This week was the extraordinarily competitive semifinal of Dancing with the Stars season 20… and the show’s best episode in ten years.

Something went incredibly right this season, after two lackluster outings. We got likable stars and high-caliber dancers, which made for the most competitive semifinal ever. As Tom pointed out at the top and bottom of the show, each of the four has been the leader at some point in total points plus votes, the first time that has ever happened.

What this means is any of them could walk away with the trophy… and frankly, we would love it if we just skipped this week’s elimination, had a finale, and split the trophy four ways. This Tuesday will be brutal.

But more than the caliber of dancing, this week showed the best of what Dancing with the Stars is… it reminded us why we still watch this show so many years later. It put raw emotion together with superb dancing that pushes the boundaries. As Erin said, “This show should have been sponsored by Kleenex.” While that was a quip, by night’s end she was handing out tissues to everyone.

So, to business! The semifinal consisted of two rounds. The first was standard, but instead of rehearsal video featured the backstories of the stars. Then, someone from the celebrity’s life would join the couple and Erin for an emotional post-dance interview. The second round was a new feature: judges’ choice!

Instead of the judges merely coaching the stars, the judges got to create the entire number from head to toe. That judge was then not allowed to judge the number. Every single judges’ choice number received a perfect thirty from the respective other judges, so add thirty to the couples’ scores listed below. Without further ado, let’s welcome our stars!

First Place (tie), 40 points: Riker and Allison. For the first dance, Riker and Allison did a contemporary that floored the judges, even though there were obvious mistakes. Specifically, Riker is not as limber as Allison, and didn’t hit some of the shapes she did, causing a loss in sync. But amidst squabbling over who did or did not touch Len, the judges gave Riker his first perfect score. That tends to happen in semifinals.

Julianne’s concept for the judges’ choice was for Riker to do… a regular Argentine tango. A bit anticlimactic after Bruno and Carrie Ann went bonkers in their routines, but Riker and Allison spiced it up by asking Julianne to join them and make it a trio dance. It’s always good to see Julianne dance again! Riker left off all his usual wiggles, and performed a serious and dapper Argentine tango that was quite different from most of his routines.

While topping the leaderboard would usually indicate safety, Riker is the most likely to be eliminated, because he just didn’t hit the emotional notes the others did. Poor Riker… it’s really not his fault that he is a well-adjusted individual with little trauma in his past. But when the level of dance is so high, it’s viewers emotions that will decide the victor, and Riker does not elicit an emotional response.

His backstory: a born entertainer who grew up jamming with his four siblings. As the eldest son, he stepped up to the plate when the family moved to California but the father had to stay in Colorado. Post-dance, it was his sister who joined Erin and said she expects Riker to be amazing. All good, but not memorable on a night like this. Elimination odds: 1 in 2

First Place (tie), 40 points: Nastia and Derek/Sasha. Continuing the thread from last week, Nastia was desperate to prove she wasn’t cold and bratty, and succeeded with aplomb. Her backstory was about her fierce drive for Olympic gold, her amazing 2008 triumph, and her fall from grace when she messed up in the trials for the 2012 Olympics. Now, it’s all about enjoying the journey for her.

Because a quickstep will destroy even the healthiest foot, Nastia was once again with Sasha for her first dance. And what a glamorous showstopper it was! The technique and the energy was amazing. We were slightly confused by what looked like a samba section thrown in the middle (those were definitely stationary samba walks, and couples aren’t even allowed to break hold in quickstep). But the judges paid it no mind, and gave a perfect forty.

Nastia’s parents were with Erin for the post-dance interview, and her mom gave a very mom-like speech of how proud she was of not only Nastia, but also Derek and Sasha. Aw!

Nastia’s judges’ choice closed out the night – good thing too, because no one could follow it. Len took over Nastia and Derek, and he wanted the dance to be personal for him: looking back on his youth, when he was still able to dance. For Derek, struggling with the limitations of his own body the last month, this must have hit close to home, as it did for every dancer out there who knows that one day their body will betray them.

