DWTS 21 Finals (Night One) Live Blog and Performance Videos

DWTSPromo21

Happy Finale Monday Folks!

This is it! We have arrived at week eleven of season 21 on Dancing with the Stars, better known as the grand finale. Tonight is part one of the two part season conclusion, and it will all culminate in the crowning of our new champion tomorrow night. It feels like just yesterday that thirteen new celebrities tried their hand at ballroom dancing. But now, we are down to just four.

Bindi Irwin, Carlos PenaVega, Nick Carter, and Alek Skarlatos are the lucky four that made it through sixteen dances (including dance-off’s and other special themed routines) and have earned a spot to dance for the trophy. But by the end of tonight, only three will be left standing. We have two rounds of competition tonight before someone lands in 4th place.

In round one, one judge will help each couple choose the creative elements to a style they previous performed but this time, to a new song. Carrie Ann is with Alek and Bindi. Julianne will be helping Nick. And Bruno is teamed with Carlos. In Round two, the fan favorite freestyle round is back. Anything goes, as the finalists use special effects, extra dancers, and unexpected surprises to make their freestyles stand out.

In addition, we have some special guest performers on hand tonight, including Meghan Trainor, Who Is Fancy, and Ariane Grande. You never quite know what surprises the producers are going to throw at us during the finale, so expect the unexpected (hi, Big Brother.) Let’s take a look at last week’s poll results.

Bindi & Derek’s salsa was your favorite routine, with 44%. 29% of you loved Alek & Lindsay. Nick had 15% and Carlos was last with 13%. 42% of you did not enjoy Nick & Sharna’s tango, while 27% were not feeling Carlos & Witney’s contemporary routine. Alek had 20% and Bindi had 11%. For the trio round, 54% of you enjoyed Bindi & Derek’s jazz with Mark. In second with 22%, Nick & Sharna’s salsa with Peta. Alek & Lindsay’s argentine tango with Emma had 15% and Carlos did not make double digits. It was close for least favorite trio, with Alek & Lindsay at 32% and Carlos & Witney with 31%.

The majority of you agreed with the dance-off winners, as nearly an identical 74% of you thought Carlos defeated Alek and Bindi defeated Nick. As usual (amazing how this poll has stayed the same for so many weeks), Bindi & Derek, Nick & Sharna, and Alek & Lindsay are your favorites in that order. Finally, 42% of you think Carlos is heading home tonight in 4th place. 35% of think it will be Alek and 18% feel it will be Nick. Bindi has only 4% of that vote.

I’m with you guys on that. Even though Carlos is a better dancer than Alek (heck, I would say he is tied with Nick for dance quality), I can’t see him escaping elimination tonight. Bindi & Nick seem to be the obvious final two (yes, one had the lowest votes last week surprisingly) and Alek has never been in jeopardy and I assume is still riding that regular, nice guy wave that appeals to the voting public. Even with Alexa’s elimination two weeks ago, I don’t think Carlos did quite enough last week to make a surge and sneak into the final three. It seems as though tonight’s results are inevitable.

Regardless of the result, these four have a whole lot to be proud of. This has been one tough season, with many twists and turns. They have all done a great job conquering the various styles of dance and tonight should be a fun and competitive evening. Let’s get it all started!

Meghan Trainor starts us off performing her tune Better When I’m Dancing’. Well, that’s appropriate. Cute song. The pros and troupe members are out to dance. Mandy Moore (because of course) choreographed that routine.

Click to Watch the Group Performance feat Meghan Trainor

And here come our finalists. Everyone looks happy and ready to go. Lots of familiar faces from this season in the audience. Julianne notes that all the couples are amazing but the judges want to see some creative things in the freestyles. She notes how it could be make or break in the competition.

Carlos and Witney – Foxtrot
CARLOS-PENAVEGA

Carlos is the only person in the finals without a perfect score, so he wants that badly. Bruno arrives to help him out. He gives some tips to Carlos about the foxtrot. Bruno does feel Carlos can win but he thinks he really needs to stand out in the finals. Witney is glad they got such a hard dance. She notes that nothing worth having comes easy. Dang. This is a hot foxtrot. And not just because we have red everywhere. This is the kind of choreography I have wanted to see from Witney for a while now. Being able to mesh some new things into a classic style without being too different. This is a proper foxtrot that stands out. I’m looking closely at Carlos to see his hold, lines, and footwork and it all seems to be coming together nicely. I don’t quite remember his first foxtrot in week two but this is definitely something I would remember. As usual, Carlos has no problem adding performance value to his routines. Really nice start to the show and for Carlos’ night.

