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With the competition down to the final two weeks, tension was running high on Dancing with the Stars, and seemed to overwhelm one top contestant.

A seemingly minor misstep at the end of a solid routine left Katherine Jenkins in tears. The question on every concerned viewer’s mind was why?

Their salsa – their second routine of the night – saw the opera singer stumble, a mistake that barely resonated with the judges, but left her bawling on stage:

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“That was just fantastic,” said Carrie Ann Inaba, who awarded a nine. “I’m sorry at the end. But I just love seeing you push your boundaries.”

The other judges also gave her nines, but with the finals a week away, the miscue left poor Jenkins in tears. “I’m sorry, Mark,” she told her partner.

It was unclear what exactly caused the crying from Katherine – who also scored a 29 in her first dance, a quickstep – until later in the evening.

Afterward, she was heard saying, “I don’t know what happened.” She later Tweeted: “I’m with the Doctor, he says it was a reflectorical spasm in my lower back.”

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Nerves and pressure may have contributed to her tears, but no one realized at the time how much physical agony she was in. What a fighter.

In any event, she’s still in this thing, as no more than three points separate all the contestants on a night that saw near perfection in the scoring.

“This is going to be the best semi-finals ever,” proclaimed Len Goodman.

 
Maria Menounos and Derek Hough could not have done a better Argentine tango, getting yet another perfect 30. Later they got a 29 for their jive, as well.
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William Levy and Cheryl Burke matched that 30 for a red-hot samba, leaving Len at a loss for words. Their earlier tango collected 29 points.

Donald Driver and Peta Murgatroyd soared, getting 10s from Tonioli and Inaba and a nine from Len for the samba. Their earlier tango earned 28.

Here’s how the leaderboard stacks up after the semifinals:

  1. Maria Menounos and Derek Hough: (30, 29) 59
  2. William Levy and Cheryl Burke: (28, 30) 58
  3. Donald Driver and Peta Murgatroyd: (28, 29) 57
  4. Katherine Jenkins and Mark Ballas: (29, 27) 56

Who will be sent home on tonight’s results show, and which three couples will advance to the finals next week? Tell us in the comments!