(Spoiler alert: Don’t read on if you’ve not yet seen the season finale of “Dancing With the Stars,” which has completed its broadcast on the East Coast)
With the elimination Monday night of actor James Maslow, “Dancing With the Stars” had an all-female finale. Dancing for the mirrorball trophy were “Full House” child actress Candace Cameron Bure, with her professional partner Mark Ballas, Olympic ice dancer Meryl Davis, with her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy, and Paralympic snowboarder Amy Purdy, with her partner Derek Hough.
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Of the professional dancers, only Chmerkovskiy had never won the show, and he’d come in second twice. Derek Hough was the two-time reigning champion, having won Season 16 with Kellie Pickler, and Season 17 with Amber Riley. He was looking for his sixth overall “DWTS” championship. Mark Ballas was seeking his third. He hadn’t won since Season 8 with Shawn Johnson.
In the end, it was Chmerkovskiy who was able to claim his victory, alongside Meryl Davis. Amy Purdy came in second, while Candace Cameron Bure settled for third.
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After their victory, Davis encouraged Chmerkovskiy to speak for them. “To do it with Meryl is a dream come true,” he said of finally winning his first mirror ball trophy . “There’s a reason why it didn’t happen before because this was meant to happen with this one.”