Stephani Sosa Eliminated in Episode 4

Episode 4 of Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro was a double elimination. The remaining eight contestants were split into four male/female pairs to put their chemistry to the test. With Jenna Johnson as this week’s guest mentor/coach, the couples had to show their passion through dancing the rumba or Argentine tango.

The pairs were chosen during rehearsals. The women had to select which male dancer they felt they had the most chemistry with. Selena Hamilton picked Erik Linder and Adele Zaikman chose AJ Pritchard, but both Stephani Sosa and Nina Mayster selected Allen Genkin, leaving Tristen Sanders without a partner.

Allen got to pick which of the women he wanted to dance with, and since he has history with Nina, he chose her. Stephani then got to make another selection, and she picked her pal Tristen. He didn’t hide that he was upset she didn’t pick him first, but they were able to work through the awkwardness during rehearsals.

Below, see what the judges had to say about each of the routines and find out which pair was eliminated at the end of the night.

AJ Pritchard and Adele Zaikman

AJ and Adele were up first with a passionate rumba. Shirley Ballas praised Adele, telling her, “You are a superstar in my book. Your chemistry skills are off the chart. You come in here and it’s all of you.”

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However, she worried that for AJ, finding that chemistry on the dance floor “is a little bit new.” She urged him, “You don’t need to be so formed. I would’ve liked to see you rip your shirt open, maybe. … I want to see you just dig a little more deep.”

Johnson thanked the duo for “being so receptive” to the feedback she gave them in rehearsal, and Mark Ballas said, “The beginning was a little bumpy for me. The entrances and exits were a little wobbly. However, when you danced the rumba, it was great from both of you.”

Erik Linder and Selena Hamilton

Erik and Selena performed an Argentine tango that left Shirley blushing. “I am speechless,” Jenna said. “Erik … who are you? I want to dance with you. That is a lesson on what a beautifully chemistry-filled piece should look like. I am a little hot over here.”

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After Selena found herself in the bottom two last week, Mark said this dance was a “redemption” for her. “This is what hunger looks like,” he added. “Erik, when you dance like that, it tells me you’re ready.”

Shirley gave the pair a standing ovation. “In my 50 years of teaching, I’ve never seen anything quite like that,” she admitted. “That number could be on Dancing With the Stars tomorrow. That’s how good it was.” She also called Erik a “new frontrunner” in the competition.

Stephani Sosa and Tristen Sanders

Tristen has been getting more critiques than anyone throughout the season, so a lot was riding on his and Stephani’s rumba. Unfortunately, it fell a bit flat for the judges.

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“I just wish there’d been a couple moments of stillness so those explosive moments hit a little harder for me,” Mark explained. “I know this was a fight for you guys to get it together and come back stronger than the last round you had, but there were moments I was just in and out of the chemistry.”

Shirley complimented the pair’s choreography, but admitted there was too much going on in the routine. “You are quality dancers, I’ll give you that, but we are on Week 4 now and we’re expecting a lot,” Shirley admitted. “I want to bring in the technique, the storytelling, the group things that you learned … and the chemistry. It’s something you feel when you watch and for me, I didn’t quite feel it.”

Johnson called Stephani a “gorgeous dancer,” but said she felt there was a “slight fire missing” in her performance. “You are so capable. Get out of your own way,” she urged. “You are so stunning and I want you to own that. Tristen, I love that you really performed with your heart. I do wish there was more breath, more moments of just staring at each other. But I love your fight.”

Nina Mayster and Allen Genkin

For the final number of the night, Nina and Allen danced an Argentine tango, although Shirley criticized them for not having enough Argentine tango steps in the routine. “I would have liked to see the passionate moments in the Argentine tango where you get together, but whatever you executed today was very good,” she added.

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Mark argued that it’s OK to throw the rulebook out sometimes, and said it worked in this case because it was Nina’s best dance. He praised Allen for being a “great partner” to Nina, who struggled in previous weeks.

Jenna, meanwhile, gushed, “We asked for spice, for passion … Nina, when you walked around him in the beginning and you just found his face and did those swivels? Girl, I was captivated. I loved it!”

Shirley and Mark continued to go back and forth over whether the lack of Argentine tango in the dance would affect the pair, and it’s something they’ll clearly never see eye-to-eye on.

Who went home on The Next Pro Episode 4?

The two couples in jeopardy at the end of the night were Tristen/Stephani and Allen/Nina.

Shirley explained, “Allen and Nina, because you went all the way out of the realm of the dance, I don’t know if you’d be able to teach it. You didn’t show me enough skills for Argentine tango.” Mark added, “I want to be clear there were no poor performances tonight. You all did really, really well. Stephani and Tristen, you just overloaded. You had to edit a little bit more.”

It was Stephani and Tristen who were sent home, though, in the double elimination.

Stephani, a former DWTS troupe member, admitted that she was ready to “close the chapter” on Dancing With the Stars, but said, “I’m never going to let myself get in my head again. I’m never letting that fire dim.”

Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro, Mondays, 8/7c, ABC