Dancing With the Stars says goodbye to a judge and 2 couples in dramatic semifinals double elimination

It's double trouble — two full routines for each couple and another night of double eliminations brought plenty of drama (and tears) to the ballroom on the semifinal of season 31 of Dancing With the Stars.

Entertainer Wayne Brady and partner Witney Carson brought a high energy paso doble set to Maneskin's "Beggin'" to the dance floor to kick off the night. In his rehearsal package, Brady got vulnerable, sharing a story of a challenging moment when he was first dating his ex-wife Mandy and how it inspired him to tell her he loved her. The couple is now divorced, but Brady said they remain best friends. The vulnerability came through in the Latin-style dance, and the judges gave him a score of straight 9s, bringing him to a total of 36 out of 40 points. Carson also made a surprise announcement, revealing that she is expecting her second child with husband Carson McAllister.

Daniel Durant, seeking to capitalize on his emotional moment of dancing without music last week and his first 10s from the judges, delivered a lyrical Viennese waltz with partner Britt Stewart. The dance brought judge Carrie Ann Inaba to tears, praising their "unity" as a duo, and they racked up 35 out of 40 points.

After her highest score on the leaderboard in third place, Drag Race alum Shangela got to bring her past to the ballroom dancing a paso doble to "Edge of Glory" by Lady Gaga, who she appeared with in A Star Is Born. Shangela slayed with a solo sequence timed perfectly to the music, using her signature "Halleloo" fan. When Derek Hough quoted Lady Gaga's infamous "one person in a room" press tour anecdote, Shangela quipped she'd prefer to have four people believing in her tonight, referring to the judges — and they came through, granting her a score of 36 out of 40.

The competition paused for the final master class of the season with Hough breaking down the differences between a traditional waltz and a Viennese waltz. He even brought in head judge Len Goodman to bring the segment home and explain the features of the Viennese waltz.

TikTok star Charli D'Amelio and partner Mark Ballas had to take to the floor for the first time since her mom, Heidi, was eliminated from the show last week. D'Amelio had her own injury challenges, complaining of an in-grown toenail. The two danced a Viennese waltz to an emotional ballad that led Goodman to proclaim it as so good to defy words and Hough to declare her the first "star" contestant to look like a professional ballroom dancer. Once again, the duo snagged a perfect score of 40 from the judges.

After being saved from the chopping block by the judges for the third time, Trevor Donovan and partner Emma Slater had to take on a cha-cha, which has led to Slater's elimination multiple times in previous seasons. But their first round routine only earned them 32 points.

With the final dance of round one, Bachelorette Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy delivered a waltz to "I'm Kissing You." Windey addressed her break-up from fiance Erich Schwer, whom she had become engaged to on the most recent season of The Bachelorette, saying that it happened because they realized they were not in step with each other as a couple. Their waltz won them the second perfect score of the night.

Following the first round, host Tyra Banks turned to head judge Goodman who made a special announcement revealing that this will mark his final season on Dancing With the Stars. He's been with the show since it started in 2005, but he said he made the decision because he wants to spend more time with his grandchildren.

Getting into the next round, Brady got his second go on the dance floor, and he chose to dance his Viennese waltz to "It's a Man's World." He dedicated the song to his grandmother as a way of paying homage to her and her recent passing. Brady teared up speaking of how she raised him and her battle with dementia. He pulled double duty also singing the song himself, and scored 37 points. He was once again in tears after the dance, saying his only goal was to make his grandma happy with his run on the show.

Durant paid tribute specifically to his interpreter, Gabe, who has been with him and his partner throughout the season. Durant met Gabe at a panel for Best Picture Oscar winner Coda and the two formed a now inseparable bond. The actor's samba was danced to "Light It Up (Remix)," which Gabe said was his and Durant's song when they go out dancing together at the club. It nabbed the pair 34 points.

Shangela slowed things down with an elegant Viennese waltz to "I Have Nothing" by Whitney Houston, which earned her and pro partner Gleb Savchenko a score of 37. Shangela received a vote of confidence from Lady Gaga, who cohost Alfonso Ribeiro revealed had tweeted (it's actually on her Instagram story) urging her fans to vote for the drag queen.

The spirit of Spain came to life in both D'Amelio and Windey's second dances, both giving spirited paso dobles that brought to idea the life of a matador and bull, the original inspiration for the song. D'Amelio's performance resulted in her second perfect score of the night (and earned her a hug from judge Inaba). Windey and Chmerkovskiy delivered a near equally powerful performance and also landed a perfect score.

Longshot Donovan rounded out his night with a Viennese waltz to "Count on Me," which he dedicated to his dance partner for her support throughout the season. Slater teared up during the rehearsal package, saying how she wanted Donovan to know he could always count on her. But their performance didn't quite measure up to the others, leaving them in last place going into the double elimination.

First, the finalists were announced for next week, with Windey, D'Amelio, and Brady also named safe. Then, Donovan and Slater were named as the couple with the lowest combined scores and eliminated with no chance of a judges' save.

That left Durant and Shangela as the bottom two celebs, leaving their fates in the judges' hands. Bruno Tonioli voted to save Shangela and Savchenko, as did Inaba and Hough, making the head judge's tie-breaking vote a moot point (though Goodman also chose Shangela and Savchenko). That meant it was time to say goodbye to Durant and Stewart.

Next week marks the Dancing With the Stars finale where the season 31 champion will be crowned and the mirror ball will belong to a new couple.

Here's where each couple landed on tonight's leaderboard:

Charli & Mark, 80

Gabby and Val, 80

Shangela and Gleb, 73

Wayne and Witney, 73

Daniel and Britt, 69

Trevor and Emma, 65

Dancing With the Stars airs live Mondays on Disney+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

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