Jenna Dewan exits Dancing With the Stars as Grammy Night sends five couples into semifinals

Actor Jenna Dewan and partner Val Chmerkovskiy were eliminated in the quarterfinals despite another strong performance on Dancing With the Stars.

The race for the Dancing With the Stars Season 35 Mirrorball Trophy tightened on Tuesday night as actor Jenna Dewan and professional partner Val Chmerkovskiy became the latest couple eliminated during the quarterfinals. The Grammy Night-themed episode featured two rounds of competition, celebrity music performances and dance-offs that narrowed the field to five semifinalists.

Actor Jenna Dewan and partner Val Chmerkovskiy were eliminated in the quarterfinals despite another strong performance. (AFP)

The quarterfinal episode featured seven celebrity contestants competing in both individual dances and dance-offs inspired by Grammy-winning artists. Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson finished the night atop the leaderboard. Paralympian Ezra Frech, Olympian Amber Glenn, reality television star Maura Higgins, comedian Connor Wood and actor Tatyana Ali also advanced to next week’s semifinals.

Dewan out despite professional dance background

Dewan who is a former professional dancer, was projected to reach the final.

Dewan’s elimination came despite another impressive outing after earning a perfect score the previous week. She performed a jazz routine to Janet Jackson’s All for You before winning her head-to-head dance-off. It was a full-circle moment for Dewan, who was a backup dancer in two of Jackson’s music videos and on the singer’s All For You Tour in the early years.

However, but viewers’ votes and judges’ scores ultimately were not enough to keep her in the competition.

"Dancing again, getting to share my joy with my family, who’s over here, every single night … I had a great time and I loved getting to share that with the world,” Dewan said moments after she was eliminated. “Honestly, all love.”

Harry Shum Jr. leads leaderboard on Grammy Night

Harry Shum Jr. continued his strong run after receiving immunity from the dance-offs for posting the highest cumulative score entering the week.

The Glee actor performed an emotional salsa to Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ Die With A Smile. The routine earned 29 out of 30, the highest individual score of the evening.

Amber Glenn followed closely with 28 points for a paso doble to Evanescence’s Bring Me to Life. The Olympic figure skater later defeated Ezra Frech in a rumba dance-off.

Frech and partner Daniella Karagach scored 27 for their Argentine tango to Beyoncé’s Crazy in Love (Remix).

Reality television personality Maura Higgins also collected 27 points even after performing with a painful rib injury. Her Argentine tango to Sisqó’s Thong Song impressed the judges, with Carrie Ann Inaba calling it “a work of art.” Higgins later defeated Connor Wood in their dance-off to secure two bonus points.

Connor Wood received 27 points for his Argentine tango to Justin Timberlake’s SexyBack.