'Dancing With the Stars' Season 19 News: Season Finale Day 1 Recap
"Dancing With the Stars" kicked off its two-night season finale on Monday, Nov. 24 with two turns on the dance floor for remaining finalists Bethany Mota, Janel Parrish, Alfonso Ribeiro, and Sadie Robertson. Each celebrity performed two dances with their pro partners— one was a repeat performance of a routine from the season chosen by one of the judges, and another was a freestyle number. At the end of the night, one pair will be eliminated, and the three remaining couples will be back on Tuesday, but only one will be awarded the Mirror Ball Trophy.
Here's a recap of the performances:
Bethany Mota and Derek Hough- total score 76
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Dance No. 1: Jive
Score: 36 (out of 40)
Mota and Hough's repeat performance of their jive from Week 1 impressed the judges as she showed them how much she has improved. "You've been the ideal student. Everything I told you to do, you did it right," said Bruno Tonioli.
Dance No. 2: Freestyle
Score: 40
The pair's freestyle was done to Diplo's "Revolution," and the futuristic and edgy performance was full of drama. "That is a five-star freestyle!" Len Goodman said. Carrie Ann Inaba said, "You are a fighter."
Sadie Robertson and Mark Ballas- total score 78
Dance No. 1: Samba
Score: 38
The pair recreated their "Duck Dynasty" samba and even had Robertson's father, Willie, onstage on a rocking chair. Goodman, who wasn't around the first time they performed the routine said, "The routine is just what I like! What a great number!"
Dance No. 2: Freestyle
Score: 40
The pair's freestyle took on a popular Nintendo game with Ballas as Super Mario and Robertson as the princess. Julianne Hough said that it was "the cutest thing I've ever seen" while Inaba called it "the most memorable freestyle" that she'd seen in ages.
Janel Parrish and Valentin Chmerkovskiy- total score 77
Dance No. 1: Samba
Score: 37
Despite the lack of rehearsal time due to Parrish's rib injury that she sustained during the dress rehearsal, the pair wowed the judges and the crowd. Tonioli said that "the passion was pulsating" but noticed that she lost her balance. Goodman said that he didn't notice any mistake.
Dance No. 2: Freestyle
Score: 40
The pair performed an intimate and contemporary dance, and Tonioli called it "the visualization of a love poem" while Hough said, "What you two have is so real and authentic."
Alfonso Ribeiro and Witney Carson- total score 80
Dance No. 1: Jive
Score: 40
With Ribeiro still battling a back injury, the jive was sure to be a challenging routine for him, but his performance garnered a standing ovation from Inaba and she exclaimed, "You set the bar from day1 with that dance." Goodman added, "You dance like Frank Sinatra sings."
Dance No. 2: Freestyle
Score: 40
The pair's swinging freestyle included a tap solo for Ribeiro, and Tonioli said that it was a "show stopper in the great American way" while Goodman said, "It was an all-you-can-eat buffet of great dancing!"
In the end, Bethany Mota was eliminated. "I've discovered things about myself that I never thought I could do," she said.
Who will be crowned the season 19 champion of "Dancing With the Stars"? Watch the grand finals on Nov. 25 at 8 p.m. on ABC.
