Van Der Beek revealed the baby he and his wife were expecting in April tragically passed away. It was the couple's sixth child, and the fourth they've lost to miscarriage.
The 42-year-old said in a pre-dance video, "It's every expectant parent's worst nightmare. We lost the baby. The little soul we expected to welcome into our family took the shortcut to whatever lies beyond. You never know why these things happen. That's what I've been telling my kids. All you know is that it brings you closer together."
Van Der Beek didn't he would participate in Monday's episode, but his wife Kimberly told him from her hospital bed she wasn't done watching him dance. Van Der Beek said, "Kimberly, I’m dancing for you, I’m dancing for us."
Unfortunately, Van Der Beek and his partner, Emma Slater, were eliminated in the epiosde via a unanimous vote by the judges.
Via WFAA