While Monday night’s episode of Dancing With the Stars was initially set to feature a double elimination, following Jeannie Mai’s departure due to her epiglottitis diagnosis, only one pair got the boot. At the end of the episode, Skai Jackson and Chrishell Stause found themselves in the bottom two. After the judges, Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli, revealed who they wanted to save, Stause was ultimately sent home.
Before Monday’s episode, Mai and her partner, Brandon Armstrong, were forced to leave the competition after doctors diagnosed the Real co-host with epiglottitis. “My doctors discovered a health concern with my throat which requires immediate attention and surgery,” Mai revealed in a statement to Good Morning America. “I am heartbroken that my DWTS journey has to end here. I have pushed myself to new limits physically and mentally, and I am so proud of how far we’ve come.”
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Armstrong also addressed the news on Monday. The professional dancer took to Instagram to send his love to Mai as she navigates this diagnosis. “JEANNIE! I’m so sorry this happened to you! You don’t deserve it!” he wrote alongside the pair from Disney night. “Your journey on this show was so special so unique and so inspiring! I loved EVERY SINGLE WEEK that we got to go through this together! I hope I helped give you an experience that you’ll remember forever! We share a lot of good times, tough times and all the times in between but mainly, a lot of laughs! Mainly you laughing at me but hey I’ll take it! thank you for giving me such an amazing season! We will all be praying for a speedy recovery!”
Mai and Armstrong were initially due to perform a Charleston to “Shout” by the Isley Brothers. They were also expected to be a part of the Viennese Waltz relay group performance with Johnny Weir and Justina Machado. On the Oct. 26 episode of DWTS, which saw the celebrities performing Halloween-inspired routines, Mai and Armstrong found themselves in the bottom two alongside Cheer star Monica Aldama and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy. In the end, the judges decided that they wanted to keep Mai and Armstrong in the competition. But, unfortunately, as they revealed on Monday, the pair’s time on DWTS has subsequently been cut short.
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