Of course, Amendola stopped the show with another big outing, totaling 28 (10, 9, 9). He’s been on fire lately, tying for the highest score in each of the last two weeks through Tuesday. Howard and Nedoroscik also scored exactly the same and received the adulation they deserved. Nedoroscik in particular has been a fan favorite here, just as he was during the Summer Olympics.

The next part of the night began with the dance section, in which six of the seven remaining duos were paired up in a competition. Winners received bonus points before final voting and eliminations occurred.

That night, Howard was a big winner, with him and his professional partner Daniella Karagach dancing the cha-cha to Ray Parker Jr.’s “Ghostbusters,” defeating Maher and Alan Bersten.

Nedoroscik (with Rylee Arnold) did not emerge victorious in her dance contest and fell to Jenn Tran. They danced salsa to Harry Belafonte’s “Jump in the Line.”

Incredibly, Amendola came up short in their dance duel, losing to Graziadei.

Closing out the night was an elimination and it was a tough decision given how well everyone performed.

Knocking anyone out at this stage is difficult. Generally speaking, it’s clear who the least talented dancers are from the beginning, but the middle stages show some fierce competitors who are victims of a numbers game.

In the end, Tran was eliminated, meaning all four athletes still remain. Eleven athletes have won the mirror ball trophy and it is very possible that we will see 12.

However, there remain six in total, who will return to action in two weeks, with a break next Tuesday for election night. Tuesday, November 12 will be the 500th episode of the series.