‘Dancing With the Stars’ recap: All four celebs advance to the finale

And then there were four.

Tamar Braxton, as most fans had already heard by Monday night’s episode of “Dancing With the Stars,” dropped out of the contest for health reasons shortly after her trip last week to the ER. (The frightening diagnosis, particularly for a professional singer: blood clots in her lungs).

Producers briefly considered but ultimately decided against bringing back Alexa PenaVega, according to celeb bible People magazine, to make it a five-horse race in the semifinals on Monday.

Instead, it was the girl against the boys – Bindi Irwin versus Carlos PenaVega versus Nick Carter versus Alek Skarlatos. Or in all honesty, was it Bindi versus some guys who probably won’t win the Mirrorball trophy? I just may be in that camp.

Would Carlos (better dancer) or Alek (bigger fan base) be left standing by the end of the night? Crafty “DWTS” honchos remained mum to build tension, specifically not telling viewers if there would be an elimination at all by the program’s end. So sneaky. And rather transparent, don’t you think, fellow fans? They obviously wanted to keep the heroic Alek around for as long as possible.

To fill the extra time when Tamar and her pro partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, would’ve performed on Monday, the remaining battered and drained contestants hoofed it up even more.

That made for three dances, total, for the celebrities, including another style that’s new to them, a trio (plenty of people wanted to call it a threesome, but only Bruno Tonioli did) and some head-to-head fancy footwork. Who got served? Read on to find out.

Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough

She’s a dedicated conservationist who knew innately that her late father, “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin, would’ve wanted her to continue his work, even through tragedy, Bindi’s family said during the pre-taped mini-movie. She’s blossomed just like a caterpillar while on “DWTS,” her mom, Terri, said, and gone from girl to woman. (These videos, by the way, transitioned from rehearsal snippets to more of a “This is Your Life” segment for the semifinals. Tissue alert!) Bindi’s biopic was all about her life at the Australia Zoo, which looks like a great place to be a kid, and her love of all things creepy, crawly, furry and scaly. She even got a shout-out from her younger brother, Robert, who is as camera-ready as she is and every inch as adorable. No sibling rivalry (or noogies) between these two? Are they robots? At any rate, they’re almost too cute for words. For the first individual dance of the night, Bindi and Derek danced a salsa to to Sia’s “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile,” which couldn’t possibly fit any contestant better. How’d it go for the dance floor darling? Kicky and vibrant and bright, with lots of lifts and spins. Hot pink frilly skirt! Stage dive/trust fall! Julianne Hough wanted more “down and dirty,” because that’s her salsa preference, and Carrie Ann Inaba thought it was fun and clean, but she wanted more edge, too. Of course they’re nitpicking.

Score: 27

Alek Skarlatos and Lindsay Arnold

Is there a better time for us to be reminded of a selfless, heroic act by a brave person? Probably not. Certainly that never goes out of style, but it’s particularly poignant in light of Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris. Alek’s parents and his childhood friends, fellow members of Team Takedown, talked about his dedication to the military and his regular-guy attitude even after becoming an international symbol. Kobe Bryant even showed up to honor him, as the Lakers had done at Staples Center over the weekend. In his performances, Alek’s been inconsistent in recent weeks, but he really pulled it off Monday. He seemed more involved, not just because he started the routine with a salute to the giant U.S. flag waving on the stage. He was more present than he’d been in weeks. That choice of a lilting waltz to “America the Beautiful” was inspired. Good on you, Lindsay. Bruno couldn’t believe how far he’d come in the contest, and Carrie Ann said he shines brightest when he’s noble and called it “your best performance ever.” Julianne noticed how comfortable he felt in this classic ballroom number. Small aside: though he’s not a Hollywood person, he’s just landed a cameo in an upcoming flick, “Range 15,” described as a “military comedy” with William Shatner, Ron Jeremy and Danny Trejo. So, there’s that. And then this:

Score: a perfect 30, and no one was more surprised than Lindsay

Carlos PenaVega and Witney Carson

He was always a theatrical kid, his father said in his bio film, and he spent a lot of time on his hair in high school, his brother said. Does that mean he was destined to be in a boy band? Probably. Carlos harped a lot on his decision to take part in the “DWTS” with his wife, and how difficult it was when she was cut last week. On the other hand, he said he felt a bit untethered and ready to go. For his contemporary to One Direction’s “Drag Me Down,” there were props. Carlos blogged about this dance ahead of time, saying it involved “a giant cube and a rope.” He also said he and Witney had to battle with producers on the concept, which ended up with a rope and no cube. (And no shirt!) Carrie Ann had mixed feelings because she “didn’t quite get it.” Julianne thought his execution was solid, but didn’t feel the connection between the partners. Bruno, on the contrary, said, “It was bloody good,” and made some Tarzan and Cirque du Soleil references. Trivia: Derek and Amy Purdy used a hanging rope in Season 18, and Amy did some real aerial magic there. Remember that, die-hard fans? It was something special.

