‘Dancing With the Stars’ 2015: Social Media Star Hayes Grier Booted From Ballroom
Hayes Grier was voted off ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.”
— -- His social media status couldn’t save Hayes Grier from being eliminated from the competition tonight on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars."
Grier, 15, was the latest competitor to leave the dance floor on the show's season 21. The Vine star hugged his pro partner, Emma Slater, when he learned he was going home.
He, Alexa PenaVega, and Tamar Braxton had all been in jeopardy tonight. Elimination is based upon a combination of judges' scores and viewer votes, and the competitor with the lowest combined score is voted off.
The show's co-host, Tom Bergeron, told Grier that he was leaving on a night when he excelled. Grier called his fellow competitors "brilliant people," adding: "This has meant so much to me."
Seven remaining couples return on Monday to compete for their chance at the championships.
TV chef Paula Deen, singer Chaka Khan, Triple Crown champion jockey Victor Espinoza and actor Gary Busey have previously been eliminated. Reality TV star Kim Zolciak-Biermann was forced to withdraw from the competition due to health concerns.
Before the elimination was announced, the couples tonight each had to perform a Halloween-themed routine. They then split into two teams for a freestyle dance. Scores from that dance were added to each star's overall score for a night's grand total.
Tonight's top scorer: Bindi Irwin channeled a vampire queen for her individual paso doble and earned a perfect score. The judges raved about the performance, with Carrie Ann Inaba and Julianne Hough calling it Irwin's shining moment. Judge Bruno Tonioli was equally congratulatory, saying of the routine: "Apart from the fact that that was an Argentine tango master class ... it was spellbinding dance magic."
She shared a perfect score with Team Nightmare, the group comprising Nick Carter, Andy Grammer, Tamar Braxton and Hayes Grier. Their freestyle earned kudos from the judges and 30 points.
Tonight's standout moment: Team Nightmare's group stylish freestyle drew strong praise from the judges and a perfect score, but it also earned the unusual distinction of being the first Halloween show team dance to ever beat Derek Hough's team. Hough's team -– Team Who You Gonna Call -– earned 28 points. Even though judges praised the routine, Inaba and Tonioli said they spotted instances where dancers were not in sync.
Tonight's Scores (Individual dance out of a possible 30 points; freestyle dance. Total.)
Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough: 30; 28. Total: 58
Carlos PenaVega and Witney Carson: 28; 28. Total: 56
Andy Grammer and Allison Holker: 26; 30. Total: 56
Hayes Grier and Emma Slater: 26; 30. Total: 56
Alexa PenaVega and Mark Ballas: 27; 28. Total: 55
Nick Carter and Sharna Burgess: 24; 30. 54 Total:
Tamar Braxton and Val Chmerkovskiy: 24; 30. Total: 54
Alek Skarlatos and Lindsay Arnold: 25; 28. Total: 53