‘DWTS’ Spoilers: Marilu And Derek Going Home Next? ‘We’re Staying Positive’ Says Six-Time Mirrorball Champ

Derek Hough has won a record six seasons of Dancing with the Stars, but his luck may run out on Monday night, one week before the Season 23 semi-finals. Derek and his celebrity partner, Marilu Henner, have been at the bottom of the leaderboard for the past two weeks, prompting speculation that they may be up for elimination on November 7.

After their Halloween Night performance last Monday night, judge Carrie Ann Inaba told Marilu and Derek that there were “a lot of missteps” in their Argentine Tango, and Bruno agreed that Marilu was holding herself back. Although their score of 23 (7-8-8) wasn’t terrible, it put them in last place on Week 8 — votes from fans may be the only way to get them through this week and on to the finals.

In his TV Guide blog, Derek expressed his disappointment over the rehearsal segment that aired before their Halloween Night performance last week. Instead of focusing on Marilu’s on-going foot injury and a “heart-to-heart” Derek had with her, ABC aired a conversation that made their partnership look “tense and uncomfortable.”

“Marilu’s foot injury was glossed over the past two weeks,” Derek wrote in his blog. “When she asked for more rehearsal time in Monday’s package and I said we didn’t need it, it came off like I was dismissing her and didn’t care, which is far from it. That quote was taken out of context; I was reassuring her that we had already put in a lot of hours, so she shouldn’t worry.”

Although Buddy TV’s John Kubicek says that Marilu and Derek “are likely to be in danger of elimination” on Monday night, Hough isn’t letting a few low-scoring weeks get him down and is staying positive about #TeamHennergy.

“I’m looking ahead, and we’re staying positive and keeping it positive. None of this changes the fact that I’m still giving 100 percent to Marilu so that she gets everything she can out of this experience. I want Marilu to have a great time and I want her to have a fantastic experience.”

On Monday night’s show, dubbed “Showstoppers Night” by ABC, Marilu and Derek will perform a Samba to “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night),” originally by the Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, and the closing song to the musical Jersey Boys, recently performed by former DWTS pro, Mark Ballas.

Excited to have @MarkBallas perform with the Jersey Boys on Monday's #DWTS! pic.twitter.com/rtRFRfDlFM

— Dancing with the Stars #DWTS (@officialdwts) November 5, 2016

After the Week 9 individual dances, the celebrities will break off into teams for the Team-Up challenge, so Marilu won’t have Derek by her side for this round. According to ABC, James and Calvin will dance a Paso Doble; Jana and Laurie perform a Contemporary dance, and Terra and Marilu will do a Jazz routine.

However, no matter how well Marilu performs on Monday night — whether it be with Derek dancing the Samba, or with Terra doing their Team-Up Jazz dance — it’s the judges scores combined with fans’ votes from last week that will determine if they will go home or move on to the Dancing with the Stars semi-finals that will air on November 14.

I can't even handle Derek's face in this ???? @derekhough @TheRealMarilu @DancingABC #TeamHennergy #DerekHough #MariluHenner #DWTS pic.twitter.com/jY2MhcWb09

— Courtney Rice (@Courtney_Rice95) October 30, 2016

Will Marilu Henner and Derek Hough get eliminated on Week 9 or will the votes from their fans give them an opportunity to move on to the semi-finals? Tune in to watch Dancing with the Stars at 8 p.m. ET on November 7 to find out if they will dance their last dance on Monday night.

While you wait for the show to air on Monday, here’s a look at the songs and dance styles the six remaining couples will perform on “Showstoppers Night.”

Week 9 Couples’ Dances

• Marilu Henner and Derek Hough: “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” (Samba)
• Laurie Hernandez and Val Chmerkovskiy: “Cell Block Tango” (Argentine Tango)
• James Hinchcliffe and Sharna Burgess: “A Brand New Day” (Jazz)
• Calvin Johnson and Lindsay Arnold: “Memory” (Waltz)
• Terra Jole and Sasha Farber: “If My Friends Could See Me Now” (Charleston)
• Jana Kramer and Gleb Savchenko: “She Used to Be Mine” (Waltz)

Team-Up Challenge

• James and Sharna with Calvin and Lindsay: “No Good” (Paso Doble)
• Jana and Gleb with Laurie and Val: “Bird Set Free” (Contemporary)
• Marilu and Derek with Terra and Sasha: “Big Noise from Winnetka” (Jazz)

[Featured Image by Eric McCandless/ABC]