PHOTOSVictoria Arlen Is Consoled By Val As She Breaks Down Following 'DWTS' Elimination
Nov. 14 2017, Updated 2:42 p.m. ET
Dancing With the Stars contestant Victoria Arlen, who was a fan favorite, was sent home last night during the semifinals, and everyone was disappointed to see her go. The Paralympian moved fans of the dance competition and all over the world for the past nine weeks, after sharing that she developed rare conditions at the age of 11 which impaired her ability to eat, speak, walk, and even move. She relearned how to walk in 2016, after being paralyzed from the waist down, making her time on DWTS even more remarkable.
The 23-year-old could not hold back tears after learning she was eliminated, and immediately hugged her dance partner, Val Chmerkovskiy before receiving a standing ovation from the audience.
Ironically, Victoria received her first 10s from judges Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli during her final dance, in which she and Val did a recreation of season 17 winners Derek Hough and Amber Riley’s Charleston to “Bang Bang” by will. i. am.
While holding Victoria after the elimination, Val told her, “Be proud of yourself, there’s nothing to be upset about. So proud of you.”
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And on Tuesday, Val spoke highly of Victoria on Good Morning America. “With every challenge is a great opportunity, I'm so grateful that the show trusted me with this incredible young woman and I got to tell her story.”
Victoria called the elimination “devastating,” though she added, “last night couldn't have gone greater until the end, but I'm really proud of what we achieved and the fact we did get those 10s.” The finals air next Monday on ABC, with four couples remaining in the hopes of winning the coveted Mirror Trophy.
Were you surprised to see Victoria go? Let us know in the comments section.
