Lauren Alaina Pays Tribute To Her Late Stepfather on ‘DWTS’

Lauren Alaina closed out ABC’s Dancing with the Stars on Monday night (Oct. 20) with perhaps her most chilling performance yet.

The country singer stunned viewers with a contemporary routine set to her new and deeply personal single, “The Other Side.” Alaina penned the spiritually-driven country ballad in memory of her late stepfather, Sam Ramker, who passed away on October 21, 2018, after battling cancer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__Dvx_FpO-Q

Alaina was full of emotion upon taking the ballroom floor. She appeared barefoot, while dressed in a flowy nude gown, alongside pro partner, Gleb Savchenko, who matched the color of his outfit to hers. Together, the pair captivated the audience with their mirrored choreography, strong arm-movements and controlled legwork.

Many times during the routine, Alaina purposely fell into the arms Savchenko, who then lifted her up to carry her to the other side of the ballroom. At the end of the dance, Alaina broke down in tears and hugged her mother, who watched the entire routine from a seat in the audience.

“You’re a brave woman,” Carrie Ann Inaba told Alaina after the dance. “I’m sure this was probably the most difficult thing you’ve ever done. But, I want to thank you because you’ve touched all of our hearts tonight.”

“It’s very sad, but it makes me so happy to see so much love, truth, and honesty,” Bruno Tonioli said adding, “Never lose it, my darling. Always keep it with you.”

This isn’t the first time Alaina teared-up on DWTS. Earlier this season, she emotionally told the show’s co-host Erin Andrews that she missed several days of rehearsal after finding out that her cousin, Holly, suffered a brain bleed. At the time, she paid tribute to Holly with a Foxtrot to Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.”

For this week’s performance, Alaina and Savchenko received a score of 26/30. They also learned that they are safe from elimination for another week. As for her fellow competitors, model Sailor Brinkley-Cook and pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy, they found themselves in the bottom two and were sent home.

Dancing with the Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.