Tonight was everything one could hope for in a DwtS finale! Lots of crying! Lots of standing ovations! Lots of perfect scores!
This has easily been one of the best seasons DwtS has ever had, and this finale was the perfect capstone to that. Best of all, the competition is still wide open – I’m confident in who I think will win, but I’m not certain about it, and it could very plausibly be any one of the remaining three finalists.
First things first: the couple eliminated in fourth place is… Bill and Emma! About time. Having Bill around has been fun, but if he was in the top three over Amber, Jack, or Corbin, it would have been a gross injustice. There was an awful lot of tearing up when he was eliminated – Emma, in particular, cried a lot – and we even got a video package reminiscing about their journey. Bill surpassed all expectations by making it to the finals. Emma had the most successful debut season in nine seasons, and is practically guaranteed to return as a pro. At least Bill got to snag a Mirrorball Trophy in his freestyle!
The finals opened with a music video featuring the contestants, set to Avicii’s “Wake Me Up,” and the stage was set for a great finale. Reigning champ Kellie Pickler performed, and I actually quite liked her singing (having had no experience with it before). And then we had a very dramatic entrance by all our stars. I love the cheesiness of a DwtS finale, it’s so delightfully over-the-top!
The first round was the “Judges’ Choice,” where the judges chose a prior dance that each star needed to improve upon. The results were generally not great, with the exception of Amber, who handily won the round with a perfect score.
The second round featured a Samba Relay set to TLC performing “No Scrubs” live. It was DwtS perfection – so much fun! It didn’t matter in the slightest – the difference between 5 and 2 extra points is entirely negligible – but it was great to watch. The rankings were accurate: Corbin (5 points), Amber (4), Jack (3), and Bill (2). Corbin and Amber absolutely killed it, even accomplishing the dreaded samba rolls. Bill was abysmal (what was with his arm?!). Jack was decent. The highlight was the transition from Amber and Derek to Bill and Emma, which featured Bill and Derek ferociously shaking their stuff at each other – apparently something they’d wanted to do all season.
The third round of freestyle was spectacular as usual, though far less aerodynamic than expected. Where were all the spectacular gravity-defying oh-my-god-she-did-WHAT lifts? Bill got a 25, whereas all the other contestants got perfect thirties. Even though the scores are even, the winner of the freestyle round was pretty clearly Jack. No one expected the night’s biggest showstopper to come from him, but he and Cheryl killed it in the freestyle.
Before the elimination, the couples picked fusion styles for each other to do tomorrow. Emma wanted to be kind to Amber and Derek, picking a Samba-Quickstep. Jack said, quite accurately, when picking for Corbin: “What are you bad at? Oh wait, nothing!” before picking a Cha-Cha-Foxtrot. Corbin wanted to be nice and wanted to see Jack paso again, but Jack seemed less than thrilled that the paso would be combined with a salsa (which he’s never done before).
Now, let’s welcome our stars!
First Place, 64 points: Amber and Derek (Charleston, 30 + 4 + 30). Amber is the only one who significantly improved upon her judges’ pick, delivering a very high-energy and in-sync Charleston. There was an awful lot of gyrating for a Charleston, but that didn’t seem to bother anyone. Carrie Ann was beside herself at Amber’s improvement after having stopped by rehearsal to give them some pointers (she didn’t say anything useful that I noticed, but when does she ever?). In week 11 of Spot the Glee Cast: Chris Colfer, Lauren Potter, and that Alex guy from the Glee Project.
As usual, Derek came out with guns blazing for the freestyle (there’s a reason they left this for last). Amber did a country-themed step routine, which was very cool. Most impressive was Amber holding her own with six professional male dancers – no easy feat. The whole dance was very atmospheric, and Amber gave a great performance. As Tom pointed out, we got a historic moment when we found a dance move Derek couldn’t do – one of the step moves that Amber was doing. Amber started tearing up a lot after this dance, and it’s clear how much she wants this.
