Dancing with the Stars All-Stars final three competitors Melissa Rycroft, Kelly Monaco, and Shawn Johnson – Photo: ABC
Dancing With the Stars All-Stars returned for the final performance night of competition as the three remaining couples danced for the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy.
Former DWTS champions Kelly Monaco and Shawn Johnson squared off against Melissa Rycroft, the only All-Star without a Mirror Ball to her name. It was an epic night of competition as each couple danced their favorite routines of the season and a freestyle.
Kelly Monaco and Val Chmerkovskiy kicked off the night with a paso doble from earlier in the season. It was one of their strongest routine to date, so it only made sense to try it one more time with everything on the line. The decision paid off when both Len and Bruno handed the pair their first perfect 10s of the season while Carrie Ann docked half a point for a failed transition . At the end of the paso doble, Kelly and Val went into the second dance with 29.5.
For the freestyle, Kelly and Val took on a Dirty Dancing theme to “I’ve Had the Time of Life” for one of the most ambitious routines of the night. With Val on violin and Kelly hanging from silks, the pair were joined by the DTWS dance troupe for an ensemble performance. Although the judges felt the routine lacked originality, Kelly and Val scored another 29.5 to put them in second place with a total of 59 points.
Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani needed a big night and the pair made sure it happened. For their redo dance, Melissa and Tony brought back their high-flying samba. It was all twirls and spins and arguably the best performance of the night. One of the pair’s stand-out routines of the season, the samba proved to America that Melissa was a true contender. Forget The Bachelor, Melissa was on fire this week! The judges agreed with perfects 10s across the table for 30 points.
Could Melissa and Tony keep their perfect pace for their second routine?
The answer was a resounding YES! Melissa and Tony hit the ABC dance floor with a contemporary routine that took advantage of the pair’s ability to execute lifts. Melissa put all of her faith in Tony who helped his partner fly higher than we’ve seen in previous weeks. It was another perfect 30, a final performance total of 60 points, and first place on the leaderboard.
Shawn Johnson and Derek Hough once again threw caution (and the judges’ opinions) to the wind by choosing to perform their quickstep from earlier in the season. It was a bad move for the duo who broke the rules again with flips that weren’t allowed in the routine. Although both the crowd and judges loved the dance, Shawn and Derek were penalized and given a low score of 27 points.
Team USA’s Fab Five gymnasts Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, Kyla Ross and Jordyn Wieber joined Shawn and Derek for an incredibly intricate freestyle routine filled with high-flying tricks. Despite the bigger, better approach, the judges handed out another low score of 27 and a final total of 54 points.
Dancing with the Stars All-Stars Leaderboard
Melissa and Tony: 60
Kelly and Val: 59
Shawn and Derek: 57