It was Most Memorable Year Night on DWTS, and the night proved quite memorable.

All the usual “memorable year” tropes were included. Athletic triumph, death of a parent, birth of a child, finding true love, and overcoming bullying were all ticked off, many with a fair share of waterworks. At this point, it’s clear which three ladies will be the final three: Nastia, Rumer, and Willow. All that’s up in the air is which guy will join them. Riker is the best dancer, but has no fanbase. Noah is the sentimental favorite, but may not be able to keep up dance-wise. And Robert is the happy medium between the two. Place your bets!

The couple eliminated tonight, finishing in tenth place is… Michael and Peta! Which is a shame, since this week they were actually memorable for the first time. Michael’s most memorable year was the past one, when he came out and was subsequently estranged from his father. Their song choice was inspired – “I’m Not My Father’s Son” from Kinky Boots. It was a powerful and emotional performance, but not very technically sound. This marks Peta’s worst finish since her debut season, when she was ousted in last place.

Now, let’s welcome our teary-eyed stars!

First Place, 39 points: Willow and Mark. After three weeks of waiting and subtle allusions, we got the Hunger Games tribute we’ve all been waiting for. Mark, who’s absolutely catching fire this season, choreographed a spectacular contemporary routine that told the story of an actual Hunger Games, and ended with Mark’s death. The DWTS production department outdid themselves. The judges were appropriately enamored, and Len was shocked to find out Hunger Games wasn’t about food. (Tom reassured Willow, “He hasn’t seen many talkies.”) Willow missed perfection by one point, and if Mark keeps delivering awesome high-concept routines like this, they’ll make a serious run at the golden Mirrorball.

Second Place, 36 points: Nastia and Derek. Nastia’s most memorable year was 2008, when she won gold medals at the Beijing Olympics. Derek paid homage to that by choreographing some of the most astounding lifts I’ve seen. They kicked off the show by getting the season’s first ten. Len, who has been exceedingly grumpy all season, complained that the dance was not enough of an Argentine tango, which is supposed to be about a “lady of the night” and a sailor. Well, what if Nastia’s most memorable year doesn’t involve a lady of the night?

Third Place, 35 points: Rumer and Val. This is how you do a bullying storyline! Rumer’s most memorable year was about learning to love herself with the help of her sister. Their waltz was incredibly powerful, and rendered the judges more incoherent than usual. Carrie Ann: “When you dance, I meld with you!” Len decided it wasn’t waltz-y enough, and then lamented “No one remembers when I’m nice, only when I’m nasty!” Julianne: “You’re strong… and vulnerable. You’re a woman… and a girl. You’re you… and you’re you.”

Fourth Place (tie), 34 points: Riker and Allison. Riker’s most memorable year was when his band finally made it big… which, while nice, does not exactly measure up to the ten-hanky performances given by the others. Given that Riker was in Not Necessarily the Bottom Two this week, we are not sure if his performance this week was enough to get him by. His tango was quite good, and looked really trippy against a black-and-white checkered background.

Fourth Place (tie), 34 points: Robert and Kym. Robert brought everyone to tears with a waltz dedicated to his mom, a DWTS superfan who died of ovarian cancer in 2006. While Kym is awesome at creating routines like Star Wars tangoes, as Julianne said, this was a classic and beautiful waltz. Robert’s dancing is good, and he is coming across as an incredibly likable guy – no mean feat when one’s a billionaire. It was nice to take a break from the alleged burgeoning showmance.

Fifth Place, 32 points: Noah and Sharna. No surprise, they saved Noah’s performance for last, so we wouldn’t be too busy crying to watch other couples dance. They danced a contemporary routine about the year when Noah lost his limbs and learned to overcome it, and there was not a dry eye in the house. The one-handed lifts he pulled off were amazing, and Sharna really needs an Emmy or something for her choreographing miracles this season.

Sixth Place, 30 points: Patti and Artem. Patti’s most memorable year was 1973, well before anyone except Len was born. She doesn’t dance, everyone is very impressed anyway. Moving on.

Seventh Place, 28 points: Suzanne and Tony. Suzanne’s most memorable year was 1977 and involved her getting a role on a show called Three’s Company, which meant this writer did not understand anything about this dance. However, the dancing itself was a good foxtrot. The judges were complimentary but only gave sevens. After Carrie Ann’s stupid remarks last week about finding “depth,” Tony is just not having it with the judges this season. This amuses us to no end – Tony has the patience of a saint, so when his ire is aroused, you know something’s wrong!

Last Place, 27 points: Chris and Witney. Chris’s rhumba was nicely staged but fell flat. This is due both to his lack of technique and his lack of chemistry with Witney. The guy is still hung up on his fiancé Whitney, and is all torn up about the two Witneys. His most memorable was involved going on The Bachelor and meeting Whitney. I wonder if any DWTS contestant from The Bachelor ever had a memorable year that didn’t involve The Bachelor?

Whose Memorable Year was most memorable for you? Did any of the routines make you cry? And how excited are you for Disney Night?