Mirrorball Champions are…
I have been a fan of this show ever since Season 1 and I have to say this season will be a hard one to top. The entire cast truly came in with a great attitude and really put in the effort. It was hard not to fall in love with the personalities and stories of each of our stars this season. There were so many shining stars.
Just a few quick notes:
- RIP to the wonderful Florence Henderson who sadly passed away on Thanksgiving. She was a contestant on DWTS and a regular smiling face in the audience.
- Congratulations to Mark Ballas & BC Jean who were married on Friday.
- This season also brought the engagement in the ballroom of the very kind Emma Slater and Sasha Farber! They are both such sweethearts and it will be a night we always remember from Season 23
I want to give a huge shout out to the Season 23 Dance Troupe: Brittany Cherry, Alan Bersten, Hayley Erbert, Keo Motsepe, Britt Stewart, and Dennis Jauch. You all worked so hard all season and truly provided us with fantastic quality and creative dance numbers. I think it’s time to have a few of the troupe members from the last several seasons get a chance at Pro. They truly have proved themselves.
- It was announced on the finale that Laurie would be joining the #dwtstour #wecametodance. I am sure she will be a fantastic high energy addition to the show and I look forward to seeing her perform.
- I will be attending a handful of tour shows and will be posting pics to my various pages starting with my Instagram page so please feel free to follow me @lightscmemories.
On to the finale:
I absolutely loved the opening number. Choreographed by the amazing Mandy Moore. She is an absolute creative genius.
Andy Grammer also performed his new single Fresh Eyes tonight. Andy is not only a DWTS alum he is a fabulous live performer. If you get a chance to check him out in concert, do it! Allison and Keo danced along to his performance and did a beautiful job!
It was too fun to watch Maureen McCormick live her huge fan dream of dancing with Babyface, Ryan, Artem, Keo and Dennis tonight. Maureen was one that I truly felt grew a lot this season. It’s always fun when a star is also a fan of the show because it allows us at home to live it through their eyes.
The number that Maks did with a group of the ladies was a lot of fun too. It was so nice to have Maks back this season. I know he has said he won’t be returning next season because we will enjoying his time being a new Daddy. I am so happy for him and Peta and wish them so much happiness!
I loved the friendship that developed between Vanilla Ice and Rick Perry this season. Vanilla’s performance was a fun blast from the past and even though they might not have been the strongest dancers the partnerships between Witney/Vanilla and Emma/Rick were fun to watch all season and both did work hard.
For the first time ever it came down to 3 athletes in the finale!
Sharna Burgess & James Hinchcliffe
#TeamStopandGo
They chose their favorite dance to perform again which was the Foxtrot from Cirque night which was a great pick for them. Full of energy and truly highlighted the skills, fun and fabulous relationship of this team. James and Sharna had that something truly special. Sharna has such a humble, unique, genuine way she builds relationships and performs. She has had several memorable partnerships but, this one truly had that very special magic. James had tremendous growth all season, he has such an amazing survival story and a personality that shines.
The gift that James gave to Sharna of the race suit he wore the first time he raced again after his accident was truly sweet. Sharna truly put together the most amazing piece to close the chapter on James’s survival journey. They performed a fusion dance of Foxtrot & Viennese Waltz. It was absolutely beautiful. James demonstrated all the grace in his movements and it again highlighted the beautiful friendship that developed between them this season. It was stunning.
Calvin & Lindsay
#TeamLindsatron
Calvin and Lindsay chose their Argentine Tango from Latin Week as their favorite dance and it was a fabulous choice for them as well. That dance was filled with passion, absolutely out of this world lifts and it absolutely was a great reminder of the growth that Calvin has had this season. Calvin really had such a glowing personality and it was fun to watch him develop into a dancer this season.
Calvin & Lindsay did a Jive & Quickstep fusion. Calvin and Lindsay almost developed a big brother/little sister relationship this season. Calvin should be so happy with his journey this season. He grew immensely and I think kept his attitude on the fun this entire season. He was a joy to watch! Their fusion dance was a lot of fun, high energy and again showed off all the great dance qualities that Calvin brought to the floor.
