Hey All :)
This is it! Welcome to week nine of Dancing with the Stars Juniors. Tonight, the remaining four pairs return to the dance floor to perform for the final time. After two rounds of competition, we will find out which dancing duo will be the first ever Juniors champions.
Each junior will be dancing with their mentor for the first time as well as performing in what many consider the make it or break it round of the finale- the freestyles. Last week’s judges scores and audience votes will be added to tonight to determine the champions. Will it be Mack, Miles, Sky, or Ariana?
It will be a holiday theme throughout the finale and expect to see many of this seasons stars return to dance once more time. I really do hope ABC renews this little gem for a second season. In many ways, this show has been a welcome change to the usual and if we are being honest, has been more enjoyable than the mess that this past season of Dancing with the Stars was. At the very least, whoever wins tonight will actually be able to dance. What a novel idea. :D
The show kicks off with all 12 Juniors kid couples, their mentors, judges Mandy Moore, Val Chmerkovskiy and Adam Rippon, and hosts Jordan Fischer and Frankie Muniz dancing to Whitney Myer’s “Dancing in the Stars.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpIKCHTHTXU
Favorite Dance featuring a Mentor is first:
Mackenzie & Sage (Menror- Gleb) – Cha-Cha-Cha
Nice. Gleb was a fine addition- basically he and Sage just showed off Mack, which is what they are indeed supposed to do. No messing about here- just a solid cha-cha-cha. I think Mack has loosened up a bit from the first time she did this routine, which is a good thing.
Mandy loved that she got to see it a second time. She feels Mack was more in control of her legs more. Adam says she is a different girl and she has fire in her eyes. Val says Mack shined in her dance and he gives props to Gleb.
Val- 9
Mandy- 9
Adam- 10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbgPP-T25Cg
Ariana & Artyon (Mentor- Brandon) – Jazz
Brandon hit that a little too hard in the beginning. Don’t outshine your juniors now! But this was as adorable as the first go around and I especially love how into it Ariana gets with her attitude. She’s such a little diva.
Adam calls it incredible. He says she is right on track. Val calls it iconic. Mandy loves the team. She says Ariana has done an incredible job and once again, props to the mentor and partner.
Val- 10
Mandy- 10
Adam- 10
Hmm. I don’t think that deserved a three whole points higher than the first dance but what do I know?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnrnUsRId3E
Miles & Rylee (Mentor- Lindsay) – Salsa
Great dance. Miles has really come into his own these last few weeks. He is so sharp and confident in his movements now. And Lindsay just added a hint of perfection, always complimenting Miles and being in-sync with Rylee throughout. Loved that.
Val loved seeing this number again. He calls it awesome. Mandy calls Miles electric. She tells Lindsay that she has done an incredible job. Adam says Miles has grown so much from week one.
Val- 10
Mandy- 9
Adam- 9
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPbRXXujXN4
Sky & JT (Mentor- Alan) – Salsa
LOL at Alan almost falling off the skateboard. I have to say, he has shown such care to his kids- probably more than any other mentor on the show. And you can tell it is totally genuine. Not my favorite Sky routine and I was hoping they would repeat another but still, Sky is a star and JT is going to be a dancing phenom when he gets older.
Mandy says Sky embodies what the show is all about. She even gives Alan props with mentioning the skateboard mishap. Adam says Sky has grown the most. Val agrees and believes Sky has put in the word and cay say she is a dancer too now.
Val- 10
Mandy- 10
Adam- 10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be2LVuiMZP8
Freestyle danced to holiday-themed songs is next:
Mackenzie & Sage (Mentor- Gleb) – Freestyle
Wow. I’m surprised they went the hip-hop route with this. It was clever and had some nice tricks. I loved the little dance battle sequence featuring Sage and the guys versus Mack and the girls. Nice and hard hitting.
Mandy feels it was flawless and incredible. She says the show has brought back a love of dance for Mack and she hopes she keeps dance in her life. Adam gets up screams. Val says that was what a freestyle should be like. He says Mack was at her absolute best.
Val- 10
Mandy- 10
Adam- 10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVnbBI3hnws
Ariana & Artyon (Mentor- Brandon) – Freestyle
Cute. Not as technically proficient as I would have liked but a cute theme and a lovely number. I think Brandon was going more for substance over style here. If I am being honest, between this and the first routine of the night, I feel a tad underwhelmed by Ariana’s finale work but hey, she is still precious and has given us many great routines this season.
Adam says the dance showed everyone why Ariana was so much fun. Val says the dance showcased Ariana perfectly. Mandy loved storytelling in dance so she loved it. She calls Ariana a star.
Val- 9
Mandy- 10
Adam- 9
Color me shocked that the judges aren’t giving straight tens to everyone for every dance tonight. But I dig that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TI2n_uwKRbQ
Miles & Rylee (Mentor- Lindsay) – Freestyle
I totally love that Lindsay gave such a huge portion of that dance to Miles to do on his own with only the male troupe members. He totally looked like he could be in the troupe and they didn’t out-dance him at all. Another hip-hop inspired routine but with some flashes of other genres mixed in. Great stuff.
Val says Miles has made an impact by being on the show. Mandy says Miles has the mark of a true performer. Adam says everyone is cheering at the top of their lungs. He calls him a superstar.
Val- 10
Mandy- 10
Adam- 10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWWcWW0opJM
Sky & JT (Mentor- Alan) – Freestyle
Aww. That was such a SKY routine. LOL. The balancing on the surfboards and signing along to the song was everything. Sky absolutely must continue on in the entertainment business because she needs to be seen. And I really hope JT eventually graduates to being on Dancing with the Stars, if the show lasts that long. I will miss this pairing.
Mandy says Sky talks the talk and walks the walk. Adam says Sky steps out of her comfort zone and is a hero to a lot of little girls. Val says the bottom line is the heart and how you perform and you are never too young to change the world.
Val- 10
Mandy- 10
Adam- 10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFYOhlmzvMo
This show is so rushed tonight that we don’t get any numbers from this season’s contestants. I would have loved to see Akash do something. Had it been two hours or even ninety minutes, all the kids could have got into the action. Unfortunately, we have to go right to the audience voting and results now.
The winners of the first season of Dancing with the Stars Juniors are…
Sky Brown & JT Church with Mentor Alan Bersten!
Congratulations. So absolutely well deserved. I wouldn’t have been mad at any of the four winning but Sky definitely fits the mold of a winner on a show like this. She has the skills and personality. Good on Alan for coaching his team to victory. Aww, she is so shocked and joyous that the tears are nonstop flowing. All the kids (including the eliminated ones) rush over to hug and hoist the winners up. So sweet.
Well, there you have it. Another dancing show season in the books. Again, I really hope this show gets renewed. I had a blast watching and these kids made it all worth while. Thanks to MJ for allowing me the opportunity to blog and for all of you who watched, commented, and followed along with me throughout. I want to wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday and New Year. Thanks y’all. :D
