And then there were three. “Dancing with the Stars” sent one of the four finalists home Monday during the airing of the first night of the finale. So, which couple was eliminated from the elite pack? Well, you might be surprised -- we sure were!

YouTube sensation Bethany Mota and her five-time Mirror Ball-winning champ of a partner, dance pro Derek Hough, were sent shuffling off the ballroom floor during last night’s installment of the hit ABC series. But they weren't eliminated for lack of effort. The duo performed well-executed routines throughout the night, starting with a high-tempo jive to a Taylor Swift single -- a routine the couple had performed in Week 1 of the competition that the judges chose for the couple to re-do.

Although a prop debacle nearly threw the two off their timing, they managed to put their best feet forward, pulling off an energetic performance.

“You’ve grown into a very beautiful woman,” judge Julianne Hough said of Bethany’s evolution on the series. Despite the minor prop error, Bethany and Derek were rewarded with an respectable 36/40. However, it was the lowest score of the first round.

But what Bethany and Derek lacked in the first performance, they made up for in the second routine of the night: a freestyle performance to Diplo’s “It’s a Revolution.” The powerful routine, which featured a slew of backup dancers in leather, won the judges’ hearts (and their high-score paddles).

“This is a five-star freestyle,” judge Len Goodman praised the two.

“No one was under-dancing to make you look good,” Carrie Ann Inaba added.

Bethany and Derek left the ballroom floor with a 40/40. But even a perfect score couldn’t save the two from meeting their demise on the series. With a combination of votes from viewers and judges last week, Bethany and Derek were the dancing duo sent home during the first part of the finale.

“I’ve discovered things about myself, things that I never thought I could do. I never thought I’d be this far in the competition -- that’s for first. I was just hoping to make it past Week 2,” Bethany said during the finale following her elimination. “So to be in the finals was the best thing ever.”

“[I’m] so proud of her, man," Derek said of his partner. "This has been an incredible season. I’m just really proud to be part of a show that celebrates a very difficult, artistic and athletic art form like dance. It’s the biggest dance show on the planet and I’m proud to be a part of it and I’m proud of this young lady right here. She’s an amazing role model.”

Were you surprised that Bethany and Derek were sent home during the 2014 season of “Dancing with the Stars”? Sound off in the comment section below and vote in the poll HERE on who you think is going to win the Season 19 Mirror Ball trophy.

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