In the end, it’s no longer enough for the big finale: The influencer Ann-Kathrin Bendixen has been eliminated from the RTL dance show “Let’s Dance”. The 24-year-old and her dance partner Valentin Lusin received the fewest votes from the jury and audience. After three dances and a shaking match next to presenter Jana Wosnitza, Bendixen finally had to leave the show.
It was the influencer’s second elimination: she had to vacate the dance floor after the eighth show. Since comedian Tony Bauer ended his participation in the season for health reasons, Bendixen was able to celebrate her comeback in show nine and remained among the candidates until the eleventh show.
Jury praises the influencer’s dance development
In the semi-finals, each dance couple first showed two choreographies on the dance floor. After the jury’s evaluation, the motorcycle world traveler was already some way behind her competitors. She received 20 out of 30 points for her paso doble to “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” by Santa Esmeralda. The slow waltz to “Against All Odds” by Phil Collins was worth 23 points to the jury.
However, juror Motsi Mabuse praised the influencer’s hard work. Even before the show started, she practiced the waltz steps backstage. “You never gave up. Be proud of yourself,” Mabuse said. Chief judge Joachim Llambi also noted an improvement compared to the previous week. “You were radiant, you looked good in the arm,” he said.
In the past few weeks, Bendixen has had a bumpy journey on “Let’s Dance”. The jury placed her jive in the first live show at the bottom of the field with seven points. In the fourth show she had to compete with a new dance partner – since Lusin did not take part in the show due to the birth of his child, professional Mikael Tatarkin went on the dance floor with her instead.
Gabriel Kelly shines at “Impro Dance”
One of the highlights of each season had to be mastered again on Friday: the improvisation dance, this year titled “Impro Dance Even More Extreme 2.0”. This time the dancing couples had to improvise not just one, but two dances. They were given just 30 seconds to prepare the 80-second performance.
Singer Gabriel Kelly was particularly able to shine in this task. The 22-year-old, who has often been praised for his musicality and rhythm this season, danced a “fusion dance” of rumba and samba with partner Malika Dzumaev. The reward was not only a standing ovation and shouts of “encore,” but also a full 30 points from the jury.
For Kelly it was the end of a very successful dance evening: he had previously received 29 points for his slow waltz and 30 points for the Charleston. After the singer’s second appearance, head judge Llambi even presented the entire box of judging ladles with the words “Pick something!” on the table. It is possible that the 59-year-old also wanted to appease the studio audience with the gesture – the fact that the strict juror had not raised the ten-point bar for Kelly in the first round had triggered loud boos in the hall.
Finale with three dances
Choreographer Detlef D! Soost was also pleased with the high overall score in the show – with 87 points after three dances, he was only just behind the son of musician Angelo Kelly. The highest score of the evening went to head judge Llambi. In honor of his 200th “Let’s Dance” show, he received a large cake. On it was a golden scoring trowel with the number 200.
In the final next Friday (May 24th, 8:15 p.m.), the three remaining dance couples will face three more challenges: the jury will choose one dance, they can choose one themselves, and finally they have to perform a freestyle.
