‘Dancing With the Stars’ 2014: Actress Lea Thompson Hangs Up Her Dancing Shoes in Week 9

— -- Actress Lea Thompson surprised the audience when she was voted off “Dancing With the Stars” Monday night just one week shy of the semifinals.

“It was a great night,” she said today on “Good Morning America” alongside her professional partner, Artem Chigvintsev. “We had really a great time. We were always laughing and having a great time, and he’s an amazing choreographer.”

“All because of you,” Chigvintsev added.

Thompson, 53, said she was proud of what she had accomplished on the show, including losing 10 pounds and getting back in shape.

“It was really great to feel like my body was my body again,” the actress explained. “I never worked out and I got so much stronger. I feel so much better than I’ve felt in 15 years. I’ve got to keep doing it.”

Each contestant had to perform two dances during Monday’s show. In the first dance, they performed with their pro partner to a style of dance, music and costume all chosen by viewers. In the second routine, they included a third dancer who was either an eliminated pro dancer or a member of the show’s troupe.

At the end of the night, Thompson and reality TV star Sadie Robertson were both in jeopardy of going home.

Thompson hugged Chigvintsev when she first learned of her elimination.

“I just feel really great … I feel strong and I’m anxious to get back to my day job on ‘Switched at Birth,’” she said, referring to the ABC Family series.

Since Thompson has improved throughout the season her exit came as a bit of a surprise, and there were some shouts of disbelief from the audience. Comedian Tommy Chong, who has struggled at or near the bottom of the leaderboard throughout the season, and his pro partner, Peta Murgatroyd, seemed surprised that they made it to the finals.

Janel Parrish and Valentin Chmerkovskiy won immunity after earning a perfect score for their contemporary routine on Nov. 3, so they were safe from elimination Monday night.Five others stars return on Nov. 17 to vie for a spot in the finals. This is the 19th season of program.

Lea Thompson:

The judges said they observed a greater level of confidence from Thompson when she performed her samba. “You’ve got it, my darling,” Tonioli told her, and Inaba agreed, telling her she looked amazing in her tiger-themed costume. Goodman thought it was “terrific,” telling Thompson she “put the ‘sin’ in syncopation,” and while Hough said the actress’ movements needed to be more grounded, she thought Thompson was “still fierce.” Thompson earned 34 points.

Bethany Mota: The YouTube star’s Viennese waltz impressed the judges, including Inaba, who said it was “absolutely stunning.” Hough called it “beautiful,” and Tonioli said it was “lyrical, fluid, flowing and honestly emotive.” Goodman added: “I wasn’t totally transported to Old Vienna, but I was close. I was in Austria.” Mota earned 36 points.

Sadie Robertson: Judges acknowledged that the routine choreographed for the “Duck Dynasty” star’s jive was tough, and they saw her struggle. Inaba said Robertson appeared to have trouble with the rapid kicks and flick in the first part of her routine, but she commended her for rallying in the second half. Goodman loved the dance content, and while he noted that the kicks and flicks could have been a little tighter, he said he thought the routine was terrific. Tonioli said Robertson was to be commended for even attempting such a difficult routine, and Hough said it wasn’t her favorite dance. Robertson earned 33 points.

Janel Parrish: Despite a small stumble from her pro partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, the actress’ quickstep earned rave reviews from the judges. Inaba and Hough believed it was the best performance of the night. Tonioli said that, apart from the “little mishap,” the routine was almost flawless. Goodman said the routine had all the key elements of a quickstep. Parrish earned 38 points.