Score: 28, with a 10 from Bruno

Nick Carter and Sharna Burgess

Nick has built up walls, Sharna said, and Nick said that’s a result of his dysfunctional early life. He found a makeshift family in Backstreet Boys, but the fame quickly went to his head and he started the drinking-and-drugging that’s common to overnight sensations. His sister died of a drug overdose, providing the wake-up call he needed. Judges had already praised his commitment in earlier weeks, and he made sure to bring that quality on Monday to his tango to “Scars” by Alesso. Too bad the execution didn’t match. There were “footwork issues,” as Julianne noted,” and Bruno said that “mistakes do happen to the best of us.” Carrie Ann said it was a slip and a timing issue, but Nick should move past it.

Score: 24

Producers seem to be enamored of the “dance-off” this season, so there was another one last night. The couples went toe-to-toe, so speak, but they traded off rather than dancing at the same time, which had been distracting in a previous episode. Here’s what happened:

Alek ripped open his shirt, exposing his still-waxed chest, to finish his capable cha-cha with Lindsay, and he “sold it,” Julianne said. He’s improved measurably, as most viewers would agree, but he’s still not really a dancer. Carlos bested him in technique, Julianne said. Bruno pointed out his “wiggly bum,” which might’ve been a good thing.

Carlos and Witney added three points by winning.

Bindi can samba! She and Derek crushed that, and Nick had something to prove from a less-than-stellar first round. He definitely stepped up, though there wasn’t much he could do in the face of Bindi’s “hip action,” as Bruno said. The judge couldn’t believe how much “content” there was in those two dances, but he clearly preferred Bindi and Derek, as did his fellow panelists.

Bindi and Derek took the extra points

Time for the trios

Bindi, Derek and Mark Ballas tackled a jazz routine that was designed to “take risks.” Mark’s manbun reappeared, and that wire-framed box finally materialized. Bindi was stuck in it mime-style for only a few seconds, mercifully. There was a rope with a giant light bulb on the end that she wrapped around her body and neck, and more box, this time with balancing and spinning. It sounds weird, but it was truly wonderful. Julianne called her a “ninja warrior princess,” and said she “didn’t miss a beat.” Bruno thought it was a “compelling work of genius,” and Carrie Ann thought it was at the level of a professional contemporary dance company. Co-host Erin Andrews wanted to immediately re-create the set at Restoration Hardware.

Score: 30

Alek, Lindsay and Emma Slater danced an Argentine tango, natch, because it’s the sexiest style around and Alek has gone to great pains to admit just how unsexy he is. Maybe Lindsay knew what she was doing after all. He might’ve had a newfound confidence, either from the public chest waxing or from the nearness of his crush, Emma. He ended up looking a little more pained than passionate, I think, but he didn’t miss his steps. Bruno said the routine showed his strengths and called it “very, very effective.” Carrie Ann called him “dynamic” and “sure-footed,” and Julianne thought it ran out of steam toward the end and sank into melodrama.

Score: 27

Carlos, Witney and Karina Smirnoff were all first-timers with the Charleston on “DWTS,” which freaked them out during rehearsal. Carlos said he needed a killer performance and a high score to advance to the finals, and he was determined to make it happen. The Charleston got renamed the “Carlos-ton,” and nobody groaned out loud, except me. Julianne said it was “tight, sharp, clean” and thought he was the pro of the group. Bruno agreed, saying “you stole the show from the girls,” and comparing him to Ben Vereen. Carrie Ann picked on their sync, or lack thereof, in some sections.

Score: 29

Sharna and Peta Murgatroyd tried to keep Nick out of his head for a super-hot salsa, which turned out to really suit him. “All the Nick since Day 1 was in that dance,” Julianne said, and Bruno saw Jackson and Timberlake and all kinds of good stuff in there. Carrie Ann had been worried, but said “this was the most solid you’ve ever been on your feet,” and she felt it “from the ground up.”

Score: 30

Who’s dancing in the finals? Hosts Andrews and Tom Bergeron announced it in this order: Alek and Lindsay, Carlos and Witney. And then they said that everyone would advance to next week because Tamar dropped out and there’s some rule or other that addresses pulmonary embolisms.

Whatever! Four finalists, it is!