DWTS13 Freestyle Retrospective: The Top 10 Best Freestyles in DWTS History
So the other day, we counted down the top 10 worst freestyles in DWTS history, and re-lived some of the biggest stinkers we’ve seen in 12 seasons. Today we’ve saved the best for last: the showstoppers, the jaw-droppers, and the dynamite freestyles that have set the bar for all the freestyles to follow. 🙂
Some patterns we’ve noticed: most of these routines are high-energy, use recognizable songs, and have either a theme or a general “feel” for the celebs to connect to. It’s a pattern that seems to work – let’s hope this season’s finalists stick to it!
Heidi’s Note: You’ll also note that you have a better shot of making this list if your name if Johnson, Hough, or Ballas. Â Possibly Schwimmer – she’s one for two, isn’t she??
10. Kyle Massey & Lacey Schwimmer, season 11
Courtney: This is a good example of a hip-hop freestyle actually working out well – basically the polar opposite of Lacey’s ill-fated hip-hop freestyle with Lance. This time around, the song & theme fit her partner to a T – Kyle LOVED “Tootsie Roll”, and it really showed. Now while the choreo wasn’t really all that complicated, it was the fact that Kyle just milked each step for all its worth that really made it fun – I swear, I think the only more charismatic contestant to ever do the show is Carson. 😛 Kyle had swaaaaaag, and was a true showman…and it didn’t hurt that he wasn’t too shabby a dancer, either.
Heidi: The thing that made this work was that it fit Kyle to a tee and he LOVED it. He was having the time of his life and he had the skills to pull off a hip hop routine. You combine that with some pretty clever choreography and you have a brilliant freestyle. He’d be much farther up on my list…but this is surprisingly hard to come up with and putting them in order? Impossible! Anyway, when I stand up off the couch and cheer, you know it’s good. And this one was also FUN in all caps. 🙂
9.) Donny Osmond & Kym Johnson, season 9
Courtney: For as much as Donny got on my nerves during his season (and he continues to irk me to this day), I have to admit – Kym did a great job of utilizing his strengths and crafting a freestyle for him that he could connect to. I don’t think they could have picked a more perfect theme for him – he’s the quintessential showman, and “jazz hands!” seem to be his forte. The choreography itself was not terribly difficult, but Donny executed the steps with so much energy & conviction that it didn’t really matter – it was still fun to watch. And this is another good example of how lifts aren’t necessary for a great freestyle – the few lifts that were in this one were pretty brief and simple.  All in all, this was a good conclusion to Donny’s season on the show.
 Heidi: Yeah, he still annoys me too, but this was a really excellent freestyle.  Ya gotta love a big finish and this song had a big, broadway finish built into it. It really was perfect for Donny.  Who needs lifts when you can do great side by side work??
8.) Apolo Ohno & Julianne Hough, season 4
Heidi: Heh, I complain about how badly hip hop is done on this show and how it’s so “over” in terms of freestyle and then I put one in the top ten. 🙂  Go figure. But, Julianne has been doing hip hop since she was a child and she’s a similar choreographer to Derek – when you watch this dance, it’s hip hop, but it has a lot of clever moves in it, such as the blindfolded side by side work plus a couple cool tricks. But I think that Apolo was really into this as well and may have some sort of hip hop background – I don’t know if you can be taught that floor work that he did at the beginning of the dance in a week. I think where it worked was that there was so much side by side work and it showed that the two of them were perfectly matched.  And I loved the ending – very cute.
