Dancing With The Stars pro dancer, Val Chmerkovskiy admitted that his elimination from the competition along with his partner, Olivia Jade, “hurt a lot.” Although they were consistently at the top of the leaderboard, they did not receive enough votes from the audience to stay in the competition. During the double elimination, the duo was at the very bottom of the group, and therefore didn’t even qualify for the judges’ save, which had been used on them in Week 5 on Grease Night when they were in the Bottom 2 versus Melanie C. and her partner, Gleb Savchenko.
Val and Olivia impressed the judges each week with their elegant and entertaining dances. Olivia pleasantly surprised everyone, including Val, with her dancing talents and strong work ethic. In Week 7, on Queen Night, they earned their first perfect 10s from judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli for their quickstep. They also earned all of the judges’ bonus points during the relay foxtrot. On Janet Jackson Night, the night they were eliminated, they earned four 9s from the judges for their Argentine tango, but lost the dance-off rumba to JoJo Siwa and her partner and Val’s wife, Jenna Johnson. Even when things did not go their way, Val was Olivia Jade’s biggest cheerleader, consistently praising her and pushing her to be the best dancer she could be.
In a post on Instagram, Val expressed his sadness about their elimination and his gratitude for being paired with Olivia. He wrote, "This one hurt a lot. I’m mostly sad that it’s over. I had the time of my life this season. You were the perfect partner, teammate, homie, I got a world of love for you, I believe in you and I am grateful I got a chance to meet you and get to know you. You’re a true gem Olivia Jade. But this is only the beginning. Let’s keep dancing." Val and Olivia’s admiration and respect for each other was apparent in their pre-dance packages and the routines themselves, and this post confirms how much dancing with Olivia meant to Val. Olivia returned the love in the comments, writing, "Damn , love u bud (heart emoji) what a season!"
Val also thanked his fans and the show itself, writing, "Thank you to all the fans that voted and supported us. It really means a lot. To the show for trusting me, having me, and allowing me to do what I love. 'till I see you again." His fellow contestants responded with words of praise. Brandon Armstrong called them "goats," which stands for greatest of all time. Suni Lee posted shocked emojis, and wrote, "you both amaze me." Matt James offered support in the form of raised fist emojis, and Kenya Moore left a sad face emoji with a series of hearts.
Fans of Dancing With The Stars share in Val’s pain that comes from being eliminated too soon from the competition. If the rumors that this is his last season with the show are true, he will leave behind a legacy of amazing talent and strong leadership. Olivia was growing and changing every week with the guidance of Val, and this was turning into a beautiful redemption story for her after the college admissions scandal. Although they didn’t take home the Mirrorball Trophy, Val and Olivia should be proud of what they achieved. With his sensitive, caring, and understanding nature, Val helped Olivia rebuild her reputation and self-confidence, and that is the biggest and most important accomplishment of all.
Dancing With The Stars airs Mondays at 8pm ET on ABC.
Source: Val Chmerkovskiy/Instagram