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| Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough on Season 16 of Dancing with the Stars |
For the Dancing with the Stars finals - season 16, week 10 - the four remaining celebrities performed in three rounds: Judge's Choice, Cha-Cha Relay and Freestyle. At the end of the show Disney teen Zendaya and country singer Kellie Pickler were one point apart, with 65 and 64 points, respectively. On tonight’s finale the public vote will be added in and a winner will be named. Our prediction is that Kellie Pickler will win; after the broadcast we’ll update this post with the results.
Update: To see who won click "Read More", then scroll down to the bottom of the article.
The show is hosted by Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke-Charvet, the routines are judged by Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli, and the music is provided by the Harold Wheeler Orchestra. For the first round the contestants do the Judge's Choice dances. Here's a rundown of last night's performances in the show's finals.
Superbowl Champion Jacoby Jones and Karina Smirnoff do a Jive to the song "Shake It" by Metro Station. Len visits their rehearsal to help Jacoby with his footwork. He gives Jacoby a tip for how to kick properly in his jive: pretend he’s kicking a peanut. For the performance Jacoby wears black pants with a purple stripe down the leg, and a purple shirt with orange suspenders and tie; Karina wears a purple, backless, beaded fringe costume. Len’s critique is that the “Judge’s Pick is all about seeing improvement, and there was improvement.” Len says that although Jacoby “lost it” on occasion, he did see “crisper footwork.” Bruno cites Jacoby’s “limitless supply of energy and power,” and then agrees with Len, whom he calls “Gandalf the Great,” and says Jacoby did miss a few times, but the dance was great fun. Len laughs and calls Bruno “Frodo.” Carrie Ann agrees and says that Jacoby brought the swagger, but that the peanuts won.
SCORES: Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, Bruno 9 for a total of 27 out of 30
Olympic Gymnast Alexandra Raisman and Mark Ballas do a Samba to the song Hips Don’t Lie by Shakira. Bruno stops by their rehearsal for a coaching session, and encourages them to add a Samba roll dance move to their routine. He tells them elasticity and sharpness is the key. For their performance Aly wears a nude and gold beaded costume with a fringed skirt; Mark is in beige pants with a fringe piece over the front, and a gold satin top. Bruno calls Aly a “scrumptious little tease,” and says, “there’s no stopping you now… cleaner and slicker than ever.” Carrie Ann says that Aly has momentum and the best elements of each couple. Len liked the combination of basic steps and sexy moves, and although he has minor issues with her legs, he agrees with Carrie Ann that Aly is on her way up.
SCORES: Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, Bruno 10 for a total of 28 out of 30
Country Singer Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough do a Quickstep to the song "Peppy and George" by Ludovic Bource. Len Goodman stops by rehearsal to coach Kellie and Derek. His advice is for them to work on their contact by keeping their “knobbly bits” (pelvic areas) together. He also tells them. “The more you sweat, the better you get. For their performance Kellie wears a white satin gown with rhinestone embellishment on the bodice; Derek is in white pants and vest with a black shirt. Len compliments their contact saying it was “like a stamp on a letter.” Bruno calls Kellie “The Southern belle of the ball,” and says their dance was a technical “tour de force.” Carrie Ann says the one thing she was looking for was improvement in their body contact, and she saw it.
SCORES: Carrie Ann 10, Len 10, Bruno 10 for a total of 30 out of 30
Disney Star Zendaya and Val Chmerkovskiy do a Samba to the song "Yerbatero" by Juanes. Val was injured in rehearsal when Zendaya accidentally elbowed him in his right eye – we see shots of him with blood running down his face, and his eye is swollen for the show. Carrie Ann stops by their rehearsal and helps Zendaya work on her balance. For their performance Zendaya wears a red beaded fringed costume and red leggings; Val is in all black except for a red sleeve garter. Carrie Ann compliments the teen for working her “Zendaya magic.” Len rhymed that the dance was, “eye popping, show stopping, and jaw dropping!” Bruno enthuses, “You have a natural flamboyance… what you showed tonight was incredible technique.”
