ABC/ADAM TAYLORThe real competition has officially begun.
In what could be the most brutal elimination of every season, two contestants were given the axe on Tuesday night's Dancing With The Stars, leaving the crème de la crème to show off their fanciest footwork in a fight to win the mirror-ball trophy.
So how are the eliminated players holding up, who was beaming with pride, and which contestant was the most emotional after learning they will be in the semifinals? We got the scoop after the show!
No one said this would be easy. Fractures, falls and even a few tears seem like a walk in the park compared to elimination this late in the competition. After weeks of strenuous legwork, endless hours of rehearsal and giving it their all to win viewer votes, Melissa Gilbert and Roshon Fegan had to say their goodbyes to the Dancing spotlight and will be watching from the sidelines for the last two weeks of competition.
When we caught up with Melissa and partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy backstage, they were disappointed, but not surprised by their elimination.
"It sucks," Maks told us.
Of course it's not fun to get this far only to be cut short so close to the end, but Melissa told us she knew the second she was onstage with Katherine Jenkins that her number was up. With tears welling up in her eyes, Melissa also shared that Maks told her that he wished she believed in herself as much as he believed in her. In turn, Maks showed a softer side, revealing to us that Melissa's courage, strength and determination was what got them this far.
As for Roshon and Chelsie Hightower? Well, they were riding high on their accomplishments. Upbeat, smiling and excited for the future, Roshon spilled that he proved he can play with the big boys and dancing professionally is his new backup plan for a career.
Not too shabby, considering Chelsie told us that it would be completely feasible for Roshon to go pro if he did a year of intense training. Wow!
As for the stars left in the game, the most emotional was Maria Menounos, who told us this experience is a childhood dream come true that she never wants to end. Her dad was in tears, making her advancement to the semifinals even more meaningful.
Are you happy with the results? Who do you think deserves to win? Let us know in the comments!