The final night of the Dancing With the Stars finale started off with a recap of the previous night. Erin Andrews and Maksim performed the “Redemption dance.” Erin and Maks really let it fly with their high energy Samba and delivered a great dance that ended with both planting a kiss on the cheek of judge Len Goodman which he seemed to like a little too much, but it was all cool. They finished out the round with a score of 29 points.
Evan and Anna came out next dancing to Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” which was good but Evan was a little robotic with their waltz which was a big reason they only netted a score of 28.
Nicole Scherzinger and Derek Hough who have been the favorites since before the show even aired came out with a rumba for their opening round of the evening. She and Derek need a different scoring scale, because they are just that good. As usual the judges nitpicked her mercilessly because they never seem to want to say she can’t improve and slapped her in the face with a too low score of 28.
Erin and Maks came out to Heart’s “Alone” for their next dance which oozed raw sensuality. Their timing was great, the finishing spin/flip move was awesome, but it seemed a little dead none the less for a freestyle. It was a bit too much of 0 to 60 back to 0 an got muddled. They scored 26 for the round, and that may have been the score that took them out.
Evan and Anna came out performing their freestyle round to “Footloose” and he looked good and smiled and all of that, but he was still robotic and a bit stiff and his spins were not too polished for this point in the competition. Even the judges cited great energy, there was just nothing there and the dance sucked more than a frat pledge on a beer bong opening the door back up for Erin and Maks with their score of 24.
Nicole and Derek had a great freestyle aside from one problem on a lift but were otherwise amazing. Their score of 27 was good - just not great. It is too hard to really find anything wrong with what they are doing aside from a slip on the final lift.
The actual finale began with the competitors that were voted off along with the final three doing an ensemble dance, and to his credit Buzz Aldrin didn’t relieve himself on stage. Even Kate Gosselin almost had a hint of rhythm. With that, it was time to get to the final two dances for each couple.
Nicole and Derek got the party started with the Argentine Tango. Aside from one handhold that may have been slightly off they were as good as it gets. It was passion, precision, and perfection. It’s not unusual for Bruno to gush, or Carrie Ann Inaba for that fact, but to get Len Goodman to do it is a true indicator the dance is on.
Evan and Anna also performed the Argentine Tango, and Evan had a little slip almost right away. Anna then had a slight hitch with her leg on a wrap around, and although they were not huge issues, they were visible enough. He was better, just not awesome. The judges talked like they loved it, but they may have seen a different dance than the cameras caught.
Erin and Maks rounded things out with yet another Argentine Tango. They looked better than Evan and Anna, but just a tad under Nicole and Derek. The lift was great, the footwork was strong, and she maintained great poise. With their dance over, the judges had to tabulate scores.
Erin and Maks got 3rd place with 26 points while Evan and Anna took 2nd with 28 points. That left Nicole and Derek with a score of 30 for taking 1st place and the lead. With the fan vote left to reveal the pressure was on. Erin and Maks wound up with the lowest combined score, and found their way off the stage and out of the competition.
Nicole came out for their last dance to “Proud Mary” and they straight up killed. Tina Turner would have even loved her right down to the vintage fringe dress. She was impeccable. Before the scores even came out Len Goodman anointed them the winner. There was nothing wrong in their dance, and it was the dance of the year which made the score of 30 an automatic.
Evan and Anna had to come out and throw down a perfect score and hope for the fan vote as well to win the mirrored disco ball. They danced the quick step to Cheap Tricks “I Want You to Want me”, and as much as everyone wanted them to kill with this dance but they were just short on that. They were really good with high energy but nothing was beating Nicole and Derek. They were given a score of 28 which meant only the fan vote could save them.
With both couples center stage awaiting the total from the judges cards and fan vote to be announced the tension was incredible. As expected, Nicole and Derek were named the winners and she totally lost it in a fit of elation. Without doubt, she is to the point the best celebrity contestant ever.
Without a doubt, this may have been the best season ever for Dancing With the Stars. The cast provided a great mix of appealing stories, the best dancers top to almost bottom as Buzz Aldrin and Kate Gosselin really were not cut out for this, and a lot of fun for viewers. While it is hard to say any of the final three couples lost, two did, and Nicole and Derek were just too good almost for the show at all. Finishing second to them is almost like taking home a win.