Another season of Dancing with the Stars has come to a close, but who posted the best scores on this final night, and who won?
Ahead of the big Thanksgiving parade, Dancing with the Stars brought out its own parade, with floats, a marching band, the pros dancing their way down a red carpet, and a giant Mirrorball Trophy rolling down the carpet with the finalists riding in front of it. (Hey, at least it wasn’t a Christmas theme.)
The first round of competition asked the couples to perform some of their best (or “most memorable”) routines of the season. Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli were looking for better performances of those dances.
Round 1 scores in running order:
- Alexis Ren and Alan Bersten (Argentine tango from week 2): 27 (9, 9, 9)
- “I love the classical connections,” Bruno praised, but Len and Carrie Ann both knocked specific points in footwork and just a general “sharpness” respectively.
- Bobby Bones and Sharna Burgess (cha cha from week 4): 24 (8, 8, 8)
- Notably, the judges basically talked about how watching him is pleasant to watch not because it’s not good, but because it’s entertaining. (Len, at least, commented about a couple of the specific steps that weren’t good.)
- Evanna Lynch and Keo Motsepe (tango from week 6): 30 (10, 10, 10)
- Carrie Ann gave her a superlative — not “best dancer,” but rather “most improved by far,” and after it scored a 10 from her the first go-round, it was another 10 this time. “Mission accomplished” on fixing her posture and footwork, per Len.
- Milo Manheim and Witney Carson (Charleston from week 2): 30 (10, 10, 10)
- “Tonight, it was 100% right on the money,” Len said, after being booed before he even finished a sentence. Bruno called him “the real deal.”
- Alexis and Alan: 30 (10, 10,10)
- “It was really, really good,” Len concluded; Bruno commented on the challenge of the dance before telling her “you were on top of it all the way through.” Finally, Carrie Ann admitted that this couple earned a point back.
- Bobby and Sharna: 30 (10, 10, 10)
- “That was the perfect freestyle for a free spirit,” Bruno praised. Meanwhile, Carrie Ann wasn’t sure what she watched (but noted that Sharna was still counting for Bobby).
- Milo and Witney: 30 (10, 10, 10)
- Carrie Ann had to close her mouth, which overshadowed her commentary entirely; Len called his night “brilliant.” Bruno just called him a “star.”
- Evanna and Keo: 30 (10, 10, 10)
- “Absolutely stunning,” Len said, before praising Keo one last time for the choreography. Bruno said that “she behaved like a leading lady.” Finally, Carrie Ann gave her credit for reinventing the music video.
After one last filler performance, we learned the winning couple: Bobby and Sharna.
Sure, Sharna now has her first trophy after some trips to the finals, but … wow, it maybe didn’t have to be like this. Props to them for winning the fan vote, but after the night Evanna and Keo as well as Milo and Witney had, it seems particularly egregious.
With that, this season of Dancing with the Stars has come to an end. Tell us if you thought the right couple won!
With the first round finished, it was time to move to the ever-exciting freestyle performance. However, there was a slight intermission of performances: one to promote the upcoming tour, a reprise of Juan Pablo Di Pace and Cheryl Burke’s Argentine tango, and Tinashe performing live with the male pros.
Round 2 scores in running order (all dances freestyle):