Irish TV personality Maura Higgins scored the first nine of the season on Dancing With The Stars as Ciara Miller suffered a shock elimination during week four.
Summer House star Ciara Miller and her professional dance partner Brian Armstrong were sent home at the end of Monday night's episode, which celebrated the music of pop icon Mariah Carey. The pair opened the broadcast with an energetic jazz routine performed to Carey's hit track Emotions inside a classroom set on the dance floor.
Miller was ready to land higher scores this week, and judge Derek Hough applauded the opening performance by labeling it "a great way to start the show." However, after heading upstairs to the sky box, Miller and Armstrong received three sevens from the judges for a total score of 21 out of 30.
When all the votes were in, Miller and Armstrong were among the last remaining three couples awaiting their fate on the show before it was announced that the duo would not be making it through to the next week.
Following their exit, Miller expressed that she was "so grateful" for her dance partner during her time on the series and called the experience a "moment of a lifetime."
Armstrong also reflected on their sudden departure from the competition. "Look, I think this competition really is about a journey," Armstrong said. "I'm super bummed because I think Ciara was one of those people getting better every single week, and I think it was noticeable. I think it was cut short, which is a bummer. But a lot of great competitors left, and I loved every second I had with her."
Fans jumped to social media platform X to share their thoughts upon learning of the elimination. One viewer wrote, "storming the ABC headquarters as we speak for ciara miller!!!!!" while another penned, "CIARA MILLER YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAMOUS TO ME," and a third added, "CIARA MILLER I WILL AVENGE YOU."
Maura Higgins Earns Milestone Score
Irish TV personality Maura Higgins took to the dance floor with partner Mark Ballas for a waltz to Carey's song If It's Over. The performance earned widespread applause from the judges.
Carrie Ann Inaba gushed that the dance took her to "another world," while Derek Hough praised the routine as "a classic waltz" with "no gimmicks." Along with two eights from the judges, Higgins and Ballas received a nine, marking the first nine of the season thus far.
Dancing With The Stars is an American dance competition television series broadcast on ABC, pairing celebrities with professional ballroom dancers to perform routines for judge scores and viewer votes. Week four of the current season featured routines set entirely to the music of singer Mariah Carey.
High Scores and Ballroom Standouts
Paralympic gold medalist Ezra Frech was the second contestant to take to the floor, performing a rumba alongside partner Daniella Karagach to the track Anytime You Need A Friend.
The pair glided across the floor as the live audience cheered them on. Judge Bruno Tonioli noted the duo's "charisma" during the performance. After receiving triple eights for a score of 24 out of 30, Frech gushed that he was on "cloud nine."
Grey's Anatomy star Harry Shum Jr. brought fans to their feet as he danced the tango with partner Jenna Johnson in matching red ensembles to Carey's song It's Like That.
The performance received positive critiques from the trio of judges. Inaba called the routine "masterful and beautiful," while Hough told Shum Jr. that he liked seeing him take chances with his moves. Upon returning to the sky box, Shum Jr. and Johnson secured a score of 24 out of 30.
Step Up star Jenna Dewan joined pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy for a rumba to Carey's track My All. During their rehearsal, the pair had an emotional conversation as Dewan admitted to feeling "frustrated" by their previous week's scores.
Wearing a flowy silver dress with a corset bodice, Dewan garnered high praise from the judges. Hough stated, "All I have to say is, there she is. I feel like this is the first time I saw you in this competition." Both Dewan and Chmerkovskiy raked in eights across the board for a total score of 24 out of 30.
Personal Journeys and Growth
Tyler Cameron stepped onto the dance floor with partner Sharna Burgess for a foxtrot set to Beautiful. Rehearsal footage showed Cameron reflecting on his emotional journey on the show.
"I never would have thought dancing would make me feel so alive," Cameron stated. "I'm choked up talking about it cause I learned the hard ways how you can have everything you have going and just like that it can go away." He revealed that his mother passed away in 2022 due to a brain aneurysm, adding that Dancing With The Stars was a show she had dreamed of him joining.
Following their routine, the judges applauded Cameron for his improvement, with Inaba gushing that he appeared to be "another person" this week. Cameron and Burgess earned a score of 21 out of 30.
Baseball player Jackson Olson and partner Emma Slater performed a waltz to Without You. Olson, who celebrated his birthday this week, received praise from both Inaba and Hough, who called the dance "well done." Up in the sky box, Olson reflected on his incredible week and stated that his goal was always to improve each week. The pair scored 21 out of 30.
Olympic gold medalist Amber Glenn danced to Hero alongside partner Pasha Pashkov. Inaba told the figure skater that her movements were "powerful and divine," though she noted Glenn could still pull back a little. Hough commended their partnership on the dance floor, and the duo earned a score of 23 out of 30.
Jazz, Samba and Rumba Routines
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Tatyana Ali joined partner Jan Ravnik for a jazz routine to Fantasy. Hough told Ali he could see she was "blossoming" on stage, while Inaba suggested she could hit the moves a little harder in future weeks. Ali expressed that dancing on the show has been "liberating" for her, and the couple scored 20 out of 30.
Connor Wood and partner Rylee Arnold performed a rumba to Touch My Body. Following the energetic routine, Hough told Wood he was "stepping into that leading man" role on stage. The duo garnered a score of 19 out of 30.
Julia Stiles performed a Viennese waltz with partner Ezra Sosa during week four. The judges praised her "wonderful movement" and noted that "elegance and grace was there," with Inaba describing the dance as a "breakthrough." Stiles explained she was reminding herself to "enjoy the dance," and the pair scored 21 out of 30.
Guillermo Rodriguez paired with Witney Carson for an energetic samba to Obsessed. While the judges agreed his moves were not strictly those of a traditional samba, they noted it was "still a lot of fun" to watch. Inaba encouraged Rodriguez not to "dim your light" before the judges awarded the duo a score of 13 out of 30.
With the week four elimination complete, the 11 remaining couples will advance to next week's competition, which will feature a Super Bowl Night theme.
