Dancing with the Stars ended its latest episode on quite the shocking note as Spice Girl Melanie C, once a frontrunner, became the fifth contestant eliminated from the season.
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Mel was sent home due to a combination of the judges' saves, their scores, and the audience votes, along with her partner, professional Gleb Savchenko.
The duo ended up in the bottom two against Olivia Jade and Val Chmerkovskiy, with their fates in the hands of the judges, Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli, and head judge Len Goodman.
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In a split decision, Derek voted to save Olivia, while Carrie and Bruno picked Mel. It came down to Len, who opted to spare Olivia, a frontrunner as well, sending the British singer home
The episode ended on an emotional note as Mel became teary-eyed on the stage, with Olivia and the rest of the panel and contestants reacting with shock upon seeing two of the strongest pairs in the bottom.
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The Spice Girl and her partner performed the quickstep to You're The One That I Want and scored a strong 36 out of a possible 40, their highest of the season.
In their critiques, the judges praised Mel for overcoming her doubts and insecurities from rehearsal to let loose and have fun while also complimenting Gleb for his showmanship.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Spice Girl went home in a shocking elimination
Mel and Gleb had emerged as early favorites to win from week one, consistently scoring high with the judges as she earned praise for her natural ability as a dancer, powerful moves, and willingness to grow.
Even Derek reacted with shock at the circumstances that led to the elimination, exclaiming: "America, what have you done?" before casting his vote.
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The show marked week five as Grease Night, featuring performances from the film and musical Grease that saw several contestants embrace their more fun-loving sides and shine.
JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson ended the night on top of the leaderboard with the season's first perfect 40, followed closely by Amanda Kloots and Alan Bersten with a 39. Even previous bottom duo Kenya Moore and Brandon Armstrong rebounded with a solid 36.
© Photo: Getty ImagesMel and Gleb had emerged as favorites to win it all
On the other end of the spectrum, Iman Shumpert and Daniella Karagach ended the evening at the bottom of the leaderboard with a 28, the only pair not to receive an individual score of 8 or higher this week.
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