'Dancing With the Stars' Shock: Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy Eliminated in Grammy Night Quarterfinals

LOS ANGELES — Jenna Dewan and professional partner Val Chmerkovskiy were eliminated from "Dancing With the Stars" on Tuesday's Grammy Night quarterfinals. It was one of the most surprising exits of Season 35, because the couple had been among the competition's highest scorers for weeks.

The "Step Up" actress and Chmerkovskiy were sent home after receiving the lowest combined total of judges' scores and viewer votes. They finished in seventh place, one week before the semifinals.

The result stunned viewers because the pair had been one of the night's strongest performers. They earned 28 out of 30 from judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli for a jazz routine to Janet Jackson's "All For You." Jackson sent Dewan a video message wishing her luck. Dewan, who began her career as a backup dancer for Jackson, used the routine to pay tribute to her former boss.

The couple then won their Dance-Off, a cha-cha against Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik to a live performance of "The Middle" by Maren Morris. The win brought their total for the night to 30 points.

"Honestly, dancing again, getting to share my job with my family who's over here every single night — thank you, my baby, thank you," Dewan said after the results, according to TV Insider.

The episode celebrated Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated hits. It also brought back the head-to-head Dance-Off rounds, in which paired couples performed the same style at the same time for bonus points. Live performances came from Brandy and Monica, Morris and Sheryl Crow.

Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov earned 28 for a paso doble to Evanescence's "Bring Me to Life." They then beat Paralympian Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach in a rumba Dance-Off to Brandy and Monica's "The Boy Is Mine." Frech and Karagach scored 27 for an Argentine tango to Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love."

Reality star Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas, who barely escaped elimination the week before, scored 27 for an Argentine tango to Sisqó's "Thong Song." Inaba called it "a work of art." Higgins had been dancing through a rib injury. The pair then won a cha-cha Dance-Off against Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold to Crow's "All I Wanna Do," finishing with 29 points.

Ali and Ravnik scored 27 for a tango to the Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow," with will.i.am watching from the ballroom. Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson, who won immunity the previous week, skipped the Dance-Offs.

Dewan's exit caps a turbulent season for the pair. In October, Chmerkovskiy was suspended for one week after a social media post responding to Inaba's criticism of a lift by his wife, Johnson. Reports described it as the first official suspension of a professional dancer in the show's history. Fellow pro Alan Bersten partnered Dewan for "Dedication Night" in his absence.

The couple bounced back after Chmerkovskiy's return. The week before Grammy Night, they earned perfect scores for a quickstep to "Be Our Guest" and in the team round, for 80 out of 80. Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa were eliminated that night.

Six couples remain: Shum and Johnson, Glenn and Pashkov, Higgins and Ballas, Frech and Karagach, Ali and Ravnik, and Wood and Arnold. They will compete in the semifinals on Nov. 17, ahead of the season finale later this month.