There was a big shakeup on Dancing with the Stars tonight when Willow Shields and her partner, Mark Ballas were eliminated. After getting a total score of 39 on Week 7 , their elimination came as a huge surprise to just about everyone who was watching the ballroom dance competition on ABC.
Fans of “Team Markingjay” were clearly not happy when the 14-year-old Hunger Games actress was told she had to say goodbye to her DWTS castmates, and announced their disappointment on Twitter just seconds after host Tom Bergeron made the announcement.
“@tvtagDWTS: Was NOT expecting them to go home this week! #TeamMarkingJay #DWTS pic.twitter.com/oYgvZsCihs ” #BringBackTeamMarkingjay
— Chloe Przybylski (@chloeeele_) April 28, 2015
There would have been far less of a shock if low-scoring Noah Galloway or Chris Soules went home — both have been pegged as the “next to go” for the last few weeks. Apparently their fans’ votes kept them on the show, because Willow’s dancing was impressive, especially for a 14-year-old.
even all the judges thought #TeamMarkingjay was better. — Makaila Hawk? (@makaila_hawk) April 28, 2015
WHAT THE HECK? How did @WillowShields just get eliminated? I’m in shock. #TeamMarkingjay
— Amanda Cain (@amandajc92) April 28, 2015
I love @souleschris and @robertherjavec but @WillowShields and @MarkBallas were the best dance partners of all time. #TeamMarkingJay #dwts
— Jordan Holley (@J_Nicole167) April 28, 2015
@WillowShields was pretty much the only reason I watched @DancingABC so I guess I wont be watching anymore #TeamMarkingjay #dwtswillow
— JessieGirl (@D12KatandPeeta) April 28, 2015
Prior to being eliminated, Willow and Mark’s Futurist Jazz number earned them a score of 37. In the dance-off portion of the show, they earned another two points for their Salsa, beating out their competitors, Riker and Allison.
According to Buddy TV’s John Kubicek, Willow and Mark “didn’t have much voter support.” That is a bit surprising considering the outpouring of support they are getting on Twitter tonight, but perhaps her fans didn’t realize how important voting is. If they didn’t call in or vote online, then that contributed to the elimination.
“Wow, they tied for second last week, so they really didn’t have much voter support. This is the kind of thing that happens when the judges are too nice and second place is only 6 points ahead of last place, even with two scores. It’s a bit of a shock, but seeing as how I thought they were overscored and didn’t deserve that dance-off win, I can’t complain.”
Robert Herjavek and Chris Soules ended up at the bottom of the leaderboard on Monday night, both with a score of 31. Don’t be surprised if one or both of them leave next week (double elimination) — although both seem to be moving ahead with strong support from their fans, despite the fact that their dancing is just mediocre.
Tune in tomorrow night for the one-hour DWTS 10th Anniversary Special, starting at 8 p.m. — see a full cast lineup here . According to ABC, the live results show will return next week, with dancing scheduled for Monday, May 4, and a double elimination on May 5.
We you surprised to see Willow and Mark go home tonight?
[Image: ABC]