served up the lifts but even more exciting was the character and technique we got on the side. In fact, we found ourselves anticipating lifts for a bit, but then got distracted and mesmerized by the great salsa content happening between them. Danny was all personality in this one, clearly having a lot of fun while giving us everything we could hope to see in a Latin lead. He’s had a bit of a dip midseason, but came back strong with this one … easily one of the strongest of the season.

Judges Scores: 9, 9, 9

My Score: 10

(Foxtrot – “I Won’t Dance,” Erin Boheme f. District 78) As there’s never been a male Bachelor lead in a DWTS finale before, Joey was feeling the pressure to come out and control that leaderboard, after feeling a little let down he fell just short last week (to perfection, my friend!). He loves a frame and it showed as he was stellar in this one. His presence was so grounding throughout, we found our eyes drawn to him even as Jenna was twirling and whirling all around that dance floor.

Joey was the perfect gentleman lead — a true Fred Astaire out there — polished and commanding while also bringing the performance with his facial expressions. Just watching his arms delicately move to exactly where Jenna needed them to be at each moment showed what a connected partnership this is, and the fluidity and completeness of his performance technique.

Judges Scores: 10, 10, 10

My Score: 10

(Viennese waltz – “Gravity,” John Mayer) Danny fully embraced his underdog status, which is a shift from his early frontrunner status. He’s been on top before, but he needs to scratch and claw to get there now because the other dancers are not only strong, they have strong stories. Witney, who’s won a Mirrorball in her past, said it’s about creating moments. Could this be their moment to break through?

There was a bit of a stiffness throughout his performance, while Danny’s face was absolutely frozen throughout. He didn’t quite nail the character element, telling the story of two people not meant for one another who struggled to let go, because we could see him concentrating on being where he needed to be. The stiffness almost worked, if only he could have presented either pain or aloofness or something to help tell the story. He’s a very strong dancer, but this wasn’t quite as strong as it could have been as we could tell he wasn’t fully comfortable even with the choreography yet … only there was no time left to get there!

Judges Scores: 9, 9, 9

My Score: 7

(Foxtrot – “Too Sweet,” Hozier) Chandler already struggles with anxiety and hyper-fixates on perfection (leading to self-criticism). Getting those perfect scores last week put her even more in her head as she tackled a very challenging style. So her biggest enemy going into this piece could very well have been herself. Could she get out of her own way enough to relax into the dance and have fun, because that’s what needs to show on the dance floor?

Thankfully, she had an element of story to work with, which allowed her to get into character as this jilted lover trying not to fall for Brandon’s charm and grace. That appeared to help her find her way into the dance, and then all her hard work paid off with yet another incredibly strong and confident performance. We were even getting hair-ography on this, as she used every element of her body to add lyricism, grace, and rhythm to this beautifully danced routine.

Judges Scores: 9, 10, 10

My Score: 10

(Viennese waltz – “Golden Hour,” Jvke) Ilona was prepared for this to be her final performance of the season, and so she wanted to dedicate the piece to Alan and how much they’ve grown together. He’s helped her embrace a softer side, while spreading the message to other women that there’s no such thing as a box that you should be put in (by yourself or anyone) based on perception or how you’re built. You can be whoever you feel in any moment.

The second half of this routine was pure magic, with a beautiful chemistry on display. Before that, Ilona fumbled her timing at one point and she retracted some of her arm movements prematurely. There was definitely a beautiful grace on display through most of the piece, but she seemed to lack a bit of the confidence in Alan for some of those moments where he was holding her … which was truthfully unexpected. Theirs has been a beautiful partnership throughout the season, so this was overall a lovely tribute to that.

Judges Scores: 10, 9, 10

My Score: 8

(Tango – “Sweet Disposition,” The Temper Trap) Once Stephen settled into the dance, which took about a third of the song, he really presented a nice tango. We’d have liked a little sharper movements on the flicks, as well as a slightly stronger frame, but this was one of his more restrained and controlled performances — even with those unexpected cockeyed glasses bars. His timing was stronger (especially after shaking off those early performance jitters) and he really came out there with something to prove in this second round. While he’s probably the weakest technical dancer left in the competition, his heart is undeniable.

Judges Scores: 10, 9, 9

My Score: 7

This feels like it should be obvious who goes home at this point, but we can’t deny Stephen Nedoroscik’s massive fanbase. He’s been a solid dancer and has grown a lot, but he’s not on the level with the other performers, nor has he grown as much into performance as even his fellow Olympian, Ilona Maher.

Based on the judges’ scores, Stephen has the lowest marks, followed by Danny Amendola, just ahead of him by one point. But Danny also ended the night very strong — despite those wonky judges’ scores — with one of the most powerful salsas we’ve seen in a while. What would America do with that mismatched information, as their comments didn’t match their scores, either.

Or would the overall tightness of these semi-finalists mean that anyone could be sent packing, including the two stars tied at the top of the leaderboard, Chandler Kinney and Joey Graziadei. Honestly, we can’t imagine a finale without either of those two, so we certainly hoped not.

For us, it really felt like it was time for Stephen to go, but we found ourselves feeling a little bit more concerned that it might actually be Danny, instead. We should never underestimate the staying popularity of Olympic athletes in an Olympics year!

The first couple sent into the finale was Danny & Witney, which should bode poorly for Stephen, but you never know. Joey & Jenna got the good news next, followed by Chandler & Brandon. Those last two felt obvious, but it was good to confirm them.

That meant that the Olympians were squaring off with the final vote, which suddenly left us sweating it out for poor Ilona, who’s had such an amazing trajectory this season. She wasn’t nearly as viral as Stephen during the Olympics, but she’s outperformed him on this stage. Could she outlast him?

Well, it turned out to yet again be a total fakeout as no one was going to be left out of the finale. All five couples will battle it out for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, just as the show did last season. It didn’t help Alyson Hannigan place better than fifth then … but the competition wasn’t quite as tight as it’s been this year. Can Stephen rise out of last place? Can Chandler hold onto it, or will Joey break the Bachelor curse and continue his season-long climb to the top?

Dancing with the Stars wraps it all up with a bow in a live three-hour finale next Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.