"DWTS" Finale, Part 1: The Top Moments

March 22, 2017


Wowza.

Last night’s “Dancing with the Stars” episode—round one of the two-part finale—was a lot of things. Fully clothed was not one of them. We got a 90-minute show chock full of makeout sessions, bare chests, lingerie, and gold unitards. Oh, yeah, and a whole lotta dancing. This show meant business: Each of the four remaining couples took the stage twice. Here are the top moments you may have missed:

James Maslow
and Petra Murgatroyd’s onstage kiss: From the rehearsal clips it wasn’t exactly clear who was directing whom, especially when James choreographed a passionate kiss mid tango. The performance itself was pretty steamy (the kiss was no exception), and featured a bare-chested James under a silver blazer. (I’m not complaining.)

Are we sure Mark’s OK?

Mark Ballas’ injury
: When we saw Mark at the top of the show, his arm was in a sling, and in the behind-the-scenes footage before his quickstep with Candace Cameron-Bure we found out why: Rehearsing with a strained rotator cuff Sunday morning, Mark went down after a bad lift and was rushed to the hospital. He took it like a champ though, and during one of last night’s commercial breaks, he was cleared to dance.

The awkward video
when figure skaters Tara Lipinski, Evan Lysacek, and Kristi Yamaguchi talked about Meryl Davis‘, um, blossoming, since dancing with Maksim Chmerkovskiy, plus the duo’s sizzling freestyle. Forget Romeo and Juliet’s bedroom scene—this routine took passion to a whole new level. Maks was shirtless, Meryl was in lingerie, and even co-host Erin Andrews asked why they didn’t make out at the end—they so wanted to. (I, however, would like to know why the gorgeous Meryl didn’t point her toes?)

I want one.

When DJ Tanner (yes, Candace was introduced that way!) and Mark took on

Center Stage
:
  I may prefer Cooper Nielson’s choreography to Jamiroquai’s “Canned Heat,” but Candace looked stellar in that gold unitard, and Mark didn’t collapse—everybody wins!

Amazeballs.

Amy Purdy’s ridiculously amazing aerial feat.
During Derek Hough and Amy’s freestyle routine set amid what seemed like 18 fog machines, Amy took to the sky—literally. Seriously: She spun around in the air holding a rope with ONE HAND. I don’t think I was the only one whose jaw dropped.

The results:
Only three couples can perform tomorrow night during the two-hour finale event. Ultimately, James and Petra bid adieu. Something tells me America will miss James’ torso.

Be sure to tune in tonight at 8pm/7pm central for the finale!