I thought that Nastia was incredibly gracious after being eliminated by acknowledging Len and thanking him for the magical dance moment with him last night. It's absurd to think that she is not in the finals. I've really enjoyed her dancing especially since Derek's injury. She danced with much more joy with Sasha. And I loved how excited and pumped Sasha was whenever they received their scores.
I, too, wondered if TPTB eliminated Derek and Nastia because Derek's injury would prevent him from dancing "all out" in the finale and doing a freestyle. If so, that sucks for Nastia and also for Sasha.
I had a feeling that Nastia might be eliminated when Erin was talking to the pro's at the beginning of the show and asking them why they thought their partner should win. Sharma, Val and Allison all went on and on about their celebrity, but Derek's answer was less about Nastia and more about "no matter who wins tonight, they are all champions".
I also did not appreciate Val's comment (critique) about Derek and Nastia that they were so perfect it made them uninteresting. I thought that was harsh and not really a critique of her dancing.