Laurie Hernandez & Val Chmerkovskiy
#TeamVaLaur
Laurie and Val picked their Trio Dance with Maks for their favorite dance. This Samba was crazy good and it absolutely highlighted Laurie’s amazing skills and the ability to truly get into character of the dances. Plus who wouldn’t want to dance with the Chmerkovskiy brothers. Laurie has been such a bright light this season. She showed a lot of talent, positive energy, poise, courage and maturity beyond her years.
Val and Laurie had a Foxtrot & Argentine Tango Fusion dance. Their package was so adorable. It was sad hearing them talk about this season ending. I think Val was a tremendous positive influence on Laurie. Laurie grew so much before our eyes and is truly a remarkable young lady. Their fusion dance was incredible. Laurie had that fire, pure determination and the look of champion in her eyes when they started that fusion dance. I do disagree with those that felt Laurie had an edge this season because of gymnastics. Laurie was the first gymnast that didn’t use the tricks in the dances this season. I can speak from personal experience at a lower level. I was a cheerleader and when I started taking ballroom & latin dance lessons it is totally different and definitely not easy to learn to dance with a partner.
More on the finale…
The holiday performances of Babyface and Felicia Barton and the beautiful dance numbers performed by Artem & Jenna and Allison and the dance troupe really got you in the holiday spirit!
That all male dance number was totally off the hook. Hmmm wondering if we might get to see that on the DWTS Tour this year like we did the Magic Mike number from last year’s finale. I know they are going to switch up the format a bit this year. 
What a treat to get to see Jana & Gleb’s hot Argentine Tango again. That dance will absolutely go down in the DWTS history as being one of the hottest numbers of all time. I am really excited that Gleb will be joining the tour this winter. It will be nice to meet him and see him perform live!
Terra and Marilu’s special highlight number was also a lot of fun to watch. Many people were asking where Derek was, he was at rehearsals for Hairspray Live!
The Macy’s Stars of Dan
ce number was also choreographed by the amazing Mandy Moore. This was truly remarkable. It was creative, it was a technical and visual delight the way she was able to bring the story into motion using the special screen to make the young girl’s dream a reality. It truly was an absolute Masterpiece!
I loved the tour preview dance we had tonight. I highly recommend the tours, if you are able to go you will not be disappointed. It’s always a fantastic entertaining time and the cast this year is fantastic!
Jana’s performance of her hit song Circles as we watched the video of the final 3 couples was just perfect.
The Results:
Lindsay and Calvin came in 3rd place.
Sharna & James and Val & Laurie were the final two couples and truly they were both so good it could have been a tie this season. Each partnership just had that special something. The talent, the creativity of Val & Sharna with their respective partners was just unstoppable this year. I would have been absolutely thrilled if their partnership had won.
Sharna & James came in 2nd place.
Dancing with the Stars Season 23 Winners are:
Laurie & Val!
Bravo & congratulations to Laurie & Val. What a season it was and your partnership was just incredible. It was great to see Val relaxed and so happy and Laurie grew and improved as a dancer and just proved she was the total package with dynamic ability. Laurie you absolutely do inspire as does Val! Keep it up!
Please feel free to follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook: @lightscmemories
Finally meet & greet VIP Packages and general tickets are on sale for the DWTS Tour so don’t miss out! www.dwtstour.com
Until next time,
XOXO
Heather
e the dance with Cheryl, Derek & Maks since they returned to the show and all three had been on the show for a long time so they deserve the extra recognition. However, I think they should have been paired up to dance with the 3 other returning pro’s Emma, Allison & Gleb just to give them some credit and recognition as well.
