‘Dancing With the Stars’: AJ McLean Eliminated, and Backstreet Boys Fans Can’t Believe It

As the season progresses, the contestants on Dancing With the Stars find themselves getting closer and closer to the Mirror Ball trophy. At the end of Monday’s episode, one pair saw their hopes come to an end as the field got narrowed down to just six couples.

A week removed from an eventual double elimination that turned out to be one couple being voted off and another needing to step away from the show for medical reasons, Monday saw A.J. McLean and Cheryl Burke join Johnny Weir and Britt Stewart in the bottom two of the fan voting. Thanks to the judges, namely Carrie Ann Inaba, who broke the tie, Weir and Stewart were saved from elimination, leaving McLean and Burke as the ones heading home. This decision comes after the two recorded the lowest score of the evening, a 23 for their Viennese waltz to “Somebody to Love” by Queen.

As McLean and Burke pack up, the competition only intensifies with just six couples remaining, all of whom have a legitimate shot at being the last pair standing. With the Backstreet Boys member no longer competing, viewers were quick to express their disappointment with the decision to send McLean home. Here are some of the most notable reactions that poured in immediately after judges made their decision.

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When McLean was announced as one of the celebrities to be joining the show, many fans of The Backstreet Boys were quick to express their excitement, many of which solely tuned in to watch him and Burke compete. It’s no surprise that with his departure, fans of his are tapping out from the show. 

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Backstreet Boys fans were all over social media after the decision to send McLean home. Inaba was the one who broke the tie in favor of Weir with Len Goodman also voting to keep the former figure skater. Derek Hough was the only one who wanted to keep McLean. 

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For McLean, he entered the competition with a serious fan base thanks to the uber-success of the Backstreet Boys in the late 90s and early 2000s. The band has continued to put together new music, recently putting out their ninth studio album in 2019. 

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As the judges faces showed, the bottom two for Monday’s episode came as a complete surprise, although when it comes down to just seven pairs dancing, there’s always going to be some tough cuts. Weir and McLean have put together some really impressive performances this season so it was definitely a shocker to see both of them in risk of going home. 

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With it being such a surprise, some fans pulled out a reference to the presidential election. With Donald Trump calling for a recount in multiple states, upset viewers are advising ABC to do the same. 

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Many viewers felt that Monday was going to be the night another popular singer was going to be eliminated. Out of the remaining contestants, Nelly and Daniella Karagach have been among the lowest scorers, in fact only netting a 24 in the latest round while two other pairs recorded a perfect score. 

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Dancing With the Stars will continue to dwindle the playing field next Monday. Season 29, which began in September, is scheduled to wrap up at the end of November.