The latest elimination round of Dancing With The Stars Season 20 caught everyone offguard as one of the highest scorers in the competition was sent home. In what could only be described as a dramatic evening, Willow Shields and pro partner Mark Ballas were eliminated from the dancing contest, according to Access Hollywood.
Scoring a 39 out of 40 for their futuristic ninja-inspired performance, both Ballas and Shields were in utter disbelief when they were told they had been eliminated from the competition. The duo were accompanied by two other pairs who also achieved high scores in their past performances: Rumer Willis with pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy and Riker Lynch and pro Allison Holker. While this may seem like a close race to some, Shields had admitted to have already gotten an inkling of how the night could possibly end.
"Once I knew Chris [Soules] and Witney [Carson] were safe, I knew I was going home," the 14-year-old Hunger Games actress revealed. Despite being fully aware of the possibilities, Shields still disclosed that her departure from the show "was a bit of a shocker."
For his part, Ballas took the shocking with his head held high. "It is what it is," he said, attempting to speak for both himself and Shields, who had been distraught at that point. "I just want to, first of all, just say a big thank you to Willow for being the most incredible partner," the pro went on to say while comforting his young partner.
"I think she's shown incredible improvement from Day 1, taking risks," he shared. "She's only 14, guys," he continued, reminding everyone of Shields' feat at such a young age. "She's out there dancing, keeping up with everybody. Thank you again," Ballas added.
The pro ended his speech by saying, "It's been a hell of a ride. I couldn't be more proud."
Meanwhile, Shields shared that she "had such an incredible night doing the ninja routine [with Mark]." Apart from enjoying their number, the duo even got top scores from the judges for their number. Hence, it was understandable for the actress to say,"It's hard to have had happen."
"It was shocking. I got really upset," she said, referring to her reaction during the announcement. "The only reason I got upset is because I've loved my experience and didn't' really want it to end," she added.
