Judges Bruno Tonioli, Derek Hough and Carrie Ann Inaba then had to pick between Amanda and Suni, and since Amanda has had a better track record all season, they put her through to the finale. For her redemption dance, Melora and partner Artem Chigvintsev had performed a Rumba to “I Don’t Want To Wait” by Paula Cole, and they received a 10 from Len Goodman, but not the other judges, which lowered Melora’s score for the night as she ended up with a a 36. “It didn’t feel as if they were judging our performance from who we are, what we came from, and how we performed tonight,” she told reporters after the semifinals. “Instead, it felt as if they were almost making random choices. They said all these incredible things, but then the scores didn’t match the incredible comments they made, which was a bit disappointing and upsetting.” Melora and Artem both felt as if they danced 10s, and they received confirmation in their belief from the other pros, who complimented them on their dances. “All the pros came up to me and said they’ve never seen a female celebrity dance the Rumba that beautifully,” Melora continued. “The Rumba is a really hard dance to do. It’s very technical but it’s got to be very flowy and sensual at the same time that it is incredibly technical.” Artem, too, was puzzled by the fact that the females in the audience didn’t get behind Melora and vote for her, because a big portion of the core audience is women of a certain age. “It makes no sense in my mind why women her age would not get behind us and be like, ‘I don’t think I can do this and I’m just so happy someone’s doing it, so I’m going to go stand behind her and support her because that’s what’s going to make me maybe try things,’” Artem said. He also believes that she should have been judged on her age—54—and not compared to the 20somethings who were doing tricks and flips. “You have to give some kind of appreciation, respect,” he added. But it wasn’t all bad news. Melora lost 12 pounds without even trying on the Dancing with the Stars diet. “My body is looking incredible, according to my husband, and I feel great,” she said. “I think I’m at my body weight of 2008 when I was doing Chicago on Broadway. Luckily, I’ve been working out all my life, so there’s muscles showing through now, so that’s cool.” But her weight loss isn’t high on her list of what she will take away from the experience. “I gained so much from Artem, just the amazing dancing that he has made me do, helped me do, and helped me believe in and commit to and give in to,” she said. “Learning how to dance with a partner is so extraordinary. It’s unlike anything else. It’s a really fine line between learning to give in and be strong, but not rough, but not but not too soft. It’s such a very beautiful metaphor for life.” The Dancing with the Stars finale airs next Monday, Nov. 22 on ABC. Next, The Semi-Finals Are Here! Who Went Home on Dancing With the Stars Tonight?
