Monica Aldama Has Been Eliminated from "Dancing With the Stars"
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Season 29 of Dancing With the Stars kicked off on Monday, September 14 at 8 p.m ET on ABC.
The all-star line-up has started to face eliminations.
Here's a running list of who's been voted off so far.
Dancing With the Stars tangoed back onto our screens on Monday, September 14, and there has been major drama with each elimination so far...including an unexpected cue card mix-up.
Most recently, Cheer's Monica Aldama went home. And because we know you're eagerly awaiting this information: The notorious Carole Baskin of Netflix's Tiger King only lasted until week three. (The big cat activist was eliminated during Disney Night after dancing to a song from The Lion King, naturally.) However, plenty of celebs are still in the running for the Mirrorball Trophy, including The Real's Jeannie Mai, Disney's Skai Jackson, ice skater Johnny Weir, and more.
Missed last night's episode? Here's a running list of Dancing With the Stars' season 29 eliminations. Check back each week for updates.
Week 7: Monica Aldama
Move over, Ratched—Monica Aldama's Nurse Ratched-themed rendition of "Fever" has taken the trophy for the best One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest spin-off. While inspired, the performance couldn't spare Aldama, the Navarro college cheerleading coach who rose to fame in Netflix's Cheer, and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy, from elimination. The competition is getting fierce: Nev Schulman earned the season's first perfect score.
"He's incredible, and he's taught me way more than just dance. I'll miss him," Aldama told ET of her partner. "It'll definitely feel a little weird tomorrow when I get up and I won't be going to meet Val for rehearsals."
Week 6: Vernon Davis
Vernon Davis dedicated his joyous cha-cha, set to the song "Celebration" by Kool and the Gang, to his grandfather. The happiness was infectious—even while critiquing the performance's technicalities, judge Derek Hough said, "I would give you a 10 for joy every single time."
Still, there were technical errors in Davis and partner Peta Murgatroyd's routine. After landing in the bottom two alongside Johnny Weir and Britt Stewart, the judges chose to send the former football pro home. "We had a nice bond that was formed and I truly hope that we can just carry that over into our lives now forever," Murgatroyd told ET of her relationship with Davis, after their elimination.
Week 5: Jesse Metcalfe
John Tucker must...be booted off Dancing With the Stars. Jesse Metcalfe, of John Tucker Must Die and Desperate Housewives fame, did a tango to the throwback "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears during the show's 80s-themed night. Speaking to the judges in his all-white suit, Metcalfe said his childhood hero was Judd of The Breakfast Club. Not popular in school, he identified with outsiders. "I feel like I need to show America who I really am. Hopefully I can bring my vulnerability and more of my heart to this performance," he said.
Unfortunately, sheer enthusiasm couldn't save Metcalfe and partner Sharna Burgess from elimination. Tonioli said, "You had the intention. You started very well. But you went wrong. You went wrong quite a few times." With a score of 19 out of 30, Metcalfe was tied with football star Vernon Davis in the bottom two, and ultimately was sent packing.
Week 4: Anne Heche
It was one of the most surprising moments of Dancing with the Stars this season—and perhaps ever. But first, let's rewind. Anne Heche and her partner, Keo Motsepe, did a Paso Doble to the tune of "Rise" by Katy Perry, resulting in their highest-scoring performance yet. Still, they landed in the bottom two.
Before the final elimination ceremony, a technical glitch made things quite stressful for them, and for viewers. Monica Aldama and partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy thought they were safe, but then were deemed to be in the bottom two, alongside Heche and Motsepe. "It's 2020. You never know what's going to happen," Motsepe told ABC about the unexpected moment. Ultimately, Heche was sent home. "This was not my finest moment," Heche said on ABC the day after the elimination.
Week 3: Carole Baskin
For her last dance, big cats rights activist Carole Baskin chose an appropriate song. She danced the samba to the tune of "The Circle of Life" from The Lion King, perhaps the only work about big cats that's more famous than Tiger King, the Netflix show that catapulted her to infamy. Both she and her dance partner, Pasha Pashkov, committed to the act with a full face of cat-themed makeup. “A huge 10 for costume and hair and makeup,” judge Derek Hough said.
But the costumes were not enough to distract the judges from Baskin's moves—or lack thereof. “I am stunned. I actually have never, ever seen a Samba like this one. You just walked through it. You can’t just walk through a Samba, it needs life!” judge Bruno Tonioli exclaimed. The pair received a 12 out of 30 for their routine, the lowest score of the evening, and were eliminated.
Week 2: Charles Oakley
For his last dance on the show, former NBA professional Charles Oakley and his partner, pro Emma Slater, performed a cha-cha and received a score of 15—a definite improvement over last week's 12 points. But not enough to save him.
By the end of Dancing With the Stars' second episode, 56-year-old Oakley and Carole Baskin were in the bottom two. It was up to the judges to determine which star was going home. Even the judges were split. Inaba chose to save Baskin; Tonioli chose to save Oakley. Hough broke the tie by choosing to save Baskin. The Tiger Queen lives to dance another day.
Reflecting on his Dancing With the Stars experience, Oakley compared the show to professional sports. "It's business. You go and put your effort and your heart to it, and sometimes like in a football game or a basketball game, you got to score a lot of points to win and we didn't score enough points," Oakley on Good Morning America.
Week 1: No Eliminations
While Dancing With the Stars is an elimination-based reality program, the first episode gave the cast a bit of breathing room before the real competition began. None of the contestants were voted off during the season 29 premiere. Instead, the premiere episode was more like a "getting to know you" between cast and audiences, revealing the season's pairings.
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