Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Ralph Macchio and Karina Smirnoff tonight, as Chelsea Kane, Hines Ward and Kirstie Alley were the stars to make it through to the final round of Dancing with the Stars.
While Ralph proved to be a classy participant throughout the competition, he did finally have one remark concerning the judges. Plus, the remaining pairs give us a little preview for what's coming up next week…
When we asked Ralph if he had any regrets, he insists that performance-wise, he had none. "Not one in performance, that's for sure. There were tough days, but I showed up every day, even the days I was exhaustive," he tells us. "At one point I regretted not saying certain things when I heard certain criticism from the judges. But a week or two ago I said, ‘You know, I should speak up a little more,' because it was becoming evident that the playing field isn't completely level. But I held back and I still think it was the right thing by taking the high road and not saying anything."
Later, he did admit to wanting to make it all the way to the end, if only for his partner. "I would have liked to have been in the finals. That was the goal. I wanted to get [Karina] there. She deserves it more than anyone."
Chelsea was her usual bouncy self, telling us that she was "stoked" and "very happy" to be in the finals. Mark Ballas, however, kept pretty quiet, especially when it came to talking about their freestyle song choice for next week. But he did give us this: "It's a fun song. It's definitely a crowd-pleaser, so I'm excited to get up there and dance with her."
Kirstie, however, has much bigger plans. "I would so love to be dropped down from the ceiling. That'd be hot. Why can't I do that?" she asks innocently. Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who is still looking for his first DWTS win, didn't confirm or deny that kind of entrance, but he did reveal that he has "a bunch of ideas."
Finally, Hines Ward and Kym Johnson feel like they've been waiting for this day since week one. And in Kym's case, that's exactly what they've been doing! "I like to be prepared. I know it's sort of presumptuous thinking you made the final, but for me I have to think we're going to. So I've been planning this freestyle for quite awhile," she says before turning to Hines and proclaiming: "You have no idea what's in store for you!"
Whatever is it that she has in store, Hines knows he's in good hands. "I like that she's pushing me. She's won it before, so she knows what it takes. Sometimes I think she believes in more in me than I do myself, but to see it come together is amazing."
Happy with the final three couples? Or was it someone else's time to go home? Head on down to the comments and let yourself be heard!