Syracuse, N.Y. -- Olympic gold medal winning ice skater Meryl Davis received the mirror ball trophy Tuesday by winning the finale of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars." It was also the first win for professional partner Maks Chmerkovskiy.
Davis beat paralympian Amy Purdy for the season 18 championship. "Full House" actress Candace Cameron Bure came in third.
Here are some online reviews of Monday's show:
Chris Fedor, Northeast Ohio Media Group: It was smart of the producers to save the best for last. Meryl and Maks combined the foxtrot with the cha cha and it was the perfect way to cap a terrific season. Elegant. Emotional. Smooth. The routine, like so many others throughout the season, showed off great chemistry and the technical side of the routine was on point as well. When the music stopped, the crowd erupted in applause, knowing they just watched the winning couple; understanding what they just watched doesn't happen every season on "Dancing With the Stars."
Victoria Leigh Miller, Yahoo TV: While it was ultimately Davis's big night, the mirrorball win was a long time coming for Chmerkovskiy, who was beginning to seem like the Susan Lucci of TV ballroom competitions. With 13 previous seasons of the show under his belt, the Ukrainian pro dancer repeatedly missed out on the mirrorball trophy in the past. (He landed in second place in Season 5 and in Season 12 with celeb partners Melanie Brown and Kirstie Alley, respectively).
Amanda Michelle Steiner, HollywoodLife.com: In news that will surprise exactly no one... Meryl Davis and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are taking home the mirror ball trophy! Congrats!!! Could it really have gone to anyone else? Not only has their dancing been totally on point all season, but their scorching chemistry made for can't-miss TV. And how great is it that this is Maks' first-ever win? Maybe he'll be a little less grumpy for Season 19 -- who's with me? We have to say, though -- we were kinda bummed that Meryl & Maks didn't celebrate their win with a big ol' on-camera smooch!
Jen Steer, Northeast Ohio Media Group: Candace and Mark (Ballas) did a samba-quickstep fusion. I finally figured out why I don't like Candace's dancing: Because the moves are so basic. When you compare her to Meryl's technique and Amy's obstacles, Candace is average.
Janelle Griffith, The Star-Ledger: Who knew "Dancing with the Stars" could be so emotional? Well, fans of the series knew. But to further drive the message home, there was "The Road to the Finals," a one-hour special which aired before the two-hour finale. (And, yes, for those keeping track, your math is correct -- that's a total of three hours dedicated to the season finale).
Dahvi Shira, People: The night was full of highlights, but got off to a rocky start with an awkward performance by Iggy Azalea, who pulled out her ear piece and seemed understandably upset after what appeared to be a technical glitch.
Emily A. Rosenbaum, Chicago Tribune: The trophy is a long time coming for Davis' professional partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, a smoldering presence on the dance floor and fan favorite who hadn't taken home the big win until this season. He looked stunned by the win and said it was worth the wait. Hordes of Twitter followers were gleeful about the results and demanded that Meryl and Maks get married immediately.
This season's other contestants included singer-actor James Maslow, skater Charlie White, actress Danica McKellar, reality TV personality NeNe Leakes, comic Drew Carey, pop singer Cody Simpson, "Star Wars" actor Billy Dee Williams, swimmer Diana Nyad and former NHL player Sean Avery.
DWTS has been renewed for a 19th season, although longtime judge Len Goodman hinted he may not return.
Source : http://www.syracuse.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/05/dancing_with_the_stars_finale_reviews_who_knew_that_dwts_could_pack_so_much_emotion.html