Click to Watch Carlos & Witney’s Foxtrot VIDEO

Julianne thought it was the sexiest foxtrot she has ever seen. She notes the lines were very much improved. Bruno was impressed that Carlos took everything he said and ran with it. Carrie Ann says Carlos deserves to be here. She says that Carlos has commanded the stage.
Carrie Ann- 10
Julianne- 10
Bruno- 10
Total: 30/30
You can vote for Carlos & Witney by calling 1-855-234-5605 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at abc.com and/or https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern).

Alek and Lindsay – Rumba
ALEK-SKARLATOS

Alek was ecstatic about his perfect score last week. Carrie Ann visits. Alek is a little worried about getting sexy with Linds because she is like his sister. Carrie Ann says Alek has the momentum. Alek wants to win really bad. Alek is the definition of sturdy. And I mean that in a very complimentary way. He is so strong and muscular that his dances can sometimes look awkward because he doesn’t have so much natural loose rhythm. But in certain routines, like a rumba, it works. I appreciate seeing more hip action here. I appreciate the attempt (it may not have been perfect) at showing a sexual connection in the performance. And I appreciate Lindsay’s continued choreography which has made Alek’s strengths look really good. I may have wanted to see just a little more fluidity in the dance on a whole but I’m not going to nitpick too much. An adequate rumba from start to finish.

Click to Watch Alek & Lindsay’s Rhumba VIDEO

Bruno thought Alek worked very hard. He wants the hip action to be a little more pronounced. Bruno jokes it was because Alek was involved with Lindsay. Carrie Ann thinks Alek’s strong point is his determination and strength. She agrees that more hip action was needed. She enjoyed the chemistry the most. Julianne says how surprising it is that Alek is here, eleven weeks later, with so much courage and a waxed chest. LOL. She too agrees the hip action was lacking but again, compliments the chemistry.
Carrie Ann- 9
Julianne- 9
Bruno- 9
Total: 27/30
You can vote for Alek & Lindsay by calling 1-855-234-5601 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at abc.com and/or https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern).

Peta and Artem are out to dance beautifully as Megan Trainor is singing “Like I’m Gonna Lose You.” Pretty.

Nick and Sharna – Jive
NICK-CARTER

Nick says the package last week got to him before the dance. But Sharna helped him get back into it. Julianne says the jive is the right pick for Nick. He slipped the first time doing it and it was sloppy so Julianne is advising him on how to fix all that. Nick is still doubting himself a bit but he is going to fight. FUN! Perfect song for a jive. Crips flick action going on here. Much improved on Nick’s first jive. His feet and arms look like they are ready to chop someone’s limbs off. That’s a good thing. Loving the choreography too. I personally think it was very smart for Nick to get the jive because unlike the previous two routines, I didn’t remember the first time. And with this, I vividly remember it (for the wrong reasons), so it makes tonight look like a major upgrade. Very strong jive here and lots of fun to watch.

Click to Watch Nick and Sharna’s Jive VIDEO

Carrie Ann feels like the finals just started with that. She thought it had so much content. She wants to take a moment to celebrate Sharna. She felt it was Nick’s best performance of the season. Julianne is speechless. But of course, she can speak. She compliments everything. Bruno as well loved it. He thought Nick would go wrong but never did.
Carrie Ann- 10
Julianne- 10
Bruno- 10
Total: 30/30
You can vote for Nick & Sharna by calling 1-855-234-5610 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at abc.com and/or https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern).

Bindi and Derek – Quickstep
BINDI-IRWIN

Bidni talks about how she is the only girl left in the finals. Carrie Ann is back. Derek notes how in a previous season, he broke the quickstep rules with Shawn Johnson and ended up losing that season. He won’t be doing that again. Derek is ill. Bindi is concerned. LOL. Bindi talking to the orchestra to start the routine. Cute. And here comes the fast and furious footwork. Derek is following the rules closely for this but he opted to have a few extra dancers. I’m not sure why. The routine didn’t really need it. I guess he wanted her routine to really stand out so he had her (and himself) do some cool stuff with other male dancers. On a personal level, I would have preferred just a straight up quickstep with the two of them (because they can do it and do it well). But I’m sure it is just a preference thing and most will love the decision. As for the quickstep itself, not much to add except everything was done and done right.