SCORES: Carrie Ann 10, Len 10, Bruno 10 for a total of 30 out of 30
For the Cha-Cha Relay round every couple dances to the same song – "Treasure" by Bruno Mars – for 40 seconds. After the performances the pairs are ranked 1 through 4, with the 1st place couple getting 5 points, 2nd place getting 4 points, and so on. All of them women wear variations of black and silver beaded costumes, and all of the men wear black. After the round Len says that “this is the four I think deserved to make it into the finals.” Bruno calls them “the magnificent four,” and Carrie Ann says they are “so diverse.” Then the ranking is announced:
1st Place, 5 points, Zendaya and Val; 2nd Place, 4 points, Kelly and Derek; 3rd Place, 3 points, Aly and Mark; 4th Place, 2 points, Jacoby and Karina.
For round three, the contestants do their Super Size Freestyle numbers.
Jacoby and Karina dance to the song “Can't Hold Us" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Their freestyle is a tribute to New Orleans with stomping and tap dancers. Jacoby wears a black bandleader costume, then rips off the jacket and is shirtless in black pants; Karina rips off her jacket to reveal gold shorts and a purple bra top with gold short sleeves attached. Len says it was “like a 108 yard touchdown.” Bruno likens it to watching a Mardi Gras parade down Bourbon Street.” He says Jacoby “lost timing a few times,” but says he dance was “joyful.” Carrie Ann says, “I’m with Bruno. I think you chose the right strategy for you, but got a little bit lost in the shuffle.”
SCORES: Carrie Ann 9, Len 9, Bruno 9 for a total of 27 out of 30.
Alexandra and Mark dance to the song “Icarus" by Madeon. They use vertical poles in their routine to take advantage of Aly’s gymnastic talent. Aly wears a pastel beaded costume with fringe; Mark wears a blue-green top with shiny black pants. Bruno likes that the dance had “a touch of exotic,” and says he’s “never seen anything like it.” Carrie Ann was reminded of when she worked on a pole as a dancer on a Madonna tour, and praises Aly for always pushing her boundaries. Len loved the concept and complimented it for “great imagination.”
SCORES: Carrie Ann 10, Len 10, Bruno 10 for a total of 30 out of 30
Kellie and Derek dance to the song "Beneath Your Beautiful" by Labrinth and Emeli Sandé. Instead of doing a big production, Derek opts for a stripped-down number with harder choreography. Kellie wears a white and peach costume with an asymmetrical white chiffon skirt; Derek is in a white shirt and black pants. The choreography was so moving, and the execution was so perfect, this dance made me cry, and it made Carrie Ann bawl too. Through tears she says, “You just bared your soul on the dance floor… one of the most beautiful I have ever seen.” Len offers, “Good dancing engages the brain, great dancing engages the heart.” Then Len gives Kellie and Derek a standing ovation. Bruno calls the routine a “spellbinding, beautiful, contemporary work of art.”
SCORES: Carrie Ann 10, Len 10, Bruno 10 for a total of 30 out of 30
Zendaya and Val dance to the song "Beauty and a Beat" by Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj. Their routine is a combination of cha-cha, contemporary and hip hop, and they have children dancing with them. Zendaya wears an off-white beaded long-sleeved costume with a pure white chiffon, handkerchief hemline, and her signature sneakers; Val is in a white satin shirt and black pants. Len says they were “right in sync” and notices how the dance had so many parts that all came together. Bruno says Zendaya has a “unique luminosity… everything you do…. you always shine through it.” Carrie Ann tells Zendaya, “You brought it home, you sealed the deal,” and says the routine showcased why Zendaya is such a good role model.
SCORES: Carrie Ann 10, Len 10, Bruno 10 for a total of 30 out of 30
DANCING WITH THE STARS SEASON 16 FINALS LEADERBOARD
(Judges Choice + Cha Cha Relay + Free Style)
Zendaya and Val: 30 + 5 + 30 = Overall total 65
Kellie and Derek: 30 + 4 + 30 = Overall total 64
Alexandra and Mark: 28 + 3 + 30 = Overall total 61
Jacoby and Karina: 27 + 2 + 27 = Overall total 56
On tonight’s DWTS live season finale (May 21, 2013) Pitbull, Psy, Wynonna Judd and Jessica Sanchez perform, and a winner will be announced. We predict Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough will win – leave a comment and tell us who you think will go home with the coveted mirror ball trophy.
Update: The winners of Dancing with the Stars season 16 are Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough.
For more info about the finale read this post:
Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough Win Dancing with the Stars Season 16
To see all of our Dancing with the Stars coverage click here.
Dancing with the Stars airs on Mondays at 8/7c on ABC
DWTS results shows air on Tuesdays 9/8c on ABC
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