Courtney: I think what worked well for them is the fact that they didn’t try to go 100% full-on hip-hop, whereas Lacey seems to go for pure hip-hop. This is what I’d call “hip-hop lite” or “cheerleader hip-hop” – it’s got a definitely hip-hop feel to it, but there are some jazzy, ballroom-y moves & lifts thrown in to make it interesting, and it seems much more well-received by both the judges and the audience. But I agree – Apolo at least looks like he’s had a bit of a hip-hop background (as evidenced by the b-boying he did in the middle), and Julianne managed to harnass that effectively. It’s funny, because Karina had the same strength in Mario in season 3 – he could do a little bit of breakdancing – but their freestyle fell kinda flat while Apolo & Julianne’s was a crowd-pleaser. Goes to show that just because you have a partner with a bit of dance background, does not mean choreographing a freestyle is a piece of cake (right, Dmitry? ;-)) You do have to actually figure out ways to utilize your partner’s strengths. I did notice a few synchronization issues here and there, but I think the fact that their energy was so high helped to mask it pretty well. Overall, a good example of working WITH your partner’s strengths, rather than against them.
7. Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas, season 8
Courtney: If I haven’t driven the point home yet, IT’S IMPORTANT TO UTILIZE THE STRENGTHS OF YOU PARTNER!!! And Mark hit the jackpot with this one – he had a partner that was more than capable of keeping up with some of his wackier, more risky stunts and dance moves. I honestly don’t think has had a better match that Shawn as a partner – with her, I felt like he could comfortably indulge his more whimsical side, since she was so young & wholesome. And that’s why I think the Jabbawockeez opening seemed to work well for them – I don’t think it would have been as well-received with someone older, like Kristi. But I do think it was a good idea that they ditched the masks quickly – I think I was worried that they were going to try to do the whole routine with them on, which is incredibly risky since you usually sacrifice some performance value because the audience can’t see your facial expressions. I don’t particularly care for mid-routine costume changes (they almost always disrupt the flow of the dance), but I guess this one wasn’t too bad – and Mark managed to not only utilize some ballroom steps, but also some other moves from he & Shawn’s routines that season (anyone catch the hands in air, criss-cross foot move they did in their “PYT” cha-cha?), so it had a nice feeling of summary to it. And do I even need to comment on how awesome Shawn is at lifts & other acrobatics? 😛
Heidi: Well, this was a dance that was tailor made for Shawn – that’s why it worked so well. Mark effectively used all of Shawn’s skills from her previous training – that is so important. The costume change almost did trip them up and I remember the first time I watched it, live, squealing at the TV in fear that she wouldn’t be able to get it all off quickly enough. But in the end it was a blip.  Excellent dance – there’s not really much more to say about it. 🙂
6. Nicole Scherzinger and Derek Hough, season 10
Courtney: I gotta give Nicole credit for taking on the freestyle choreo with the highest level of difficulty I’ve ever seen on the show – seriously, kids, don’t try this at home. I know pros that are well-versed in lifts that wouldn’t wanna tackle some of this stuff! This one was high-octane from start to finish – can’t accuse these two of losing steam. However, I will say that it did feel kinda chaotic at times – as if they were trying to jam-pack as much content as possible into a 1:30 dance. But in addition to those crazy lifts & stunts, they actually had quite a bit of “real” ballroom content – there was some salsa, some quickstep, even a little samba. And we all know real ballroom content gets Len in a warm, fuzzy mood 😛 Despite the one bungled lift, I do think this routine really set the bar for impressive freestyle choreography – if we ever get another Nicole on the show, I will be expecting he or she to top this.
Heidi: This is the sort of choreo I expected from Mya and Dmitry. Mya had every bit the talent that Nicole had and they definitely could have pulled something like this off. Technically difficult, still flashy, still had a bit of goofy Derek in it, what with the camera pan while they remove clothing….all very clever. Â High energy, high speed – I was tired after watching it from my couch! I also appreciated the level of ballroom content – I think that’s what bothers me about some hip hop routines – they spend 9 weeks learning all this cool ballroom stuff and then throw it out the window on their freestyle for Hip Hop. Â And rarely does it actually work.
