Last season's winner Amber Riley returns to deliver a musical performance, and Maksim Chmerkovskiy admits that he's smitten with his partner Meryl Davis.
- May 21, 2014
AceShowbiz - After weeks of exhausting rehearsals and several injuries, "Dancing with the Stars" has crowned the winner of its 18th season. On the Tuesday, May 20 finale, this season's eliminated pairs returned, some singers made musical performances and the final three danced once again.
The show opened with a group number featuring all contestants of season 18. Later, James Maslow and Peta Murgatroyd who finished fourth did an encore of their freestyle which was chosen by fans via Twitter, and Team Loca got a chance to do their dance live after viewers only got to see their dress rehearsal instead when Amy Purdy got sidelined due to an injury.
For their last numbers, the remaining teams would dance a routine which combined two different styles. Amy and Derek Hough danced Argentine cha-ngo (Argentine tango and cha-cha-cha). The judges gave them 30 out of 30 points, once again pointing out how the paralympic snowboarder had inspired people. Amy's total score was 89.
Candace Cameron Bure and Mark Ballas mixed a quickstep and a samba, which wasn't on a par with Amy's performance. The judges gave Candace 27 for a total score of 78, after added with scores from last night's dances.
Meryl Davis and Maksim Chmerkovskiy combined a foxtrot with a cha-cha-cha. They presented another flawless performance and earned a perfect score of 30, for a total of 90 points. With the latest score, Meryl's average score from the three permanent judges this season is 28.4, the highest ever in the show's history and beating the 28.33 from Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas in season 6.
In a taped rehearsal, Maks admitted that he got the hots for Meryl, and shared his fantasy of making a family with her. He jokingly said that he would probably ask her to marry him "tomorrow."
Meryl and Maksim's hard work and consistency were paid off as they're declared the winner of season 18 after a performance of "Human" by Christina Perri. Candace and Mark finished third, while Amy and Derek were the runner-up.
"It means so much," Maks said of their win. "To do it with Meryl is a dream come true. There's a reason it didn't happen before -- because it was meant to happen with this one."
The finale also featured Cody Simpson who sang "Surfboard", and Ariana Grande who performed "Problem". Last season's winner Amber Riley was also back to cater the crowd with a musical performance of "Do Your Thing".
