Danny Amendola and his professional partner Witney Carson waltzed their way to the Dancing with the stars season 33 finale on Tuesday evening, November 19.

Performing a Viennese waltz and salsa dance to music by Johannes Mayer And Cardi BAmendola and Carson respectively scored nines across the board to reach the finals with four other pairs. Even though their performance was good enough to advance (and since there were no eliminations), judge Derek Hough had some constructive criticism of the former NFL wide receiver. Hough believed Amendola was holding back emotionally during their waltz.

“I welcome all criticism,” Amendola (39) said. We weekly exclusively. “I try to get better every week. And of course the judges are great professional dancers. So how much information I can absorb from them, the better.”

It’s an expected response for someone who has been coached all their life. Amendola spent more than a decade in the NFL and is now a coach on the staff of the Las Vegas Raiders. He even coaches Carson’s three-year-old son, Leo, on the side.

Amendola has taken his approach as a professional athlete and applied it Dancing with the stars. He outlined his pre-show routine like a football player during game week.

“I would say just honestly get as many reps as you can and stay in the zone and stay focused,” he said. “You have to block out all the glitz and glamor of live television and sharpen your focus and all the preparation you’ve done all week. So that is really what we do.”

Last week, that meant doing exercises with props in preparation for a dance that involved grabbing a hat, Amendola said.

Carson, 31, agreed with her partner’s approach, adding that the challenge is staying focused while dealing with outside distractions during the week.

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The NFL has nothing on Dancing With the Stars – just ask Danny Amendola. “My joints are so much more painful. We play on grass, so it’s a little softer. The hardwood is like getting ice cream,” Amendola, 38, told Us Weekly exclusively after the Dancing With the Stars season 33 premiere on Tuesday, September (…)

“We’re just kind of closing in,” she said. “It’s very easy to get distracted by everything, the fans and the other participants. So you just have to really concentrate on what you are doing at that moment.”

Now it’s time for the finale where Amendola and Carson will perform one redemption dance and one freestyle routine in the hopes of being crowned the winners. Neither was willing to reveal much about their routines for next week, but they both agreed on one thing fans could expect.

“Something memorable,” they both said.

Amendola, Carson and four other pairs will compete for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy in the Dancing with the stars season finale on Tuesday, November 26 at 8pm ET on ABC and Disney+. The next day you can stream episodes on Disney+.