5. Joey Fatone and Kym Johnson, season 4
Courtney: For me, this freestyle is everything that Lance & Stacy’s wanted to be – it was both a great homage to Joey’s boyband days, and was disco done RIGHT. Kym effectively worked Joey’s background into this routine – loved the *NSYNC “Bye Bye Bye” bit, but also loved that they didn’t spend a whole lot of time on it; they did the brief, effective homage, and then they moved on to more exciting stuff. For a disco freestyle to really work, I feel like it has to be high-energy – and boy, was this high-energy. Stacy’s “Stayin’ Alive” looks like it’s in slo-mo compared to this one – Joey & Kym were dancing circles around Stacy & Tony, and the funny part is that quite a few of the “disco” moves are the same…Joey & Kym just did them with a lot more energy & conviction. The lifts in this one were also spot on – Joey handled Kym with ease, and they seemed to transition in & out of them without too much effort. Overall, it was a high-energy, well-executed, relevant effort.
Heidi:Â Effortless. The lifts were effortless. Â And not only was it a great homage to Joey’s boyband days and great disco, but it actually had a great deal of ballroom content. They didn’t just throw away the previous 9 weeks – just excellent!! I find I’m running out of things to say on some of these – it’s like chocolate – you don’t know why you love it, you just do.
Tie -3. Brooke Burke and Derek Hough, season 7
Heidi: Say what you want about Brooke, but the woman has GUTS. You had to have guts to do the moves that Derek put in this freestyle.  That crazy ass lift at the beginning where he ends up twirling her around while she’s hanging upside down from his shoulder?? That roly poly move at the end (and Derek has back problems to this day)?  He even put in a move that he normally puts in with Julianne – and this was at Brooke’s request!!! That’s the thing – she had the drive and the need to get the same sort of reaction from the audience as Derek and Julianne did with their DaD from that season.  She wanted to hear the crowd roar, and she got her wish.  Took some risks – serious risks – to get there too. On top of all that, Brooke  says that Grease is her family’s favorite movie and they had just been watching it – at least, that’s what she said at the time.  All that, plus Derek throws in a bit of quickstep, an homage to Grease and his own bit of goofiness.  I almost put this one ahead of Kristi and Mark’s just based on Brooke’s lack of training of any kind versus Kristi’s skating training.
Courtney: Heidi, was it you that told me that Brooke & Derek had actually never done this routine together from start to finish prior to this performance? If so, that right there is impressive. And this, folks, is another example of an homage done RIGHT – they took the theme, did a few steps from the original, but the rest of it was original choreo. And like Nicole’s freestyle, there was a good smattering of real ballroom in this one, too – some jitterbug, jive, Lindy, and what I’m quickly noticing to be Derek’s fave: the quickstep promenade runs, jumps, and flicks. And as trivial as it may sound – the fact that they stayed on time and in synch and kept their energy level up is impressive to me. I’m of the opinion that if you’re going to tackle tough, high-energy choreography, you better be able to deliver – and many often don’t. I didn’t see any mistakes or stutters from these two – and both looked like they had FUN, above all else.
Heidi: Yes, it was me that told you that. Derek said they had never run it start to finish – he didn’t say why, but he was battling back problems and some of the moves were just too risky.
Tie -3. Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas, season 6
Heidi: After watching both dances again, I had to make this one a tie with Brooke and Derek. Â While Kristi’s was full on dancing, Brooke’s was very gutsy for someone who’s not as accustomed to aerials as Kristi is. Â Len called this one hip hop – I sure wouldn’t. It was just full on dancing – I guess I would label this one “Broadway”. Very crowd pleasing, fast, Kristi seemed to be loving it and was connecting to it – clever tricks – it pretty much had it all.
