‘Dancing With the Stars’: Monica Aldama Reacts to Her and Partner Val Chmerkovskiy’s Elimination

Monday night’s all-new episode of Dancing With the Stars saw yet another quest for the much-wanted Mirrorball Trophy cut short. As the celebrities and their pro dancers took the pre-Halloween dance floor for Villains Night, Cheer‘s Monica Aldama and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy earned a spot in the ill-fated bottom two, their dance routine ultimately resulting in their elimination.

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight just after being scared straight out of the competition, the dancing duo expressed their disappointment over their elimination. Noting that they were “in the bottom two, two weeks ago,” Aldama said she “really mentally prepared myself for whatever happens, because I definitely didn’t want to be disappointed.” Chmerkovskiy, meanwhile, admitted that Monday night “didn’t go according to plan, and it doesn’t always go according to plan.” He added that their seven-week stint on DWTS had “been a lot of fun, and any time it ends on this type of note it’s gonna sting. But it’s a great thing because we had a great performance.”

During Monday night’s episode, Aldama and Chmerkovskiy performed a jazz routine to Beyonce’s “Fever” inspired by Nurse Ratched, though the performance did little to win over the judges. Judge Bruno Tonioli said that he “didn’t get a fever” from the performance, giving the pair a score of 7 out of 10 points. In total, Aldama and Chmerkovskiy earned a 22 out of 30, the night’s lowest score and one that landed them in the bottom two alongside The Talk co-host Jeannie Mai and Brandon Armstrong, who received a 25 out of 30 for their paso doble to “Maneater” by Nelly Furtado inspired by Anthony Hopkins’ Silence of the Lambs. While judge Derek Hough saved Aldama and Chmerkovskiy, both Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba chose to save Mai and Armstrong, sending Aldama and Chmerkovskiy packing.

Despite the early end to their time on the series, the duo expressed their gratitude for their time together, with Aldama telling ET, “I’ve had such a wonderful time here and I think Val and I were just hitting this perfect partnership.” Calling Chmerkovskiy “incredible,” she said that “he’s taught me way more than just dance.” The Cheer coach said that she will “miss him” and that “it’ll definitely feel a little weird tomorrow when I get up and I won’t be going to meet Val for rehearsals.”

So far this season, Vernon Davis, Jesse Metcalfe, Anne Heche, Carole Baskin, and Charles Oakley have also been eliminated. New episodes of Dancing With the Stars air Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Stay tuned to PopCulture.com for the latest updates.