Hayes Grier eliminated from ‘Dancing With the Stars’

Hayes Grier sashayed his way from social media stardom to dancing stardom this fall, but when it counted, not enough of his 3 million Twitter followers came through for him.

Despite the fact that he and professional partner Emma Slater tied for Monday night’s second-highest score out of the remaining eight couples, the Mooresville teen received the lowest number of viewer votes to end his seven-week run on “Dancing With the Stars.”

Grier, who is 15, was the youngest male contestant the ABC series has ever cast over the course of 21 seasons.

In the pair’s final dance, he and Slater – known to fans as Team Slayes, which blends “Slater” and “Hayes” – scored a 26 out of 30 for their waltz to Lana Del Rey’s “Once Upon a Dream.” (Grier was made up as a werewolf for “Halloween Night,” prompting judge Bruno Toniolo to proclaim: “You’re the most charming and romantic teen wolf since Jacob Black in ‘Twilight.’ ”)

On paper, it was a mild upset: Hero soldier Alek Skarlatos and his partner Lindsay Arnold have consistently earned lower scores each week, but lived to see another week.

To Grier, though, it was strongly upsetting. With the show running long, host Tom Bergeron could only allow the teenager a quick parting comment; Grier’s voice broke as he said, “All of those guys are brilliant people. This meant so much to me.” In the final seconds, he was seen wiping tears while being surrounded by cast members in a group hug.

Shortly thereafter, he took to Twitter with a series of gracious messages for his followers.

This story was originally published October 27, 2015 at 10:33 AM with the headline "Hayes Grier eliminated from ‘Dancing With the Stars’."