Artem Chigvintsev and Maureen McCormick
Jana Kramer & Gleb Savchenko
Rick Perry & Emma Slater
Lindsay Arnold & Calvin Johnson Jr
Amber Rose & Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Jake T Austin & Jenna Johnson
Vanilla Ice & Witney Carson
Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds & Allison Holker
Laurie Hernandez & Val Chmerkovskiy
Sharna Burgess & James Hinchcliffe
Derek Hough & Marilu Henner 
Ryan Lochte & Cheryl Burke
she brings a strong desire to do well and to learn and they are a real joy to watch. Absolutely loved their enthusiasm when their scores were announced.
I keep saying it but, Kim and Sasha are seriously the cutest partnership and you can tell they have formed a genuine friendship. I love how Sasha likes to keep things light and wants to use last week’s scores to fuel their drive for this week. This will be a fun week for them as they are dancing to a Jackson 5 song and Kim is friends with Janet.
ght a lot of flak last week because of his comment about Val being his biggest competition. He was able to clarify what he meant a bit more and he seemed to really take it to heart that people would be looking at him like he was cocky. I don’t think there is anything wrong with aspiring to be the best in whatever field it is you are in, it’s good to stay motivated by that.
glad that Antonio decided to stay in Los Angeles this week and really put everything into rehearsals. They seem to be back on track and I am glad he is taking advantage of having an amazing coach on the show.
usual humor and grace. I did wonder why Tom couldn’t have whispered something to her rather than bringing it up in such a public manner. The judges all liked it but, they noticed a few mistakes.
t some serious weight since starting the show and I do really like his humble attitude. I never really care much for the packages that highlight the busy schedules because it always feels like they are trying to make an excuse. They all have really busy schedules, some are flying coast to coast each week, others are in training camps etc. What matters is do they find the time when it matters and put in the work when they can.
as such a big personality. He is very likeable and clearly works hard. I agreed with Carrie Ann that it was good but, she was wanting more. Wanya has the right attitude and you can tell he is very motivated.
eek’s scores and feedback had Ginger concerned and discouraged. Val dialed up the drive and intensity so he could help her have a breakout week. I personally love Val’s style, he wants what is best for his partner. When he said he always does this and doesn’t want to ruin the experience for her it made me sad in a way. Having a drive and a genuine care for your partner isn’t going to ruin the experience and Ginger is smart enough to see that. That is one of the things I have always admired about Val compared to some other pros on the show, you can tell he does everything out of pure love and care for his partner not for his own personal gain/credit etc.
ink Von is finally relaxing and allowing people to truly see his personality. I found myself finally routing for him the last 3 weeks. This dance should be fun and I think it’s a great idea that Witney had to incorporate lifts and take advantage of Von’s strengths this week.
hook her confidence last week being in jeopardy. It made me sad to hear her doubting herself and if people liked her and are voting for her. Paige you are amazing, be confident! You are beautiful, talented, sweet and truly kind and that is why people are rooting for you!
d sport and more than likely just needed a few minutes to himself after the tough comments he received from the judges last week but, instead they made him come off like a spoiled sport/brat. Kim does have an injury, a stress fracture. Kim is tough and wants to work hard and put on a great dance.
g her up, it seemed to be a seamless routine, lots of energy, lots of smiling, fun, great footwork considering her injury, I didn’t see that is affected her and it was a great way to open the show! The judges all loved it, Carrie Ann felt it was missing a little bit of energy.
herself up over the scores last week. She is a very talented teacher and absolutely shouldn’t take that personally. This week Von seemed to be very much in the zone, the last two weeks he has been really turning it around in my eyes, he seems to be letting his guard down and I have found myself routing for him. It seems he is more in it to win it than he had been 
the first few weeks.
ition. Nothing was fractured so if she can tolerate it they would allow her to dance. Jodie and Keo work so hard and really enjoy their partnership.
se, the lifts were amazing and they both truly told the story in the movement. I absolutely loved it and I am glad this partnership is back together. Jodie should be proud of herself, every week she truly improves and tonight she was brilliant. The judges all thought they did a great job!
rted out with a challenge because their original song got pulled due to legal reasons which set them back a few days because Mark had to start over on choreography. I love their partnership. This dance will be fun too because Paige will be able to show off some of her athletic abilities.