Courtney: I would call the style of this one “cheerleader hip-hop” – which sounds like an insult, but it’s really not, because I think “cheerleader hip-hop” is generally more well-received than 100% hardcore hip-hop on this show.  It had a cute beginning that tied in well with the song – the story of waking up in the morning and “workin’, workin’, workin’ day & night” was fun & unexpected, and as always, Kristi rocked the lifts – no surprise there. High-energy, upbeat, and with enough tricks to keep it interesting. Winning 🙂
2. Hines Ward and Kym Johnson – season 12
Courtney: As a Colts fan, I really, really wanted to hate this one – but just like I ended up loving Hines, I ended up loving this one, too 🙂 The big appeal of this one for me is that they managed to go out-of-the-box while still remaining relevant. A freaking marching band???! Genius – it tied in nicely with Hines’ football background without being completely expected or obvious – I mean, he could’ve just thrown on a bedazzled Steelers jersey & stomped around to “Eye of the Tiger” or something, but I think it was smart of he & Kym to take the road less-traveled…in this case, paying homage to the halftime show. Loved the costuming & the set – it just oozed energy. This freestyle had props that actually worked WITH the dance, rather than against it. And I think it’s damn near impossible to hate on She of the Awesome Boobage when she’s dolled up in a sparkly majorette outfit, complete with white go-go boots. Adorable! 🙂
Heidi: Kym is just totally underrated as a choreographer. She manages to take a theme that works for her partner, throw in some ballroom, make it high energy fun and then they just rock it out. Then she did what Derek did with Jennifer, below – she took something important to Hines’ life, football, and approached it from the side so it is unexpected, fresh but still relevant. She even used real marching band style music. Â Just totally cool and unique.
1. Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough – season 11
Heidi: This is my absolute favorite because it has all the elements that make a great freestyle. It relates directly to the celebrity, the choreo works great with the song and the celeb, it’s high energy and exciting. Add in that Jennifer was 50 years old with serious neck issues and it’s also gutsy as hell to boot.  Not only did it relate directly to one of the most iconic movies of all time, but Derek took a new route to making the connection for Jennifer; he didn’t go for the cliched “Time of Your Life” dance that nearly EVERYONE was begging for, but with a song a bit less associated with the movie yet still part of Jennifer.  To top it off, that’s what SHE wanted – she didn’t want the cliched route.  The part that sealed the deal for me?? The watermelon.  Sure, anyone can do “No one puts Baby in a corner” –  the “I carried a watermelon” reference was genius. 🙂 That little homage that is not just the movie, but also Jennifer, was brilliant – it also showcased Jennifer’s journey.  She’s not Baby any more, she’s the sexy momma dancing with Johnny Castle. 🙂
Courtney: RELEVANCE IS EVERYTHING! That’s the difference between this routine & other movie-based freestyles that weren’t so well-received – this felt personal to Jennifer. Hell, people kept bringing up the fact that she was in Dirty Dancing all season long – did you really think she wasn’t going to end her journey on the show by paying homage to the thing that probably got her there in the first place? But echoing Heidi, it was a wise decision for them NOT to pander to fans who were clamoring for the famous Johnny & Baby dance sequence at the end of the movie.  I would have definitely yawned at that, as it’s been done to death. I’m glad they actually opted for something a bit less expected & humorous by going with “Do You Love Me” and throwing in the watermelon gag. And the cool thing about this one: it wasn’t really laden with a ton of tricks & lifts, but was still every bit as entertaining to watch. If nothing else, a celeb that isn’t able to do whatever the pro conceives in their head (for whatever reason) can be a good tool for challenging a pro to think outside the box.
