Suni Lee seemed out of place when she first appeared on Dancing with the Stars.
She admitted that she had never danced with a boy before and the 18-year-old was more used to intense gymnastics routines than showing personality on the dance floor.
On her last night on Dancing with the Stars, she turned in her best dances and was a completely different person than the one who started off on the show.
That led to her disappointment in her elimination in the semi-finals.
Suni Lee disappointed to leave Dancing with the Stars
Suni Lee was eliminated from Dancing with the Stars in the semi-finals, and this was despite her turning in what were likely her best performances.
In her redemption dance, Suni and Sasha performed a foxtrot to Haven’t Met You Yet by Michael Buble. They scored a 37, with Carrie Ann giving them a 10 and the other four judges scoring them a nine.
On her next dance, Suni and Sasha did a contemporary dance to Gravity by Sara Bareilles. They scored a 38, with two 10s and two nines.
Despite the high scores and the three 10s, they ended up in the bottom three based on fan voting. They didn’t have the lowest scores, so they went to the judge’s decision.
The judges all praised how far Suni had come, but they saved Amanda Kloots and Alan, who scored a Perfect 40 and a 39 on their two dances.
Suni Lee felt she had really started to come into her own on the ballroom floor and said she was disappointed to leave before the finals.
“It definitely sucks,” Suni said after her elimination. “I feel like I really had a breakthrough these past couple of weeks and I had my best two dances tonight.”
“I feel like I finally found myself and I’m more confident in myself. I feel like I’m more open now,” she continued. “That was the main goal to come on the show.
“Obviously winning was there, but, like, I feel, like, I love myself more than ever — and that is a really important thing,” she added.
Suni Lee’s final ranking on Dancing with the Stars
Suni Lee and Sasha Farber made it to the semi-finals and finished the season with the fourth-highest average score of any dancer on the show.
The two finished with a 33.8, which was higher than two of the finalists (Iman & Daniella and Cody & Cheryl).
Suni Lee had the highest score in the Charleston (36) and samba (40).
Dancing with the Stars airs on Monday nights at 8/7c. The Season 30 finale takes place on Monday night, November 22.