Spoilers ahead for the Season 28 semifinals of Dancing with the Stars**.**
No one expected the Dancing with the Stars Season 28 semifinals to make everyone cry with an elimination, but that’s exactly what happened. While stuck in the bottom two alongside Ally Brooke and her partner Sasha Farber, Dawson's Creek vet James Van Der Beek and pro Emma Slater were eliminated. Like many viewers, Ally Brooke was shocked about the results and actually tried to give up her spot in the finals.
There wasn’t a dry eye left in the audience during the Dancing with the Stars semifinals and Ally Brooke may have cried the hardest out of everyone following James Van Der Beek’s elimination following his heartbreaking admission. So rattled by the judges’ decisions — and even the fact that Van Der Beek was in the bottom two at all — Brooke pleaded with the judges and host Tom Bergeron to have the Dawson’s Creek actor take her spot in the finals.
Here’s what Ally Brooke had to say about the reasons for her visceral reaction:
I don't believe it's fair that he was sent home, so I just wanted to give my spot to him. He's been through so much and he's overcome so many things. Especially this past week, I just felt it was right to give it to him. Obviously he didn't accept it. I talked to him and he was proud of me. He told me, 'Don't be afraid to shine.' So I'm going to take that with me and I just have to do this for him, is what I feel.
It’s completely understandable that Ally Brooke realized the unfairness of it all. Brooke, though a consistently strong dancer, was no stranger to being in the bottom two. Having landed there three times already, she was more shocked by being pitted against James Van Der Beek.
Earlier in the Dancing with the Stars semifinals, the audience learned that Van Der Beek’s wife had suffered a recent miscarriage. It helped to explain the missteps in his first dance, but fans still hoped that the judges, knowing how strong of a dancer he was, would choose him to move onto the finals.
Speaking with ET, Ally Brooke continues, discussing her heartbreak over the situation.
I'm really sad and I just feel like it's not right that he went home and that is how I feel. Obviously I know Sasha and I have been through hell and back on the show. We've overcome so many obstacles and we're strong people, we adore the show more than anything. I have had the time of my life on this show. But it's really tough, especially given James' circumstances that he went tonight.
While this isn’t the first heartbreaking elimination for Dancing with the Stars, the tragic circumstances certainly lent themselves to the tearful reactions from the judges, who’ve shared their disappointment with Season 28, and the audience. And to think that fans were already complaining about the unfairness of the new voting rules not that long ago! Although James Van Der Beek won’t be in the finals, Ally Brooke's heart was in the right place.
Stay tuned for the Dancing with the Stars finals, which will air next Monday, November 25 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