d great musicality, and Paige brings out this really fun side to Mark. I think they are doing an absolutely fabulous job and I truly think we will see Paige in the finals, she performs each and every week brilliantly and you can tell how much fun she is having on the show. Great job! Judges all loved it!
gdance
felt he wasn’t as crisp, that his frame was broken and that there was a section where they were out of sync. Len had some good/poor comments. When he made the comment that he shouldn’t compare himself to Val that it will annoy people that was a bit harsh. I am not sure exactly what the judges were trying to accomplish tonight, perhaps to rein in the confidence or something? If Nyle is striving to be as good as Val it’s good to have goals like that, I say Dream Big!
ch a fun pair this season. Ginger is just very sweet and down to earth and truly enjoys every minute of being on this show. I don’t understand how she does it most days getting up so early for GMA, flying back and forth, spending time with her sweet baby and rehearsing but, that just shows how dedicated she is to it. She took some time off this week and staye
at were backing her up. Carrie Ann liked it but, was wanting to see a bit more and pointed out how rehearsed she always is. Bruno
one you want to root for each week because you can tell how hard he is working, how much he wants to improve and he is truly on such a tough season because the talent is just crazy this season. This will be a challenge since Karina had never done this style either.
ores last week, he truly is a class act. It’s going to be fun to see him dance to an NSYNC song since he and Joey are good friends. Lindsay is such a fantastic choreographer and she is really able to demonstrate it more and more each week.
oot. Wanya is so much fun to watch, he has insane charisma and like I said above a ton of class. They both should be very happy with their performance tonight. The judges, Lance and Joey all loved it!
with her partners. I felt his attitude was unwarranted. Maybe he needs to step it up and give the experience on the show that much more.
is week.
to: 
f an eye.
nd told us what section we were in etc. At that point they take your cell phones from you and you are given a card to pick them up after the show. After that you go through a metal detector and they check your belongings. Once you are set with that you are escorted into the studio to your section and then to your assigned seats. It was such a surreal experience walking into the studio. It was much smaller than it looks on TV. We were seated on the 2nd level, front row directly across from the judges table and the interview room was directly to my left. It was so exciting to actually be in the studio and to realize I would be able to see everything perfectly from where I was seated.
night. After the 2 or 3 songs ended they asked us to take our seats.
, I was beyond excited for the show to start. A few minutes later we were told to start yelling and clapping as loud as we could and the show started live. The opening number was absolutely amazing, full of energy and just flawless. One interesting thing I noticed right away is it’s absolutely impossible for you to hear what Tom and Erin are saying in the studio because it is so loud. When they are playing the packages that you see on TV they are running on two screens in the studio, one above the stairs to the main stage and then another in the back so their truly isn’t a bad seat in the house. On the 2nd level there was only 2 rows and I am pretty sure the 3rd level was the same. Another amazing thing that you see live is the set change outs. They truly hustle to get those sets torn down and the new ones in within minutes on commercial breaks, I can only ima
gine how much more complicated it is on Disney week.
is guest spot and I will say my opinion is he was hard on some because he knows they can do better. He has won the show, he knows what it takes along with all of his years of dance experience.
ne in their heads. The beauty and pure emotion of some of the dances are just that much more intense in the live audience. Nyle and Sharna’s dance for example had me in tears because you couldn’t help but, feel the emotion of every movement. It’s a bit different than watching it at home. The studio was actually a bit warm too which was a little surprising to me, I had always heard studios were more on the chilly side but, that’s probably for the safety of the pros/stars.
as done we all exited and got into this long line to get our cell phones back. For more on what I thought on the dances please check out my weekly blog.
at time on the show. Kim is so sweet and just radiates happiness. Nyle is even better looking in person, beyond handsome and Ginger is seriously the absolute nicest person. Her husband Ben is incredibly funny and they really are the cutest couple. I also saw Doug Flutie but, didn’t want to ask for a picture because he was with his friends and family at the time and already had quite a few people waiting for him. He seemed to be very kind to each person he was interacting with.
