So last night ‘Dancing With The Stars’ crowned a new champion for it’s thirteenth season, and it was an outcome that I wouldn’t have predicted. Then again, I feel like I’ve been swinging back and forth all season, so it’s nothing new.After Monday night’s show, Rob held onto the top spot, and I really hoped he would hang onto it. Here’s where the leader board stood on Monday:
1. Rob and Cheryl - 57
2. Ricki and Derek - 54
2. J.R. and Karina - 54
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Monday night was the last night for the stars to perform for our votes, and time for the much anticipated freestyle dances, which can make or break someone’s chances of winning. We have Ricki, who started strong and just got better. She’s with Derek, who has gotten the trophy every time he’s made it to the finals (three times). Then we have Rob, who has skyrocketed to the top from humble beginnings. His amazing partner, Cheryl, won the first two seasons she was on, but hasn’t won since season three, and hasn’t been to the finals since season eight. Lastly, we have J.R., who stole everyone’s hearts with his positivity and exuberance. His partner has never won the trophy, so Karina’s time might just have come.
Next week is the much anticipated finals of this season of Dancing, so of course last night was the much anticipated elimination to decide who was going to be in the final three. I was concerned for J.R. before I looked at the scores last night, but seeing that he actually fell eleven points behind the leader and nine points behind second place worried me more. Sure, Hope was still seven points behind him, but it surprised me. I knew he had a bad night, but didn’t realize quite how bad.
It’s the semi-finals, and the show is not going easy on our stars now. Last night they all had three dances to perform, with two individual rounds (the second with all of them doing the always fun Argentine tango, with it’s legal lifts), and then a relay dance. Unexpectedly, an injury hindered one of the front runners, giving one of the underdogs a chance to really shine.
Everyone always talks about how much it’s gotta hurt to be kicked off a show like ‘Dancing’ first, but I always think getting kicked off just before the end has got to hurt just as much. After eight weeks, last night’s results episode gave someone the boot right before the semi-finals. 
This season of ‘Dancing’ seems like it’s just flying by. It’s already week eight, and last night was the last competition show before the semi-finals. It was also the week to bring back the instant dances, and to award the first perfect scores of the season. If there was ever a time to get a second wind, it’s now, and Hope jumped at the chance to revitalize her game this week when Maks decided to (gasp!) act like an adult for the first time in weeks.
I feel sorry for parents with teenage daughters who watch this show, because last night the Biebs was in the house. And they hyped it up like crazy, as he was really the only “star power” they had last night. The stars who are dancing are old news by now, especially on a night that they’re, you know, not actually dancing.
