RECAP: “Dancing With The Stars” Season 33 FINALE

BY Amy Pilott & Allie Pilott (age 9)

It’s the FINALE! Ahhhhh! We went in truly torn between Ilona and Chandler. Ilona just brings us such joy and has come so far from the rugby player we were introduced to during the Olympics. But at the same time, we love our Disney movie girl Chandler! We hope the best WOMAN wins!

But they had three hours to fill, so we had a while to go until they named a winner. We literally sat through 30 minutes of recap before getting all of our current and past celebs performing for a dazzling open number! We got to see our favorite old guys stand around again! And woohoo, we got Tori Spelling doing what we knew she could! Sadly we also had Anna Delvey back. I completely forgot about her.

We began with our redemption dances, a chance to redo a weak dance from earlier in the season.

Redemption Dance: Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee (Quickstep)

Their redemption dance was a quickstep to the “Friends” theme song, “I’ll Be There for You” by The Rembrandts. Allie thought this was really good! It was technically packed, and he is just so cute. She predicted 9s across the board. At the end of the day, Stephen is adorable, but just not as good on the floor as the others. They received a score of 29/30 (even better than Allie predicted!).

Redemption Dance: Joey Graziadei and Jenna (Cha-Cha)

We are all about fun music tonight, as this was set to Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop The Feeling” from Trolls! This was an incredible performance from our puppy-dog Bachelor. He really earned his spot with this performance! The couple received a well-deserved 30/30.

Redemption Dance: Danny Amendola and Witney (Tango)

Off the bat, this didn’t feel like redemption to me. As the song said — “I Could Use Some Help” by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen — Danny could use some help! This looked like an early-season dance, not a finale number. Some missteps and awkwardness, but the judges are still very very kind. They received a 27/30.

Redemption Dance: Ilona Maher and Alan (Jive)

Amazing! Redemption is served! These two are simply having more fun than anyone else. The competitor shone through on this one, and she fought back! They received a score of 27/30 (we think it could be higher!).


Redemption Dance: Chandler Kinney and Brandon (Jive)

She looks like a PRO! She is simply phenomenal. I am always conflicted when you have someone competing that has a dance background, even if that background wasn’t technically in ballroom. She has clearly mastered all the technique and skill in this competition! They received a score of 30/30 (obviously!).

We got some good filler content before heading to the final dances, with Derek Hough and Mark Ballas taking the floor.

Time for the good stuff: FREESTYLES!

Freestyle Dance: Stephen & Rylee

We brought the pummel horse and the Olympians! The acrobatics were obviously all there with Stephen, and the tricks come naturally. BUT, you could still see him counting out his steps when he was in choreography. (I am clearly harsher than the judges.) This was really beautiful though, and a true ode to his journey on DWTS. He received a score of 30/30.

Freestyle Dance: Joey & Jenna

Before The Bachelor and DWTS, Joey was just a “regular guy teaching tennis in Hawaii.” I actually totally agree with Carrie Ann, this was just fine. It was fun, there were lightsaber-tennis racquets, but it wasn’t SPECTACULAR.

Freestyle Dance: Danny & Witney

This Barbie-inspired performance was PACKED with action. Danny looked eerily like Ryan Gosling’s Ken, and the set was spectacular. There was an amazing toss and a great lift, but dare I say it, I expected more! It was super entertaining, but I honestly expected more! So did Carrie Ann, and the couple received a 29/30.

Freestyle Dance: Ilona & Alan

Strong girls unite! OMG, it’s a “Femininomenon”! This was everything we wanted from Ilona. She is an absolute star! (Watching her teammates and sisters watch her is almost as fun as watching her ourselves!) She commanded the floor when she was soft and strong. She had the ensemble dancing around HER. This was her moment! They received a score of 30/30.

Freestyle Dance: Chandler & Brandon

As the first black couple to make the finale — that is mindblowing — Chandler and Brandon paid homage to all of the black dancers before them. Starting with tap and moving through a disco-esque era, they balanced out this important dance with some fabulous flips and tricks. They received a score of 30/30.

SPOILER:

After lots of sobbing with all the congrats and good luck messages, the final scores were:

5th Place: Danny Amendola
4th Place: Stephen Nedorocsik
3rd Place: Chandler Kinney

And the winner is…
Joey Graziadei

Just another election where a mediocre man beat out a phenomenal woman. The only thing redeeming about this result is that Val passed the mirrorball trophy to his wife, Jenna.

#ilonawasrobbed

What did you think of the episode? Leave your takes in the comments!

Did you miss our previous recaps? Click here for our “Dancing With the Stars” coverage.

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