Click to Watch Bindi and Derek’s Quickstep VIDEO

Julianne says the quickstep is the hardest dance stamina-wise. She calls Bindi the energizer bunny. She thought it was executed so well and was fun. Bruno calls it a gem of a quickstep. He compliments the concept and the execution. Carrie Ann says Bindi is in a class of her own. She says something about feeling like she is a better person after watching Bindi dance. A star is born, Carrie Ann gushes.
Carrie Ann- 10
Julianne- 10
Bruno- 10
Total: 30/30
You can vote for Bindi & Derek by calling 1-855-234-5604 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at abc.com and/or https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern).

*So, 3 couples are tied with perfect scores after round one. Alek is 3 points behind. The freestyles are coming up and everything could change drastically. Or, the judges could play it safe and award everyone perfection. We shall see.

Who Is Fancy is out to perform “Boys Like You” with Megan Trainor and Ariana Grande. I never heard this tune and I didn’t know Who Is Fancy. But boy can sing! Catchy song and the three blend voices nicely. If we are going to have filler, at least it is entertaining.

Click to Watch Who is Fancy ft Ariana Grande and Meghan Trainor VIDEO

The pros now discuss the freestyle. They talk about how important this dance is and how it is the last dance the audience sees before they vote. Everything depend on this no rules routine. EPIC. And the freestyles commence following the break.

Carlos and Witney – Freestyle

Carlos says their freestyle will be like a hip-hop/salsa fusion. Carlos has to be just as good as the pros dancing with him. Carlos is worried about having “wow” moments that aren’t them. Witney agrees with that thought. OH. Carlos brought Hayes, Paula, and Alexa back to dance with them. That’s sweet. And yes, Carlos finally gets to dance with his wife. Okay. Fun. So, Paula, Hayes, and Alexa are barely there when it comes down to it. I think they all danced for 5 seconds tops. Carlos and Witney are getting down and dirty with their hip-hop which is fun to see. Some nice side by side dancing and even some cool salsa moves thrown in for good measure. All that being said, I am a bit underwhelmed. It wasn’t bad. At all. And it was fun to watch. And I compliment them for in a way, saluting the entire season by having some favorites back. But I guess I expected more. I mean, this is it. Perhaps Carlos didn’t want to do anything crazy that wasn’t what his fans are used to but in a freestyle (especially going first), you must stand out. Once three more routines are done, will this stand out? Or will it just be remembered as that solid hip-hip routine? I’m thinking the latter.

Click to Watch Carlos and Witney’s Freestyle VIDEO

Julianne liked it. She thought that the dance showed that Carlos is a stand up guy. So, she understood why Carlos brought back the stars. Bruno calls it fresh. He loved the cheeky fun. He also loved the bringing back of friends. Carrie Ann loves Carlos’ heart. She thought it was fresh and fly.
Carrie Ann- 10
Julianne- 10
Bruno- 10
Total: 30/30
You can vote for Carlos & Witney by calling 1-855-234-5605 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at abc.com and/or https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern).

*Interesting to note- Alexa went home on a perfect night. Carlos has had a perfect night. Is history about to repeat itself?

Alek and Lindsay – Freestyle

Lindsay wants the freestyle to be like an obstacle course. Kind of like the army. Lindsay is excited because she has never choreographed a freestyle. Wow. This is going to be tough to pull off if they can. Lots of hurdles (pun intended) to get through but if they pull it off, could be magic. Alright. So, they went for a bit of hyperbole with the talk leading up to the dance. Yeah, they had a wall and they climbed a bit but they made it sound like the duo were about to enter basic training. LOL. Still, this fit Alek to perfection. No latin here. Just a strong, sturdy routine that required Alek to use those muscles. I can’t imagine anyone other than Lindsay being Alek’s partner during this run on the show because boy oh boy does she know how to choreograph him. She never goes too far into giving him things that will fail but always pushes what he can do to the max. Entertaining. I’m still waiting to be absolutely blown away by a freestyle though.

Click to Watch Alek and Lindsay’s Freestyle VIDEO

Bruno thought it was translated into perfection. He compliments Lindsay’s choreography. Carrie Ann does the same. She says this will be remembered for years to come. Julianne thought it was amazing. She loved how physically and emotionally powerful it was. She had chills.
Carrie Ann- 10
Julianne- 10
Bruno- 10
Total: 30/30
You can vote for Alek & Lindsay by calling 1-855-234-5601 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at abc.com and/or https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern).