It must also hit close to home for Nastia, who (like Len) is past the age where she can do what she loves. This writer met Nastia in 2011, when she already said she felt over the hill as a 22-year-old gymnast; a feeling proven accurate at the 2012 Olympic trials.

Derek managed to overcome the injury for this dance: a beautiful and intimate Viennese waltz. The dance started with Len looking at old photos, which then came alive into Nastia and Derek dancing. But the emotional sucker punch came at the end, when 71-year-old Len Goodman, for the first time in many years and first time ever on the show, stepped onto the dance floor to complete the waltz with Nastia. And with that, the tears that had been welling in this writer’s eyes all night spill out, as this one last dance reduces us to a sobbing mess.

Absolutely no one in the ballroom is okay at this point, except Len, who maintains a wise old serenity in the face of everyone’s tears. Carrie Ann, barely coherent, says she will remember this moment forever. Julianne, after pointing out how special the night had been, says this was the most special dance she’s ever seen. And Bruno brings it home, thanking Len for being his partner in crime for 31 transatlantic seasons, and thanking the entire cast and crew of the show.

If Len truly does leave the show soon, as rumors say, this number was a swan song for him, and a fitting one at that. There has almost never been a dance number on this show with as much emotional baggage. We can’t see voting Nastia off after this. Elimination odds: 1 in 20.

Second Place, 38 points: Rumer and Val. In her first number, Rumer unleashed her inner goddess with a Fifty Shades of Grey theme for her Viennese waltz. It’s amazing that the juxtaposition of the ultimate classy dance with Fifty Shades actually worked. This dance may as well have been an audition for Fifty Shades Darker, because Rumer acted the hell out of her role as Anastasia Steele. “Mr. Chmerkovskiy will see you now,” indeed.

Needless to say, Bruno loved it (who wants to bet he saw Fifty Shades on opening day?), and Carrie Ann said something about Rumer being earthy yet ethereal. Rumer has gotten better at extending her arms more fully, which topped off the dance nicely.

Rumer’s backstory was mostly rehashing the same stuff – she grew up in the spotlight, and had to deal with a lot of online criticism of her appearance. But now there’s a happier end to the story: how she’s blossomed on DWTS! Aw… But the trump card was Rumer’s mom Demi Moore joining the post-dance interview with Erin. Nothing like star power to combat the ignominy of going first!

Rumer and Val worked with Bruno for judges’ choice, and Bruno chose for them to do a Swan Lake-themed “contemporary fusion” – which apparently means throwing in any and every dance style one pleases. Busting through vicious stereotypes, Val (despite being Eastern European) does not know ballet. He had to learn it right along with Rumer.

Bruno wisely chose to put Val in tight white tights, which probably netted a lot of votes before a single step was danced. The judges (who had way too much fun with this whole round) were duly impressed by Bruno’s “mad genius,” and Julianne even did an accurate Bruno impression. Elimination odds: 1 in 5.

Last Place, 36 points: Noah and Sharna. First, Noah performed his best dance yet in an elegant Viennese waltz. It’s incredible what he accomplished – he rotated, he had heel leads, and there was even a bit of rise and fall. His technique is shockingly good. Peaking at the right time, he got all nines, and went back for a powwow with his girlfriend Jamie. One would think that Noah had wrung all the emotion possible from the audience… but then he PROPOSED!

There was a live proposal on Dancing with the Stars, and a speechless Jamie finally said above the applause, “Heck yeah!” There was not a dry eye in the house as Tom reached for the judges’ tissues. If he makes it, that is how Noah Galloway cemented his spot in the DWTS finals.

Noah and Sharna drew the short straw by getting Carrie Ann as their judges’ choice. Completely ignoring everything that’s been working for Noah all season – the simplicity and elegance of his routines – Carrie threw all but the kitchen sink into a paso doble. She took the theme literally, getting four backup dancers to be the bulls of the bullfight. Between the bulls and the copious amounts of red drapery, Noah got lost in the routine. This didn’t bother the judges, who gave Noah his first tens on the way to a perfect score. Elimination odds: 1 in 4.

Who do you think will be eliminated just short of the finals? Would you see Fifty Shades Darker starring Rumer and Val? And how much did you cry during this episode?