After the final four competed in the semi-finals of ABC's hit show on Monday night, Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas ended up atop the leader board with the highest score while Ralph Macchio and Karina Smirnoff earned the lowest.But the fans have saved Macchio and Smirnoff before – so were they sent packing on Tuesday night's elimination? Or was it Hines Ward and Kim Johnson or Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy who said goodbye before next week's finale? Keep reading to find out ...
In the end, viewers won't get to see Ralph and Karina compete in the ballroom for that mirror-ball trophy. Maksim and Kirstie, who were in the bottom two, were safe. Chelsea and Mark and Hines and Kym were also safe and will dance in the finale on Monday night – with the season 12 champ being named on Tuesday.
"I will never forget how the fans have driven us through every week," Macchio said, following the announcement. "It inspired me. I would run here every Monday for us to present what we worked on."
He also thanked his partner. "Karina, you have inspired me in so many ways with your heart, your talent, your class, your integrity as an artist, and even more so as a human being," he told her. "I am proud to have been your dance partner and even more proud to be your friend."