rgy to be a part of the audience. The dances are amazing on TV but, the emotion in person truly is palpable. I will never forget this amazing experience and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity.
time,
be Doug, I do think he tries, I just think it’s not coming together for him to the point
ly deserves this opportunity and Kim is lucky to have him as a partner. Kim Fields was on Facts of Life, Living Single and Real Housewives of Atlanta. First dance is the Cha-Cha. I thought they did a good job for the first week. The Cha-Cha in my opinion is a difficult dance to learn. Kim showed a lot of personality, charisma and truly looked like she was having a lot of fun out there.
un personality. First dance: Foxtrot. I thought Paige did a great job, she was very elegant and seemed to soften up since the practice footage. She had a lot of great lines and a lot of grace. Paige has a lot of potential that is for sure!
eems to have a Type A personality and truly seems to have the desire to learn. It’s not easy to try something new that is totally out of your comfort zone. He has a fun energy and truly looked like he was trying. Is he a natural dancer…no but, he gave it his all and I give him a lot of credit for that. I think each week you will see him improve.
e excitement which is always fun to watch. She is a perfectionist and it’s hard when you are as you learn to dance because you want everything to be totally correct. Their first dance was a Tango. I found this was a fun dance to learn when I took my lessons. I thought they did a good job. It had a lot of attitude and was great for a week 1 performance. Jodie has a lot of potential to go far this season.
just so sweet and such an amazing dancer. He has a ton of charisma, as does Marla and it will be fun to watch this pair. First dance: Quickstep. Marla is very elegant, has a fun personality and a lot of potential. I think they will go far this season. . I thought their dance was a lot of fun!
nce: Cha-Cha. Wanya has a fun personality and his charisma shines through the TV screen. He’s going to fun to watch! This pair reminded me so much of Alfonso and Witney. I think he will go far in this competition for sure, so much fun to watch this pair!
and a desire to learn. First dance: Jive. This was a challenging first dance. Jive does not look like an easy dance to learn. Val posted a video of his swollen knees on Instagram one night after practice. Ginger really has a dynamic personality and I think this pair has a lot of potential. Val is a great teacher and they will be another fun pair to watch.
ice person and a true talent. Mischa is well known for being an actress on the OC. First dance: Tango. Mischa is definitely not a natural dancer. She did ok for the first dance and I think she will need to put a lot more work/effort into it to be successful this season especially with this cast. I am sure she was nervous. I also think she will need to relax a bit and let people get to know. Artem is a good teacher, hopefully she will loosen up a bit and take advantage of learning from him.
ord after watching their performance: WOW! The fact he is deaf did not stop him at all. He can only feel vibrations if the music is loud enough. Peta did such a fantastic job as a teacher and they truly seemed to be in tune with each other’s bodies. I am so excited to watch this beautiful pair dance this season. Nyle truly shows that you cannot let anything stop you from learning, from giving it your all and truly blew everyone away on night one.
think the combination of their personalities is going to make them a team to watch this season! First dance: Quickstep. Antonio did a great job, he has crazy charism as well and this super fun spunk! I will be really surprised if they don’t go far this season!
and I am sure she will be an asset to teaching Von. They definitely will be dealing with a major height difference. First dance: Foxtrot. I thought they did well for the first dance. Von is charming and I think just needs to loosen up a bit more.
This was my 3rd Dancing with the Stars tour and hands down the BEST one to date! The stage set up with fantastic, great music/dance selection and the cast was filled with not only great talent but, the kindest people.
I have been asked by several friends what were your favorite dances. That is just so hard to pick because they were all so good for different reasons. I think the ladies would all agree that the men of DWTS doing the Magic Mike dance to Pony was well let’s just say HOT, anyone else need a cold shower after? I took two videos if you want to check them out. This one I affectionately call Magic Val: 
The 2nd video I tried to capture more of the dancers, my seat was a tough angle. 
