‘Dancing With the Stars’ Week 10: Freestyles in the House!
Warning: This recap of Week 10 of Dancing With the Stars contains spoilers.
The 24th season of Dancing With the Stars is almost a wrap, but first, there’s the little formality of the bloated, two-part finale that will culminate with the crowning of this season’s winner on Tuesday night. And what a long, strange season it’s been. Was Chris Kattan this season or last? Because that chaotic Roxbury dance seems so long ago. By finale night, the well-meaning Kattans, the Charos, even the Nancy Kerrigans are weeded out, and what’s left is the top of the class… except for Simone Biles, who’s sitting in the audience. Sigh.
The first night of the finale two-parter had the final three couples completing a redemption challenge (translation: they got a second chance at a dance they screwed up earlier in the season) as well as the all-important freestyles, where anything goes and perfect scores are pretty much guaranteed. Carrie Ann Inaba drops her lift policy for these things, too, so that alone is worth the price of admission.
Here’s a breakdown of how the stars did on this final full night of competition.
Rashad Jennings and Emma Slater: 40/40 + 40/40
Redemption: His Week 2 Viennese Waltz scored only 32 points, but this time around, Rashad upped the ante for a perfect score. Bruno Tonioli complimented the NLF star’s footwork (gasp!), and Len Goodman told him, “I saw improvement in every level of the dance.”
Freestyle: It’s pretty obvious Rashad wants that mirrorball really, really badly, so he helped write the choreography for a supersized, colorful “Uptown Funk”-ified freestyle. “That is how you turn this mutha out!” Carrie Ann raved. Even Len admitted the dance was so good, he was able to tolerate the music.
Normani Kordei and Val Chmerkovskiy: 38 /40 + 40/40
Redemption: Julianne Hough said Normani and Val have been the most consistent couple all season long, but early on Len gave the dynamic duo a lowly 6 for their quickstep. Redemption time! Normani showed up in a killer catsuit and made everyone forget that Week 1 dance. Bruno called this improved routine “brilliant,” but Len thought the whole thing was a bit “speedy.” (Um, it’s a quickstep, Grumps).Oh well, at least he coughed up 3 more points than last time.
Freestyle: Forget supersized, this was simple. The only extras this elegant dance had were two kiddie counterparts and a single white rose. Carrie Ann told the Fifth Harmony star she’s in a class by herself, while Len said the dance was “so emotional” and had “so much beauty.” “It was just breathtaking,” he said. Bruno added, “It was like watching angels dancing.”
David Ross and Lindsay Arnold: 33/40 + 40/40
Redemption: David Ross still can’t seem to wrap his head around the fact that he beat out Simone Biles for a spot in the finals. The MLB star credited his fans as he headed into his redemption Viennese Waltz, a dance he originally did in Week 4 with his booty way out. This time, Len called the World Series champ’s road to the mirrorball trophy “a Cinderella story,” but he told him he might need last week’s lemon back to help keep his bum under — and he scored him accordingly. Carrie Ann told David he beat all the odds, but his feet were sometimes out of sync.
Freestyle: A glittery trip to the ballgame for an all-American freestyle turned out to be a grand slam, complete with popcorn and prop bats. Carrie Ann told David he hit his personal best, while Len told the retired Cubs catcher he knocked this supersized routine out of the ballpark. “The only thing missing was a beer and a hotdog,” he said.
The season finale of Dancing With the Stars airs Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. on ABC. Watch clips and full episodes of DWTS for free on Yahoo View.
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