Heidi D'Amelio's Dancing With The Stars season 31 journey has come to an end, but it was so inspiring to watch that fans will remember it for years to come. The 50-year-old, who stars on The D'Amelio Show, a docuseries about her family, had a transformation during DWTS. Before the season began, Heidi thought about quitting the reality competition show, but she revealed that her daughter Charli convinced her to stay. Heidi and Charli made history as the first mother and daughter to compete against each other on DWTS. Although Heidi sometimes found herself in the bottom two, the judges, Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli, praised her for her technique and her attempts to be more vulnerable in her dances.
Heidi inspired people during her time on DWTS because she demonstrated how to push boundaries and get out of one's comfort zone. She admitted that she struggled with expressing her emotions through her dances, but she tried very hard each week to open up more. This allowed her to inch up the leaderboard every week. Heidi began the competition in the middle of the pack, scoring 24 points with Artem for their cha cha to "Lady Marmalade." They received a score of 6 from every judge. In week 2, they received 7s for their foxtrot to "Suspicious Minds," once again placing in the middle of the contestants. However, in week 3, Heidi's transformation began as she rose to fourth place behind the three couples tied for first, including her daughter Charli and Mark Ballas, with a score of 32. She and Artem received scores of 8 from every judge for their Argentine tango to "Another Way to Die."
Heidi D'Amelio Reached Second Place On Dancing With The Stars
Heidi's consistent improvement continued during DWTS Disney+ Week, when she and Artem earned their first 9s of the season and a score of 34 points for their Viennese waltz to "Chim Chim Cher-ee." Dressed as Mary Poppins and Bert, they brought magic to the ballroom and once again placed fourth. On Most Memorable Year Night, they moved up to third with their rumba to "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You (I Love You Baby)", receiving all 9s from the judges and 36 points. The following night, they slipped to fourth place with their Prom Night routine, a jazz dance to "Girls Just Want To Have Fun," combined with their Dance Marathon score. However, the following week, on DWTS Michael Bublé Night, they were in second place behind first place frontrunners Charli and Mark, for their samba to "It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera)." Although they fell to seventh place on both Halloween Night and '90s Night, Heidi and Artem had an incredible run on DWTS.
Heidi's DWTS journey is so inspiring because she showed what people can accomplish when they come out of their comfort zones and push themselves to be emotional and vulnerable. Her slow and steady rise up the leaderboard each week illustrated the heart and soul of DWTS. It was thrilling to watch her blossom into a dancer with the gentle and patient guidance of Artem. While it is always entertaining to watch competitors like Charli and Mark dazzle on the dance floor with their stunning routines, seeing someone improve like Heidi did and catch up to them was very exciting. It was also heartwarming to watch a mother and daughter support each other through the competition.
Heidi may have been eliminated from DWTS just before the semi-finals, but her time on the show will be remembered for a long time to come. Her hard work and dedication came through in every dance. Rather than let falling into the bottom two discourage her, Heidi used the experiences as fuel for her fire. Even when she felt like quitting, she persevered and created some beautiful works of art with Artem. Heidi was a true inspiration on DWTS season 31.
Dancing with the Stars streams Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on Disney+.