Well, after ten weeks of competition, season 14 of Dancing With the Stars has crowned a new champion. After the first two dances of the finals on Monday’s show, Tara predicted Katherine & Mark would be the winners … had to be the winners simply for her sheer perfection and growth over the season. The fact that she was a virtual unknown and managed to make it to the finals was amazing enough, but her artistry shone brightly from the beginning. Now, it took an hour and fifteen minutes before we even got to the last dances of the competition — and they’re really inconsequential in the grand scheme of things because I can scarcely remember anyone getting less than a 30 on their final dance — so the winner of the “coveted mirror ball trophy,” as the best host on TV, Tom Bergeron, would say, came down to one thing: the Freestyle dance.
The Freestyle has been called the “make it or break it dance,” and I firmly believe this season’s Freestyles determined the winner. As I commented on Tara’s post after the show, I felt William’s was a bit too safe (although it contained a fair amount of ballroom technique), Katherine’s was full of energy if a tad out of control at times, and Donald’s was fantastic, but it lacked any ballroom technique. But it was a crowd-pleaser, and I knew even before the announcement that William & Cheryl were going home in third place.
And it came down to Donald vs Katherine. If you haven’t watched the show yet — SPOILER ALERT — the winner of the Season 14 Dancing With the Stars Mirror Ball Trophy was Donald & Peta. And I’m terribly disappointed. Not that he wasn’t an excellent dancer (I called him as a finalist way back when), but I don’t think he played by the rules in his Freestyle (not that there are any rules, but there should be something that says 75% of the dance has to have ballroom content, or something like that). It was country bar line dancing with, I think, one hold, some lifts and Peta flying around Donald like a rag doll (and I think Peta is one of the most beautiful female dancers on the show, by the way), so to me it really wasn’t what the entire competition was about. Yes, I take this all way too seriously. But I was rooting for Katherine, and I was crushed for her when she lost. But them there’s the breaks, right?
And just to prove my point, take a look at Drew & Cheryl’s country-flavored freestyle. It’s full of ballroom content.
But there was a lot of fun stuff on the finale, including some great dancing by the returning stars, with Sherri, Roshon, and Jaleel really shining. Gladys Knight gave a stunning, tear-jerking performance of “The Way We Were” that had Katherine holding back the tears, and Kelly Clarkson sang two songs just a little off-key at times. But in the end, it all came down to the Freestyle that made the viewers vote for the underdog. Congratulations, Donald & Peta!
Tara and I will be back in the fall for the 15th season of Dancing With the Stars All-Stars. We won’t find out for a few months yet who is returning (and we’ll be sure to let you know as soon as we find out), but you can visit ABC.com to let them know who you want to see back in the ballroom, and don’t forget to take our informal poll as well. It won’t affect anything as far as the show, but you’ll have fun doing it! We appreciate your participation! So until September, have a great summer and we look forward to having you join us back here to chat about the All-Stars. (And please, no Master P!)
Clacked by Chuck Duncan 
on May 22, 2012 @ 23:41 EST5EDT
I’m with you Chuck. I’m completely irritated. It should not come down to one freaking dance! Katherine was the clear winner.
She got the shaft.
Thanks for partnering up with me this season … it was fun!
*POST AUTHOR*
Yeah, that’s what happens when the public gets to vote in these competitions. It always come down to the favorite, though not necessarily the best. I hope Katherine comes back for All-Stars!
Thanks for letting me partner with you this season! I wonder if we’d get a 10 from Len for our partnering work?! :-)
I am done with dancing with the stars…makes me sick…
the old man judge should take a hike.. They need to change voting rules.
OH WELL, whatever..not wasting my time with it anymore. Katherine was perfection every week..and William too… Tired of Sports Dudes winning cause of popularity of team mates.
*POST AUTHOR*
That’s just one of the pitfalls with public voting on these shows. They get wowed by something bright and flashy, and forget what the competition is really about. I really think it all came down to the Freestyle, and the fact that voters wanted to give the “underdog” a few votes because Katherine was the “sure thing.” And that’s how Sabrina Bryan found herself eliminated so early instead of going to the finals. Everyone assumes someone is safe so they don’t cast a vote, thinking everyone else is voting for the “sure thing.” But everyone else is thinking the same thing, so the “sure thing” ends up not getting any votes. You can never assume someone is safe, because if you’re thinking that then everyone else is thinking the same thing. If you want the best overall to win, you have to vote for them. It’s as simple as that. Donald turned it on in the Freestyle, and even though it had very little ballroom content (and I still think the judges should have been more critical of that point), the voters bought it. It’s the same reason the best singer rarely wins on Idol. People vote for the underdog, the cute one, or the one who got the toughest criticism out of sympathy, forgetting that if they’ve been criticized for a bad performance, they probably should be eliminated. Donald’s Freestyle was amazing, but Katherine was the best overall ballroom dancer and should have won.
I agree that Katherine & Mark were robbed, but if you ask me, so were Derek & Maria who should have made the final. Is it just me or did William do practically the same dance every week, down to the same costume except for maybe a different-colored shirt? His dances bored me!