Alexa PenaVega Not Returning To ‘Dancing With The Stars’: Here’s What’s Happening Instead

Alexa PenaVega isn’t getting a another chance to perform on Dancing with the Stars, even though Tamar Braxton had to exit the show after discovering that she had blood clots in her lungs.

Alexa PenaVega was eliminated Monday night, and Dancing with the Stars lost another contestant when Tamar Braxton’s health woes made it impossible for her to continue to compete. There was some talk that the show might invite Alexa back to dance in Tamar’s place, but the producers have come with another way to fill the time slot left by the singer’s absence.

According to People, Tamar Braxton’s slot will be replaced with another dance-off challenge instead of a performance by Alexa PenaVega and Mark Ballas. This means that the remaining couples will have to perform a total of three dances apiece on Monday night: a dance style they haven’t performed yet, a trio dance, and the dance-off.

Had Tamar Braxton realized just how sick she was a few days earlier, there’s a chance that Alexa PenaVega would still be on the show. Tamar was suffering from pneumonia, and she was in such bad shape that she only managed to perform one of her two routines on Monday night. After she completed the Showstopper Team-Up Challenge with pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy and teammates Nick Carter and Sharna Burgess, Dancing with the Stars host Tom Bergeron told her that she would have been eliminated had she failed to perform the dance. This would have left her semifinal spot open for Alexa PenaVega, and it’s even possible that the Spy Kids star would have made it to the final three — she did earn two perfect scores for her last night on Dancing with the Stars, after all.

We can confirm that @TamarBraxtonHer has withdrawn from the competition. We wish her the best and a speedy recovery. pic.twitter.com/1RlVSBNkkv

— Official DWTS (@DancingABC) November 12, 2015

The first dance Alexa PenaVega and Mark Ballas performed Monday night was a contemporary routine to Ed Sheeran’s “Make It Rain.” Alexa reflected back on a difficult time in her life during her pre-dance package, revealing that she battled bulimia for six years. She and Mark used this dark time as a source of inspiration for their routine, with Alexa PenaVega facing off against Mark dressed as a frightening death-like figure (the wardrobe department’s representation of bulimia).

Alexa’s second routine was a Team-Up challenge with Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough. The group performed a Charleston inspired by the Chicago musical, and their performance included a 30-second duet dance with Bindi Irwin as Roxie Hart and Alexa PenaVega as Velma Kelly. It was the only group dance that earned a perfect score.

Even though she’s out of the competition, Alexa PenaVega will probably pop up in the Dancing with the Stars ballroom this week — after all, her husband still has a shot at the Mirrorball Trophy. In last week’s pre-dance package, Carlos PenaVega said that he really wanted to beat Alexa. However, he was singing a different tune at the end of the show after Alexa got eliminated. He broke down in tears and said that he wished he was the one hanging up his dancing shoes.

Relationship Goals. #dwts pic.twitter.com/hvem7qeCwE

— Official DWTS (@DancingABC) November 11, 2015

However, Carlos PenaVega is still in the game, and he’s going to have his work cut out for him next Monday. According to ABC, he and his pro partner, Witney Carson, will perform a contemporary routine to One Direction’s “Drag Me Down.” They’ll also perform a trio dance with Karina Smirnoff, and Carlos will face off against Alek Skarlatos for the dance-off challenge. The couple that wins the dance-off will get three extra points to combine to their total score.

Because Alexa PenaVega wasn’t invited back, there are only four couples competing on Monday night when there should be five. This means there’s a chance that no couple will be sent home at the end of the night. However, the Dancing with the Stars producers haven’t made a decision about whether or not there will be an elimination, and they may decide to keep viewers in suspense until the end of the night.

Do you think Alexa PenaVega should have been invited back on the show?

[Image via DancingABC Instagram]