Amber stands a decent shot of winning, having delivered all we could ask in the finale. She was fierce, funny, emotional… everything viewers could want! I still think she’ll come up short behind Jack, but wouldn’t be too surprised at her winning, and expect her to land in second place. Odds of victory: 30%
Second Place, 62 points: Corbin and Karina (Quickstep, 27 + 5 + 30). Corbin had to improve upon his “fastest Quickstep ever” from week 3, and got Len’s help to make it less hectic. The disparity between this and Bill’s rehearsal package was huge – Len just tried to get Bill to dance to music, whereas he was yelling at Corbin for having his foot pointed a little too much. Corbin’s Quickstep was good, but not as spectacular as we might expect from him in the finals. It was a difficult routine, which provided lots of little mishaps for the judges to pick on. Spotted in the audience: Raven Symone! Wouldn’t she be so much fun on DwtS?
The freestyle was the ultimate tribute to Michael Jackson, and to do it justice, Karina and Corbin worked with Michael Jackson’s choreographer. Karina learned her lesson last year with Jacoby, and knows not to throw everything but the kitchen sink at the dance, since it overpowers the couple. Their freestyle was perfect for the first two thirds of it – they did a tango to “Smooth Criminal” and hit every single musical accent with a sledgehammer. Unfortunately, I thought it lost its momentum at the end, when Karina incorporated the two tricks she was so excited about – Corbin jumping over her swinging body, and the gravity shoes. No one minded though, as even Len gave a standing ovation. Best part: Corbin and Karina’s jackets, which were thoroughly covered in enormous gemstones.
Corbin has a shot at the Mirrorball Trophy, and I don’t think anyone can argue he’s not the best dancer left. But I think that’ll work against him – everything just seems to come too easily to him. It doesn’t help that he was performing second out of four couples, so people won’t remember what he did. And his freestyle, though awesome, was nothing terribly groundbreaking. We’ve had enough Michael Jackson tributes on this show to fill a season, and though this was by far the best one, it might not be enough. So we’re at the point where judges’ scores are entirely irrelevant, so I predict he’ll land in third. Odds of victory: 20%.
Third Place, 57 points: Jack and Cheryl (Jive, 24 + 3 + 30). Jack did not get off to a good start. The judges actually agreed with me, deciding that the dance Jack most needed to improve on was his week 7 jive. And Jack’s footwork and energy level were miles above his previous attempt. Unfortunately, this was balanced out by Jack dancing the whole thing out of music and with a hunched back. I guess the jive just isn’t Jack’s dance. That said, his smile is totally infectious, and he was able to bounce back.
Jack’s freestyle was one for the ages. Cheryl didn’t go gimmicky, didn’t throw in a ton of tricks.
Instead, she showcased Jack’s journey through the number, just having him deliver some incredible dancing in several styles. Eliminated pros and Troupe members danced in the background to give this dance a bigger feel, but this was entirely Jack’s show. And what a moment it was when they finished! The judges were beside themselves, with Len and Bruno asking for eleven paddles. Cheryl kept wiping away tears after the dance ended, and when they got their first perfect score, Jack broke down and started crying. That set me off, so I had to watch through pouring tears as Jack and Cheryl went to hug all the Osbournes.
We saw how far Jack has come, full of heart and wit the entire way through, and I think this dance cemented Jack’s claim to the Mirrorball. I look forward to seeing him win tomorrow. Odds of victory: 50%.
Last Place, 51 points: Bill and Emma (Viennese Waltz, 24 + 2 + 25). Bill had to improve upon his Viennese Waltz, and he actually made a decent attempt at it. Len stopped by rehearsal to help him out, focusing on his timing (a lost cause) and his fluidity (which actually got much better). Emma’s choreography was very clever here, disguising Bill’s lack of skill by having the focus be on her. She got very emotional during rehearsal – understandable, since this is her first season on the show.
The freestyle was based on Indiana Jones, and it was just a perfectly goofy dance that encapsulates Bill to a T. It started with Bill grabbing the Mirrorball Trophy, avoiding a giant mirrorball rolling across the dance floor, only to have Emma snatch it out of his hands. They then did what was essentially a paso doble, only featuring some lifts and a lot of dancing with a whip. Bill was so elated upon concluding his dance that he ripped his shirt off. This broke Carrie Ann, who just went into a fit of giggles, while Tom thanked Bill on behalf of all those with one-packs. Bill got his long-awaited first nine, allowing him to leave after his greatest triumph, and all was good in the ballroom.
Were you moved to tears during this finale? What is your definition of a “scrub”? And who do you think will win season 17 of Dancing with the Stars?
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