Bindi & Derek – Freestyle

Oh, switching up the order for the final two? I wonder why. Derek and Bindi discuss the end of the season. Aww. Derek is crying. Derek wants his routine with Bindi to feel authentic, without the extra pops and stuff. Bindi feels like Derek put the feeling into the freestyle like 3 people are dancing, her dad included. Oh man. Keeping in mind Nick still has to go, I think Bindi may have just won the competition regardless of what he does. Derek (in the same fashion as with Kellie Pickler a few seasons ago), opts for just dancing. No gimmicks whatsoever. And the result is a spellbinding feast for the eyes. Just gorgeous movement that you really have to watch and be glued to in order to see the beauty in it. Everything in there was just on point and perfect. You can’t really top dancing from the heart. When you dance from that special place, there’s nothing else to be said. A picture of Bindi and Steve appear behind them to close out the dance and the tears start flowing. Yes, I would be legitimately shocked if Bindi was crowned tomorrow night.

Click to Watch Bindi and Derek’s Freestyle VIDEO

Carrie Ann called it a dancer’s freestyle. She thanks Bindi’s mom and dad for creating her. She rambles on a bit but basically, she loved it. Julianne feels the difference with Bindi is that she has taken everyone on the journey with her. Bruno says Bindi showed us the power of dance. Bindi goes to hug everyone.
Carrie Ann- 10
Julianne- 10
Bruno- 10
Total: /30
You can vote for Bindi & Derek by calling 1-855-234-5604 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at abc.com and/or https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern).

Nick and Sharna – Freestyle

Sharna thinks the freestyle is a celebration. Nick is going to do a Backstreet Boys song and go out with a bang. Sharna wants it to be a little dangerous. She wants to blow expectations. Sharna mentions about how she hasn’t won yet and she wants to win it for Nick. Nick wants to win. It’s a boy-band explosion. LOL. No, for real. If you went to a Backstreet Boys concert, this is what you would see. Oops. Nick had a little trouble with that one lift. But thankfully saved it. Sharna is okay. Props to the in-sync (no pun) dancing between the two here. Nick has a lot of solo time in this. That’s good. Show off those moves! I’m not sure what Sharna considered dangerous about this (maybe Nick dancing alone so much). Basically, what you see here is a very crowd pleasing number that is sure to fire up Nick’s fans to vote in droves. And that is smart. Also good news- he was consistent tonight with no glaring errors in both dances. I still think Bindi has this but Nick (and Sharna) made good choices. Very fun number.

Click to Watch Nick and Sharna’s Freestyle VIDEO

Julianne says it could have been very expected but it was very tight and Nick nailed every single bit. Bruno felt like a fan. He sings. He actually does. He notes that everyone tonight has been amazing. Carrie Ann says she has pushed Nick hard throughout the season because he just finished the finals with an incredibly awesome freestyle. She says he killed it.
Carrie Ann- 10
Julianne- 10
Bruno- 10
Total: 10/30
You can vote for Nick & Sharna by calling 1-855-234-5610 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at abc.com and/or https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern).

*So, four freestyles and four perfect scores. Intentional? Maybe. Perhaps the judges know the result on who is going home tonight and wanted to make it even so fans could vote for the winner tomorrow night. Right now, everyone is tied with 60 except for Alek, who has 57. That’s really nothing considering the viewer votes so everything does seem to hang on viewer votes and tomorrow’s final fusion dance.

But before we get to that, someone (sadly) has to go home in 4th place. That’s up next.

Elimination

This really sucks. I hope all four couples are proud though. Each had a fabulous season and each had a great night tonight. Not a single one can say they went out on a bad note.

Viewer votes and judges scores for the last two weeks have been combined.

SAFE
Alek & Lindsay
Bindi & Derek

And we are down to two.

And in this, week 11… just 24 hours before the finale, the couple eliminated tonight, landing in 4th place is:

Carlos & Witney
CARLOS-PENAVEGA

Carlos thanks God for the opportunity. He has made some great friends. He has learned so much about himself. And he thanks Witney. Alexa joins Carlos as they watch the highlights of his time on the show. Aww. Sweet. Carlos, definitely disappointed is taking the elimination well. He should be proud. Everyone comes in for a huge hug.

Click to Watch Carlos and Witney’s Elimination VIDEO

And we have our three remaining finalists.

Judge Leaderboard After Week Eleven (Out of 60 for 2 Rounds)
Carlos & Witney – 60/60
Bindi & Derek – 60/60
Nick & Sharna – 60/60
Alek & Lindsay – 57/60

I’m going to put up the usual (and for the last time this season) polls in a few. What did you guys think of night one of the finale? Did anyone’s routines change your mind or do you know who you want to win the whole thing? Is it different from who you think will? Sad about Carlos going out 4th? Sound off and take those polls in a bit. Thanks for watching with me and please, stop on by tomorrow night at 9PM Eastern for the big conclusion. :D