Rumer and Val! Turns out, their reprisal of Week 3’s salsa in front of a giant disco ball was foreshadowing!
The three couples placed in the same order they danced in, the order that was both expected and deserved. Each couple danced a twenty-four hour fusion dance for additional judges’ points, which obviously don’t matter but serve to fill two hours. So, let’s welcome season 20’s stars!
Landing in third place are Noah and Sharna! They received 36 points for their cha-cha/Argentine tango fusion, for a two-night total of 108. No one actually talked about their final dance, which was incredibly underwhelming. It was completely derivative of their previous numbers – their contemporary and Argentine tango thrown into a blender with nothing new added. The fact that a final dance got nines instead of tens says it all.
Sharna talked about how Noah moves her every time she dances with him, and literally everyone on the show reiterated how inspiring he is. Len said that since Noah has given so much to America, the least America can do is give him a mirrorball trophy. Not only is that utterly incorrect (the trophy is for dancing, not military service), it also strikes us as rather tacky to reward the loss of limbs with a knob of glitter. Upon being eliminated, Noah said that he was inspired by the support he’s experienced on the show, so warm and fuzzy feelings all around!
Both Julianne and Tom once again singled out Sharna for praise for her choreography. It really can’t be said enough: Sharna Burgess has done extraordinary things this season. Of note, now that Val has won, Sharna takes up the mantle of longest-tenured pro dancer without a win (five seasons, more than any of the other current pros). Look for her to claim a mirrorball soon as the show’s fans rally around her.
Season 20’s worthy runners up are Riker and Allison. They performed a fantastic salsa/quickstep fusion they cobbled together through their exhaustion. It was definitely one of their best dances thus far, and would have helped them out if performed before the public voted. Their fusion received a perfect score, and gave Riker one last ten-from-Len.
Riker got the freestyle encore, which is rarely an indication of eventual triumph (last season’s went to Bethany and Derek, who were then promptly eliminated in fourth; the encore just goes to the most Twitter-friendly star). While we’re still not Allison’s biggest fans, Riker did well this season, and seems to have earned himself a lot of new fans.
And the new champions are Rumer and Val! They performed a foxtrot/paso doble hybrid for their fusion, which cemented them as the season’s winners. Rumer’s dancing is amazing: the speed with which she moves, combined with how she finishes her lines, makes for an exquisite quality of movement. Once the dance was done, it was clear that Rumer would win, even before the perfect score. Carrie Ann said, “They saved the best for last.” Len went one better, summing up, “You are as good as anyone that’s ever been on Dancing with the Stars. If you don’t win, I think it’s a travesty.”
Rumer has reiterated, many times, how much this season has meant to her, and how much being on the show has changed her. Her relationship with Val is probably the best he’s ever had on the show, probably because he (for once) did not pursue a showmance. That allowed the two of them to build a strong friendship that was evident in their rehearsal footage and in their interviews. If Rumer wanted to win the mirrorball, that was nothing compared to how much Val wanted it; watching his face as they awaited the final result was absolutely excruciating. Seeing them instantly raised on the shoulders of a cast very clearly wanting them to win was the perfect way to end the season. Once Val finally got the trophy, seeing him cuddle it was adorable. This show has doubtless done wonders for both Rumer’s career and her confidence; she is no longer just Bruce Willis’s daughter.
Some numbers fun: Val is the third new professional victor crowned in a row, after his brother and Witney. This is only the second time ever in the show’s history that three new winners have been crowned in a row; the other such run was seasons 13 through 15, when Karina, Peta, and Tony won.
Of course, the finale was also chock full of other dancing and performances. Every single star except Michael performed an encore. Redfoo just sang “Juicy Wiggle” as Emma danced around him. Charlotte and Keo reprised their painfully stiff cha-cha. Patti walked around as pros danced around her. Suzanne and Tony revisited their Week 3 “Copacabana” samba, which was just as much fun as we remembered it.
Chris and Witney returned to their Week 1 “Footloose” jive, complete with good energy and atrocious footwork. Willow and Mark returned to their creepy Alice in Wonderland-themed foxtrot, which was just as glorious this time around. And this time, Mark’s contacts stayed in! We will forever lament Willow’s too-soon elimination. Robert and Kym revisited their Week 1 “Bills, Bills, Bills” cha-cha, which was fine… but there was no acknowledgement of their romance aside from a heart graphic behind them. That was disappointing.
Also disappointing was Nastia’s last dance being a reprisal of her charleston with Sasha, with Andy Grammar singing and Derek trying to be involved despite his injury. We’re pretty sure this was included just to get Andy Grammar singing live again. This number did not impress the first time around, and was even less impressive this time around because there’s such a wealth of better numbers Nastia could have done.
There were other random dances thrown in as well. Among the notable ones were Amy Purdy dancing alongside Noah for eleventh-hour feels, and last season’s winner and runner-up (Alfonso and Sadie) dancing together. The latter was a precursor to Tom announcing Alfonso as his replacement hosting America’s Funniest Home Videos.
We had yet another all-woman dance as Fifth Harmony performed, and yet again this consisted of flipping hair and popping butts. Do they need men for all other dance moves? We were also treated to an all-male dance number, involving body rolls and stripping of shirts. For some bizarre reason, the camera kept panning away from the shirtless men to the crazed fans screaming in the audience. Is that really what they think viewers want to see? When the guys surrounded Erin, Tom commented, “That’s the happiest I’ve seen Erin since we told her that her birthday cake has no calories!”
Jason Derulo sang. Eh. Sia sang as Derek and Julianne danced alongside their younger selves, Lovely dancing, but we didn’t get the concept. For the final video recap of the three finalists, Patti sang something very screechy, and the camera insisted on focusing on her. This is utterly wrong: the camera is supposed to split between the video package and the couples crying in real time so we can cry with them. We were deprived of that this season; then again, we’ve done enough crying this season for several years.
The best video clips were a peek at DWTS dress rehearsal, which still looks like it’s the best time, and a trailer for “Dance Hard.” Apparently, DWTS wanted Bruce Willis, but couldn’t afford him, so this fake movie starred Tony fighting to save traditional dancing from people who say, “Ballroom is dead, it’s all about freestyle and hip-hop!” Who else would totally watch this movie?
On the whole, this has been an extraordinary season; definitely one of the show’s absolute best. So thanks for reading our recaps, and we’ll be back in the fall for season 21!
Are you happy with Rumer and Val winning? How would you rank this season relative to the others? And will you tune in next fall for a possible Len-less season?
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