show ad

Touching moment paraplegic veteran was lifted out of his wheelchair to surprise bride with a first dance on their wedding day
'I did it': Chilling words overheard in background of 911 call claiming meterologist, 22, had killed himself prompts new police investigation
Mormon church finally admits founder had 40 wives - as young as 14 - some of whom were already married to his friends
Nation backs Republican agenda in new poll: Majority want lame duck Obama to play second fiddle to GOP-run Congress after Democrats lose midterm elections
Bin Laden shooter says the US government ALWAYS planned on killing 9/11 mastermind and Navy SEAL Team Six believed it was a suicide mission
National Guard readied for deployment in Ferguson ahead of grand jury decision in case of riots announces Missouri governor
EXCLUSIVE: Robin Williams left $50million estate to be shared between his three kids - and his widow Susan will also get a slice of his fortune under the couple's pre-nup
Machine-gun toting robbers carry out a jewelry heist in Manhattan's 'diamond district'
Robin Williams' suicide 'was caused by hallucinations from a devastating form of dementia' he was battling alongside Parkinson's
EXCLUSIVE: Shush...don't tell Rosie! ABC honchos are secretly wooing Sherri Shepherd and Joy Behar back to The View as ratings continue to tumble
The Mike 'F***abee' show: Fox News host Megyn Kelly makes embarrassing slip while introducing former Arkansas governor
'You're coming home with me': Actress records shocking video showing men 'taking advantage of her' when she pretends to be drunk and lost on her way home
Glenn Beck reveals he is seriously ill with a mystery disease that can leave him 'curled up in a ball' with pain
Three dead in Florida murder-suicide after gunman killed friend and his MOTHER before shooting himself
How Mick Jagger's age could help him win $13million insurance battle: 71-year-old could not handle stress of L'Wren Scott's suicide, claims legal expert
How very, very squalid: Jagger says he was too traumatised to sing after his lover's suicide. His insurers don't believe it. But the real battle is all about one thing- MONEY
My supervisor's name is 'go f*** yourself': Domino's manager FIRED after unleashing tirade of abuse on customer who complained about getting the wrong sauce on her pizza
Grandfather of murdered McStay family says he would kill business partner of his son charged with slaughtering the four victims and burying them in a shallow desert grave
Teenager, 17, held on murder charges after newborn baby found dead and partially buried behind apartment building
Michelle Obama received jewelry from the queen of Brunei worth over $71,000...as annual report detailing diplomatic gifts given to the White Houst last year is revealed
George W. Bush reveals his disastrous blind date with Richard Nixon's daughter... and the pain of being told his little sister Robin had died
Two women camp out in front of Best Buy 22 DAYS before the Black Friday sales to ensure they are first in line
Four Amish relatives die in van crash after attending a funeral in an automobile hired because they aren't allowed to drive
World's biggest corn maze forced to downsize after scores of customers got lost after dark and had to call 911 for rescue

Down to five! Lea Thompson, 53, leaves Dancing With The Stars and finishes in sixth place after inspiring final performances

Published: 01:51 EST, 11 November 2014 | Updated: 13:48 EST, 11 November 2014

View
comments

Lea Thompson broke down in tears on Monday night as she finally blossomed in two stunning performances on Dancing With The stars.

But sadly for the Back To The Future star, they were also her last ones as she was the latest celebrity sent home from the ABC dancing competition show.

The six remaining contestants were all told at the beginning of the quarter finals the shocking news that Tommy Chong, 76, was the first to be safe - despite scoring easily the lowest score of those remaining last week, and consistently scoring low.

Scroll down for video

End of the line: Lea Thompson was eliminated on Monday night from Dancing With The Stars despite two of her best performances and finished in sixth place

As she stood up against Duck Dynasty star Sadie Robertson as the final two to learn their fates, Lea looked resigned to her elimination as she awaited the official announcement.

'I just feel really great - great in my body, I feel strong, and I'm anxious to get back to my day job on Switched At Birth,' the actress said referencing her ABC Family show after being told she was eliminated.

Turning to her dance pro Artem Chigvintsev, she added: 'I love this man. He's a new pro here and I think he did a great job with me.'

Raised her game: Lea was praised by the judges for her renewed level of confidence

The sadness was exacerbated by the fact her two performances - a Samba to Maroon 5's Animals and then a trio dance where Henry Byalikov helped her make what she called 'a hottie sandwich' - were easily her best of the season.

'I love to see a renewed level of confidence,' Bruno Tonioli had told the actress best known as Lorraine McFly in the Back To The Future movies. 'You've got it my darling - don't doubt it, work it!'

And when Carrie Ann Inaba said she looked 'amazing in your tiger outfit, girlfriend' after her first dance, Lea excitedly shouted how she was '53!'

Working it: Lea took her dancing up a notch on her final night on the show

Before her elimination, she choked back tears as she told co-host Erin Andrews her inspiration for entering the competition.

'I wanted to challenge myself - I wanted to do something different and hard and scary and I wanted to inspire myself and maybe some other mums out there,' she said.

Her voice cracking, she added: 'Even if you're 40 or 53 or 60, you can still try something new. You can fail, you can get back up - and you can still be strong and sexy and vulnerable.'

Lea Thompson reflects on DWTS experience

Inspiring performance: Lea inspired herself and other mums out there

The biggest shock of the night came at the beginning when Tommy was announced as the first celebrity safely through to the semi-finals, despite scoring dramatically lower than everyone else still in the running.

And no one was more shocked than his pro partner Peta Murgatroyd who let out a scream of surprise and fell to her knees, then covering her heart in shock.

'Can we get Peta some oxygen?' Erin joked.

Still going: Peta Murgatroyd screamed when she learned that she and partner Tommy Chong had advanced to the semi-finals

Later, Peta admitted: 'Honestly, I thought I would be out week one or week two.'

