Dancing with the Stars: The Finals

The four remaining couples competed in two rounds of dance. In the first round, each couple took on the “Judges Pick” and repeated the same dance style they did the week of the Switch-Up. In the second round, one of the biggest competitive dances of the season, the couples took on a supersized Freestyle featuring special effects, additional dancers and unexpected surprises. At the end of night, one couple was eliminated based on the previous weeks' viewer votes, combined with the judges' scores from the previous Monday night. WEEK 10 SCORES:   Carrie Ann Len Bruno Total James & Peta (Judges' Pick - Tango)  9 10  10   29 Meryl & Maksim (Judges' Pick - A. Tango)  10 10 10  30 Candace & Mark (Judges' Pick - Quickstep)  9  9  9  27 Amy & Derek (Judges' Pick - Salsa)  10  10  10  30 James & Peta (Freestyle)  10  9  10  29 Meryl & Maksim (Freestyle)  10  10  10  30 Candace & Mark (Freestyle)  8  8  8  24 Amy & Derek (Freestyle)  10  9  10  29   • All 4 couples were feeling it tonight as they walked out—the final four—with hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews introduced them. Checking in with Len Goodman for the Judges’ Pick, he revealed that the judges wanted to see everyone perform the dances from the week of The Switch-Up with their original partners! • First up were James Maslow and Peta Murgatroyd with a sexy, sharp, intense tango that gave the us what we’ve all been waiting for: a gorgeous kiss! Len was impressed, calling the performance “sharp as a razor,” but Carrie Ann Inaba told James that he seemed “a little too rigid.” • This season’s overall score leaders Meryl Davis and Maksim Chmerkovskiy took to the dance floor next with a sultry, sophisticated Argentine tango. The routine was sublime, featuring some dazzling acrobatics that left the judges panting for more. • Dancing the quickstep, Candace Cameron Bure and an injured Mark Ballas entered the ballroom next. While their rehearsal week was fraught with frustration and injury, they performed a heck of a dance and Bruno Tonioli complimented Candace saying that she “move[s] very, very well.” • Last up in the Judges’ Pick round, Amy Purdy and Derek Hough performed a spicy salsa routine that had us wishing every night was Latin Night. The judges were as impressed as the crowd, awarding Amy and Derek another perfect score! • First in the freestyle round, James and Peta took over the dance floor with a down-and-dirty performance with some martial arts-inspired moves. The judges flipped for James’ flip and awarded him his second 29 of the night, leaving him with a total score of 58. • Meryl and Maks lit up the ballroom for their freestyle, hoping to repeat their perfect score from earlier in the night. Their performance was an elegant, poetic and moving expression of emotion in motion that left the judges and the audience overwhelmed. After that performance, there was no doubt that they’d get that second perfect score of the night. • Getting the party started with a fresh, fun and funky freestyle, Candace and Mark put on a routine that was solid gold. Candace was fearless with multiple flips and swings and Mark, despite his injury, left it all on the dance floor. • Closing out the night’s performances, Amy and Derek defied gravity and brought what may have been their most emotional performance to the ballroom. We dare you to watch it and not get chills. • With the performances over, it was time to say goodbye to one more couple as we prepared to head into the final night of Dancing with the Stars season 18. In what may have been the toughest elimination of the season, the couple with the lowest combined total of viewer votes and judges’ scores this time was James and Peta.