Well I guess nice guys do win once in awhile after all. 
Congrats to J.R.
Karina finally gets that Mirrorball she missed out on way back in Season 3 with Mario. Ten seasons later she finally gets that trophy. A Nice ending to season 13.
I got to admit this season turned out pretty good. I was worried back in August when the cast was announced. Turns out this bunch really seemed to like & support each other. The camaraderie made a big difference in the seasons success.
I love me some Evan Lysacek - he’s the reason I started watching the show. But he never learned to move his hips. He didn’t deserve to win.
I was truly rooting for Rob, who danced better than JR last week and this (well, other than that one teeny misstep last night), but how could anyone be pissed that JR won? Despite the rocky finish, he had a great season and won both on dance ability and on personality.
It will be interesting to see where his career goes from here – though the show has been good exposure for some people, it hasn’t exactly been a game changer for any previous winners. (I’m thinking here specifically of Drew Lachey.)
I think the final rankings were about right – and, sorry, Derek, I’m glad Ricki was third – and thought this was a good season overall.
And yeah, El_Kabong, agree that it was nice to see Chyna and Tony’s “Mission Impossible” routine as intended – damn, she really fucked it up the first time, too bad, it was a nice piece.
I liked several of the returnees’ dances – how fun that they let Carson and David both do a new number instead of just reprising whatever. Fuck Maks for not appearing in Carson’s number, though – homophobia or just general assholishness? I hope they give him a time out next season.
The finalists getting on the plane for NY and GMA.
Hard to believe it’s already over. Seems like just a few weeks ago that it started. A lot of this shows appeal is getting to know the cast. This group seemed to have so much fun together this season. I noticed Derk and Mark hoisted J.R. on their shoulders after his win. Great sportsmanship all around.
Finally watched the final dances and finale. It was a very close contest, IMO, with all 3 amateur dancers really delivering.
It’s hard for me to overcome my hatred of the overexposed Kardashians, but Rob did improve tremendously. (Of course, when you have all the time in the world to practice because you don’t have, you know, a job, I guess you should improve. However, the same can be said of the top 3 because I don’t think any of them is working at the moment…)
Anyway, I did take points off Rob’s score for not getting into character on his first dance (waltz). He grinned his way through it, which was boyish and endearing, but he should have acted the part of a man. I think he did a great job on the second dance, especially with the lifts, though. However, his overall posture and mannerisms (e.g. arm extensions, footing) lack the natural grace of someone like JR.
Ricki did a great job but I think 3rd was appropriate. She, like JR, started and finished strong, but didn’t show any appreciable growth as a dancer. However, it’s hard to criticize solid delivery week after week.
It’s tough to believe that JR doesn’t have any dance training. He’s a complete natural. And, like Dereky, he can pull off arm extensions without looking effeminate, something that Maks and Tony need to work on, IMO. And he dances with such a joie de vivre! I’d love to see him free style it up on a dance floor in Miami.
It was a feel good season with a feel good ending, with the Maks and Hope distraction being the only negative. Well, that and that horrible Brooke whatshername, who is admittedly getting a TAD better at live interviews, but still cannot ad-lib for the life of her. Which is kind of essential on a live show.
But enough of the negatives. I was very impressed with just about everyone and it was a fun distraction. And I’m happy for Karina who seemed to really, really want the win. Those lifts that she pulled off were incredible.
Also Lacey’s dad – that was a hoot.
Over all, I liked the “show” aspect of this finale better than any I’ve seen before. The returning cast members got to perform way better than before, and I liked that they could include others in their dances. That was fun.
I think Carson should replace Brooke Burke. Half a season, and he “gets” the show better than Brooke has in a winning season and a couple of years hosting.
Interesting idea – but would he be able to dial back the schtick and let the dancers talk?
Better to not let them talk than to make them respond to:
“John Doe, the judges said that you really blew it with that dance, and that any three year old dancing with an ape could have done better. How does that make you feel?”
Same.
Also, if we have to have a current pro-parent with a star, I would much rather see Buddy Schwimmer than Corky Ballas. Much, much rather.
I’m happy with the results and looking forward to next season.
Well, I’m trying to start a Twitter campaign to get Carson hired. We’ll see if it takes off.
Yeah, the clear camaraderie in this cast really made it happy to watch. You’d see them up there getting their scores and instead of everyone looking tense and pissed-off that someone else did well, they were too busy giving back slaps and hugs to even let the other person get their scores. So sweet.
I really think JR was a big pusher for that, too. Every time they let us hear a comment, it was JR telling someone they were awesome, they were doing well, they were great. Almost everyone who got voted off mentioned how great JR was.
I really couldn’t be happier about the JR win. Ricki and Rob were both great, and Rob improved tons, but I was really afraid the Kardashian Twitter Goliath was going to just deluge the votes.
This show has always (well, at least from Season 3, when I started watching) been comradely rather than hypercompetitive. It’s one of the things I’ve always admired about it. The contestants and pros all seem to be genuinely glad when their competitors do well, especially when it’s the case of a contestant who is much improved. That’s one of the reasons Hope came off looking so bad. Bitterness is not encouraged.
Count me in. He’s adorable.
I hope a casting director somewhere gives J.R. a chance in a tv show. I’ve heard the All My Children role was specifically written for a injured vet character and J.R. fit it perfectly.
I’d like to see him remain in acting. It won’t be easy when casting directors usually want handsome men and sexy women. Thankfully, there’s always character roles for actors & actresses that don’t quite fit into that niche.
Louis’ last blog for this season. I hope Louis gets a partner next Spring. I missed seeing him this season.
Like Derek’s spontaneous reaction to Rob’s scores…“wow, he could win the whole thing.” Not bitter, not disgusted – just surprised/impressed.
Loved Carson’s comeback to Tom’s inquiry about his disappointment at not having danced with Maks; “There’s always the after party!”.
(cheers, raucous laughter)
Followed by Nancy’s lame attempt at a snappy comeback…
(crickets)
Seriously, I would love to see Carson replace Bumbling Brooke.
Best dancer all season long was Ricki. Even in the finale, if you didn’t like it, that’s fine, but technique was there. Good foot placement, strong and quite beautiful dance line, intricate step sequences. The Psycho Tango will be remembered as the best dance of the season, not only because of the choreography, but because she was given some very difficult sequences and nailed it. I remember Lil Kim got a similar sequence when they danced a Team Tango in season 8, and she messed it up. She just wasn’t as sure on the footwork as Ricki. Brooke Burke’s Tango didn’t have the same strong technique, and even Jennifer Gray’s Tango was a little wobbly. Only Nicole Scherzinger, who wowed us with the Pretty Woman Tango can rival us with Technique and the showmanship that this dance required. These are the things the boys just don’t have the capacity to do. JR is a nice guy, and a winning personality, but his dancing in the finale was an utter let down. His ankle injury showed badly and the judges ignored it. The freestyle was not as strong as the music would have you believe, he stood in place for a lot of bars only “winding up” his arms, not moving his feet, which sort of gives us a clue as to how much the ankle was a problem. Rob is still a pedantic beginner at best, if anyone danced around anyone this season it was Cheryl dancing around Rob to try and make the plodding seem plausible. Did he improve? Of course. But that is relative to how uncoordinated he was when he started.