Finals night on Dancing with the Stars!!! Each pair performed two dances; a Redemption dance (a genre chosen by the judges for each) and the Freestyle. I think this is the first final I've watched that slips and trips which unfortunately tarnished some scores. I was thrilled to have Len Goodman call out Carrie Ann Inaba for her harsh stance on lifts. If it's brazen, deduct, if it's an accident, leave it be. I was less passionate about this Final than past seasons, but overall, the dancing was really superb.
Redemption Dances
I find Calvin Johnson Jr. and Lindsay Arnold adorable. They have such a sweet relationship, but there's something so odd about it. She's so silly and girly and he has such a cool and mature demeanor. Anyway, their redemption dance was a Viennese Waltz and they practically floated around the floor. I'm going to go so far as to say it was breathtaking. 35.
Jana Kramer and Gleb Savchenko were able to redeem their Tango from Week 2 when Jana performed through an injury. I actually agreed with Julianne when she said that they performed so much on a platform on stage that she was just waiting for them to step off of it and dance. They made some beautiful pictures on that platform, but it wasn't strong content-wise. I expected more for a "redemption" dance. What they did they did well, it just wasn't very satisfying. 35.
Laurie Hernandez and Val Chmerkovskiy were able to redeem their Paso Doble from Week 5. They came out with a lot of power and passion, but it was lacking some of the signature Paso stuff that I love. Despite that, Laurie was fierce and flawless. 38
James Hinchcliffe and Sharna Burgess glide across the floor like a dream. I could watch those 2 all day. They redeemed their Foxtrot and if it weren't for a little trip during the performance, it would have been perfection. Love this team. 37
Freestyle
Jana and Gleb came out with a super strong Freestlye. They were connected at the waist with a piece of fabric for about 75% of the performance. It was pretty amazing the way Gleb choreographed around it. Unfortunately, there was another little trip. So tough! No doubt this would have been a 40 if it weren't for that error. 36.
There was a certain freedom to Lindsay and Calvin's freestyle. During Jana and Gleb's I felt tense. These two on the other hand, had so much fun and the performance was so light and entertaining. Huge shout-out to Lindsay who crushed the entire thing from the choreography to the production value. I could watch these 2 all day too! 40.
Laurie and Val are also super adorable. They had a playground-themed Freestyle which was a blast. It captured the youth, innocence and infectious joy of Laurie Hernandez. Val nailed it. Loved it. 40
Like Jana and Gleb, James and Sharna went the contemporary-route for their Freestyle. The performance was perfection, chronicling James' journey of recovery from his accident. I can't deny it being 40-worthy, but I'm basic and want the fun of Calvin's and Laurie's. 40.
There will be one more night of competition, but Jana will not be there. She was voted off and it seemed as though she was prepared for it. Unfortunately, their missteps during both performances were too much to overcome.
