We now know who will be the last competitiors to vie for the Mirrorball Trophy on “Dancing with the Stars.” It was presumed by many that Ricki Lake and Derek Hough would be there. Ditto for J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff. The third couple was the unknown, and now we know it will be Rob Kardashian and his partner Cheryl Burke. What an intense night of competition this should be. I say “should be” because there have been dancers who have shone throughout the season and fizzled in the freestyle, but that’s rare.
In the freestyle dance, anything goes, and that includes lifts. That would seem to give a slight advantage to Ricki and Derek, as Derek has years of experience doing lifts. The safety and smoothness of the lift seems to rest on the male partner.
As for choreography, again, Derek probably takes first place. But Cheryl Burke is no slouch there, as she choregraphed one of the most popular freestyle dances when she competed with Drew Lachey. Karina Smirnoff also has a secret weapon for the final night of competition, and that is simply the unbridled enthusiasm and charisma of J.R. Martinez. Hopefully he will recover fully from his twisted ankle and be able to dance at full throttle.
There is absolutely no telling who will waltz away with the trophy. When you began to think it was a two couple race, Rob Kardashian hit his stride and now carries great momentum into the final. After weeks of back-breaking, sweat-inducing practice, it all comes down to one hour on Monday night. It should be one of the best finals that the show has seen.