Tommy dedicated 'all my success and my triumphs' to his wife Shelby in the audience.

He admitted they also assumed he would be heading home from the show and making the rounds of TV appearances.

'We had our bags packed - we thought we were going to New York tonight,' he admitted.

Bags packed: Tommy admitted that his bags were packed as he expected to be eliminated

Judge Len Goodman said the fact that Tommy was the oldest contestant to advance this far was a real cause for celebration.

'From one old geezer to another old geezer - you are my hero,' he told him.

He again scored easily the lowest - just 57 for both dances, 30 points less than the two leaders - but again had the judges praising his star power.

'That was just good entertainment,' Carrie Ann said of his second dance. 'I don't care what was going on dance-wise - I just loved every second.'

Surprising contenders: Tommy and Peta were the first to make it through tot he semi-finals

Tommy - who found out his knee pain the previous week was caused by a cyst bursting - got the biggest praise for his trio dance where Peta and fellow Aussie pro Sharna Burgess dressed up as sexy air stewardesses for a routine they admitted was 'every man's fantasy'.

'You've got the look of the man who INVENTED the Mile high Club,' Bruno joked. 'I'm not sure about the samba but the service was first class.'

Len, meanwhile, joked: 'Well I fly back to London after tonight and I'm changing my ticket to Chong Air, I tell ya.'

Erin asked Tommy, 'How was it for you?'

Tommy had everyone covering their faces and blushing as he quipped: 'It was very, very hard.'

In-flight fantasy: Tommy performed with Peta and Sharna Burgess dresses as sexy flight attendants

The leaderboard at the end of the quarter final appeared to accurately reflect the favorites for the contest - with Alfonso Ribeiro and Janel Parrish both coming top with 77.

But they were dealt a surprising warning by Sadie who got her first perfect 40 for her second dance - despite tearfully admitting she forgot the ending and had to make it up.

'A star is born!' Carrie Ann told her excitedly, while Len said: 'I wish I had an 11 paddle.'

Perfect score: Sadie Robertson earned a perfect score for her trio dance with pro partner Mark Ballas and Emma Slater

Sadie had admitted to Tom before the judges' remarks that she had forgotten the ending to the dance - a trio performance with her pro partner Mark Ballas and Emma Slater - but clearly she was the only one who cared.

'You know they're doing well when they're harsher judges than the judges,' Tom joked afterwards.

Alfonso also got a perfect 40 for his trio dance, where Lindsay Arnold joined him and his dance pro Witney Carson for a paso doble to the odd soundtrack of Turn Down For What by DJ Snake and Lil Jon.

Nobody noticed: Sadie admitted she forgot the end of her dance but the judges didn't seem to mind

'Two syllables: day-um!' Carrie Ann joked. 'That was insane.'

Julianne Hough, meanwhile, screamed: 'Nailed it!'

'That was amazing. Unbelievable. The Matrix has nothing on y'all,' she added.

'I can't say I was a fan of the song,' Len said, turning his nose up. 'But I was a real fan of that paso doble.'

Nailed it: Alfonso Ribeiro and his pro partner Witney Carson nailed their trio dance with Lindsay Arnold

The scoring was a step-up from Alfonso's first dance, a foxtrot to Ain't That A Kick In The Head by Robbie Williams that got three 9s and one 10.

'Alfonso Astaire and the blonde bombshell!' Bruno said excitedly. 'You really managed to channel the sophistication of a gone-by era but still managed to throw in these wonderful Justin Bieber touches. It just kills me! I thought it was brilliant.'

Carrie Ann, however, was booed by the crowd while saying she 'wanted something to grab me and pull me in'.

Team to beat: Alfonso and Witney have been considered the team to beat since the start of the season

Although she could not match her previous week's perfect 40, Janel Parrish equalled Alfonso's total score for the night by getting two 10s in her first dance and three in the second, a salsa tribal dance with Keo Motsepe joining her and her pro partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy.

That dance would perhaps have got the perfect 40 but for Len's complaints that there was not enough salsa content.

'You're a superstar,' Carrie Ann assured Janel. 'I watch you and I feel that you have star quality like Beyonce and all those people.

She's a superstar: Janel Parrish scored high marks for her tribal dance with pro partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy and Keo Motsepe

'It was fearless, flawless, and you're a friggin' formidable opponent.'

Their first dance, a quick step, had Val embarrassed as he insisted he 'messed up' as his shoes stuck together and he stumbled slightly.

'You're still really cute and I got a kiss so it's all good,' Janel assured him, referring to a long kiss at the end of their performance that had the audience going wild.

'I would have given the kiss at the end a 15,' Erin teased them later.

Top team: Janel showed she's capable of winning the show's coveted mirror ball trophy

Coming just below them with a combined 74 - a point above Sadie - was Bethany Mota who got all 9s for her first dance and then two 10s to go with 9s in the trio dance, a tango with Tony Dovolani.

'It's like if Mad Max had choreographed an Argentine Tango this is what it would have looked like,' Bruno said.

Julianne also praised her performance and told her: 'You just freakin' owned those guys! Fierce!'

Fierce performance: Bethany Moto scored high marks for her trio dance with pro partner Derek Hough and Tony Dovolani

Tony, however, seemed more excited to have worked with Derek, saying, 'Bethany, I love you baby but it was such a pleasure dancing with you' as he gave Derek a big hug.

Bruno called her first dance, a Viennese waltz to Jessie Ware's Say You Love Me, 'lyrical, fluid, flowing and honestly emotive' while Carrie Ann called it 'absolutely stunning.'

'I wasn't totally transported to old Vienna, but I was close - I was in Austria,' Len joked. 'I thought it was fabulous.'