It’s finally over. Each of the 3 star Finalists brought something valiant to the 'Dancing with the Stars' Season 11 Grand Finale. Bristol Palin brought courage, Kyle Massey brought charisma and an injured Jennifer Grey brought a champion's spirit. When America's votes were combined with the judges' scores Bristol and her partner Mark Ballas finished 3rd, Kyle and partner Lacey Schwimmer took 2nd place, and early-on favorites Jennifer and Derek Hough were crowned champions and awarded the season 11 mirror ball trophy.
At the show’s opening, host Tom Bergeron asked Jennifer Grey about her reported back injury. Jennifer told him she ruptured a disc. Bergeron asked if she was going to dance both dances. She replied, ‘This might be my last 2 dances to dance on this show with Derek Hough so I think I’d better do it.’
In Round 1, the teams danced their Favorite Dance of the season. The judges ranked them in order, giving out an 8, 9 or 10 only once across the teams.
Kyle and Lacey were up first with the Tango. Kyle battled stiffness and technique problems in the beginning, but smiled throughout his struggles. He said, ‘The Tango was our turning point.’ The judges loved the performance. Carrie Ann said, ‘What I love about you two is there’s a freshness in your choreography, a freshness in your attitude. You feel like a breath of fresh air.’ They received a 26.
Bristol and Mark were up next with their Tango. Previously, they had lost 1 point for breaking hold and this time, they did not take that risk. Going into the Finals, Bristol had endured intense pressure from the media and scoffers who didn't think she deserved a spot there. Bruno said, ‘You’ve earned your place in the finals with this.’ They scored a 25.
Finally, Jennifer and Derek danced the Viennese Waltz. The judges all praised the performance. Bruno said, ‘You are the complete package.’ They received a perfect score of 30.
Round 2 was the Instant Cha-Cha. All couples were only given 1 hour to rehearse to music. Len told Bristol, ‘You came out on fire.’ Carrie Ann told Kyle and Lacey ‘You inspire joy.’ She told Bristol and Mark, ‘You inspire hope.’ She told Jennifer and Derek, ‘You tell us what perseverance is all about.’ Kyle and Lacey and Jennifer and Derek tied in this round with 28 each. Bristol was only 1 point behind with 27.
Brooke Burke did a final backstage chat with the teams. Bristol told her, ‘I am very blessed to be here and I am just thankful for the whole experience. I had a blast.’ Brooke asked Kyle how bad he wanted Lacey to win the mirror ball trophy. Kyle replied, ‘I desperately want Lacey to win the mirror ball trophy. Not only is she an amazing choreographer, she has a great work ethic.’ Finally, Brooke asked Jennifer what she was going to miss the most. Jennifer said, ‘Dancing.' Derek added, ‘It’s been an incredible journey and something I’ll never forget.’
The judges combined scores were: Jennifer and Derek 118, Kyle and Lacey 110 and Bristol and Mark 104. Bergeron reported that they received ‘more votes than ever before and crashed our website for a time.’
After a tense few moments, the final results put Bristol and Mark in third place, and Kyle and Lacey in second, as runners up. Jennifer and Derek were declared ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 11 winners and they raised the mirror ball trophy in victory.
It was a hard road physically and emotionally for 'Dirty Dancing' star Jennifer Grey. Overall, she defined perseverance and embodied a champion's spirit. She constantly pushed for perfection and her hard work paid off. Victory tears formed in her eyes as she said, ‘I didn’t think I was going to compete tonight and I’m really glad I did.’
‘Dancing with the Stars’ will return in the spring and will air in Flint on WJRT TV ABC12.
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