‘Dancing With the Stars’: Trevor Donovan Tears up After Moving Performance

Monday night’s Halloween-themed episode of Dancing With the Stars was as emotional as it was spooky. That was especially the case for Trevor Donovan, who teared up following his performance with pro Emma Slater. Donovan and Slater performed a contemporary routine set to Justin Bieber’s “Ghost.”

After being in the bottom two for the past two weeks, Donovan finally received high praise from the judges for his latest routine. Carrie Ann Inaba even said that she was able to connect to his performance on an emotional level because of how much passion Donovan put into the routine. When he and Slater were sent to talk to co-host Alfonso Ribeiro as they received their scores, Donovan opened up about why this performance in particular meant so much to him. He explained that he’s recently lost some people who were close to him and that this routine made him think of them. He got choked up before he could finish his comment, prompting Slater to give him a hug. In the end, Donovan received his highest score yet for this routine, earning a 39 out of 40.

Following the episode, Donovan and Slater spoke to Us Weekly about their latest breakthrough. The pair also discussed the bond that they share on the dancefloor, with Slater saying, “I was thinking about this the other day. … We’ve really got to, like, a really comfortable [place]. This week, we laughed a lot. I think I laughed a lot at [his], like, facial expressions.” The professional dancer continued (as Donovan laughed), “Trevor was, like, getting really into the character. And obviously, this is what he does for a living so that bit — he enjoyed that. He was really into it.”

Just as the judges’ scores reflected, Donovan has made a great deal of progress since the start of the competition. Of course, Slater recognizes this growth and is incredibly “proud” of her celebrity partner. She said, “When I look at him and I dance with him, I have moments now of being super proud of what he’s achieving and, like, seeing his body position and then seeing the commitment in his face. I just, like, smile and he looks at me like, ‘What are you smiling at?’ And I’m like, ‘I’m just looking at you, like, killing it.’ I’m just so proud.”