It’s finale week on Dancing with the Stars season 20. Only three couples remain and either Rumer Willis and Val Chmerkovskiy, Riker Lynch and Allison Holker, or Noah Galloway and Sharna Burgess will win the Golden Mirror Ball.
Even though it’s the final performance show of DWTS season 20, things will move a lot quicker. It’s only a single hour as the three couples will each perform twice. First, they will reprise a routine they did from earlier in the season, and then comes the highly-anticipated Freestyles. Tuesday night will feature one last chance to win judges’ points with the 24-hour fusion challenge before the winner is revealed.
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The final 3 walk out and Riker is in full Captain Jack Sparrow garb. I already love it. First up are the reprises.
Noah Galloway and Sharna Burgess: Argentine Tango from Latin Night
They got a 30 the first time around. He wants to prove that he belongs in the finale and he’s improved. Honestly, it’s about the same as last time. He still does almost nothing in this routine, just standing there, stomping around, and lifting her somewhat awkwardly. The judges think there’s a little improvement, but the last lift was off. They all blame the nerves and Noah knows he wasn’t his best.
Judges’ Scores: 8+8+8+8=32
That’s a fair enough score. He’s gonna need a LOT of viewer support to win.
Riker Lynch and Allison Holker: Pirates Paso Doble from Disney Night
It’s my favorite dance of the entire season which somehow only got a 38 the first time (thanks to Len Goodman and Julianne Hough being stingy). He knows Rumer is gonna get 10s and that she is his primary competition. Even though I’ve seen it before, it’s still exciting. If I’m being completely honest, I preferred the first one when he was more manic, but I still love it. Len gives them a standing ovation and calls it “epic.” Julianne adds that this felt more controlled, which is what she wanted last time.
Judges’ Scores: 10+10+10+10=40
Wow, Riker is getting a big boost from the judges’ comments this week. Riker hilariously stays in character during his interview with Erin Andrews, referring to Allison as “my dear Elizabeth.”
Rumer Willis and Val Chmerkovskiy: Foxtrot from Week 1
They’re going back to the beginning when they got a 32 (which was good since the judges refused to give out 9s and 10s when the season began). This time it’s all about her confidence. She’s definitely a more mature dancer and it’s the kind of beautiful perfection we’ve come to expect from her. The judges are impressed with how far she’s come as a dancer. Even her dad, Bruce Willis, is crying in the audience.
Judges’ Scores: 10+10+10+10=40
OK, the judges are making it clear that this season SHOULD be about Riker vs. Rumer and Noah should just be happy to finish in third.
The theme for this finale is Inspiration vs. Entertainment vs. Emotion. And now it’s time for what we’ve all been waiting for…FREESTYLES! And Twitter gets to decide which encore we’ll see tomorrow.
Noah Galloway and Sharna Burgess: Freestyle
Sharna wants to reveal the vulnerable side of Noah, the moment he woke up on Christmas day after his war injury. He’s going totally shirtless and if that’s a last-ditch effort to win votes, I support it because the dude is smoking hot. It’s a very moving Contemporary routine filled with extra pros. It strikes at the core of everything we love about Noah and they use a killer mash-up of songs from “Titanium’ to “Fix You.” It’s all about his story and beautifully wraps up his journey. The judges talk about how artistic it is.
Judges’ Scores: 10+10+10+10=40
Last season all of the Freestyles got perfect scores. I expect the same thing this time.
Riker Lynch and Allison Holker: Freestyle
Like Alfonso last season, these two are going to focus on actual dancing for their Freestyle instead of some emotional Contemporary routine. He’s got a top hat and tails and they’re both in all-white. That’s a smart move to distinguish himself from the others. It starts off graceful and classy, but there are some fun modern hip-hop moments to show off his energy and enthusiasm. It’s a wonderful combination of old school and new school. The judges love his showmanship and compare him to Fred Astaire with a modern flair.
Judges’ Scores: 10+10+10+10=40
That’s two all-perfect weeks in a row for Riker. Finishing with four perfect dances in a row is very impressive.
Rumer Willis and Val Chmerkovskiy: Freestyle
They’re dancing to a cover of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” featuring Rumer singing and Val playing the violin. They want to step out from the shadows of their more famous relatives. This is so damn bad-ass and far less Contemporary than Val’s usual Freestyles. It’s an intense and sexy Argentine Tango (note to Noah from round 1: THIS is what an Argentine Tango looks like). Hands down it’s my favorite routine of the night. Carrie Ann Inaba calls her “a dancer’s dancer.” And Len throws shade at Noah and Riker by saying that they didn’t have a group of people around them, it was just them dancing.
Judges’ Scores: 10+10+10+10=40
Rumer just got the judges’ Seal of Approval. It’s now there’s to lose.
Tomorrow we’ll get the 24-hour fusion challenge to finish out the final leaderboard. I fully expect more perfect scores for Riker and Rumer, while Noah will likely get 8s or 9s since he can’t rely on emotion. So basically, Noah will have to beat both Rumer and Riker by more than 3.5 percent of the vote to win.
THE LEADERBOARD
80: Riker Lynch, Rumer Willis
72: Noah Galloway
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