Some honorable mentions who didn’t make the list:
Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson, season 7 – Definitely a cute, highly entertaining effort from the “paso doble killah” – just maybe not as impressive as Kym’s other freestyles. –Courtney-
Well, who doesn’t smile when Warren Sapp gets his groove on? 🙂  -Heidi-
Emmett Smith and Cheryl Burke, season 3 – Hokey, hilarious, funny and FUN.  It just made me smile. 🙂  -Heidi-
Helio Castoneves and Julianne Hough, season 5 – Personality, it’s all about personality. Everytime I see Helio to this day, I smile. -Heidi-
Kirstie Alley & Maks Chmerkovskiy, season 12 – I think I liked this one because it was a bit different – a bit more on the poignant side. And Kirstie got her aerial!!! 😛 –Courtney–
And a word on the great “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy” debate…
Courtney: This is one Heidi & I seemed to go back & forth on – should we include it? Should we leave it off? And here’s why: for as much hype as Drew & Cheryl’s freestyle has gotten, we don’t really think it stands the test of time when you put it up against truly high-octane, challenging routines like we’ve seen in the past few seasons. Many of you seemed to say the same thing – “I wasn’t really all that wild about it”, “I don’t understand why people rave about how great it is”, etc. Now I’m not by any means trying to say that it’s a bad routine, or diminsh Cheryl’s choreography or Drew’s performance, but I think the strange dichotomy of this routine is best explained by looking at the context. This was a season 2 routine – so prior to this, the show had only seen 2 freestyles, and the pros still seemed to be testing the waters and fleshing out what exactly a freestyle should & shouldn’t be. There were literally no expectations, and since both of season 1’s freestyles were rather “meh” and the other two freestyles in season 2 were bad to okay-ish, the fact that Drew’s freestyle was the first one that was “pretty good” kinda got amplified in comparison – he was a bigger fish in a smaller pond. And if you’ve seen crummy freestyle after crummy freestyle and suddenly a decent one comes along – odds are you’re going to get excited and the bar will be set…but like all bars, they start out low and there’s almost always someone who will eventually beat your record. This was the case with “Save a Horse” – great for season 2, but it pales in comparison to the showstoppers we started to see with Julianne, Mark, Derek, and Kym. So I think it fits in nicely as an “honorable mention” – great at the time, but probably not so great compared to recent years.
Now who are YOUR favorites? And do you think any of the freestyles that we’re going to see this week could possibly make this list? 😉
My favorites: Joey, Apolo, Warren, Kyle.
Hmm, all guys.
Either I’m weird or male dancers doing freestyle choreography are.
I don’t care for tributes, I don’t care for too much flashy tricks and I certainly don’t care for cheerleader hip-hop (or cheerleader in any other style except well cheerleader).
I just want to see the celebrities have an outrageously good time.
Oh, wanted to add that Julianne&Apolo were the only exceptions to my “hate cheerleader hip-hop” rule.
Those two were so over the top cheesy together that it worked for them great. But only for them.
I have to say I like drew’s freestyle for sentimental reasons, you know. I started watching DwtS on youtube on season 4.
So I went back and watched the previous seasons, and Drew and Cheryl was the first freestyle I ever saw (here in Brazil, we don’t have freestyle on DwtS lookalike shows). That was shocking.
I also like Kelly Monaco’s for the same reason and besides a lot of mistakes I still think that it was a good one.
My favourite still being Joey Fatone’s. Donny was surprising, but, that finals sucked… =p
I loved Drew’s freestyle as well Carlos! I also loved Kyle’s, Jennifer’s, Nicole’s, and Donny’s. Kirstie’s was fun too!!!
I think one of the reasons I love Cheryl and Drew’s freestyle is because (as far as I know and I could very well be wrong).. it was the first of its kind and hasn’t been done since. As has been stated – a freestyle should reflect the celeb in some way and Drew loves country music.
I’m not sure I would’ve placed Jennifer and Derek at number one. After looking thru the others, it seemed to lack something for me. I thought it then and still do now. I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy it, but when you’re making a list of the best.. well, I just think some of the others were better – in my own opinion.
I honestly can’t pick a favorite. There’s just so much talent and entertainment in all the ones listed, including the honorable mentions. Good job!
Was I the only one that did not thoroughly enjoy Kristi and Marks routine? I thought the lifts were sloppy, like he was trying too hard. He didn’t need to, not with Kristi Y. she was amazing.
I loved Kyle, Hines, and Jennifer… 🙂
I agree with most of this list.
I think I would have put Drew and Cheryl’s on the list. It’s a classic and even though it doesn’t measure up to the freestyles of today it’s still great and it suited Drew.
As I’ve said on another post I just don’t get Hines and Kym’s freestyle. It was something new and different – I’ll give them that, but it didn’t make sense to me. It’s still doesn’t. Maybe I just don’t know enough about American football to see the connection…
Brooke and Kristi… both very technical dancers, but Kristi was better in the performance department in her season than Brooke was in hers – except in the freestyle. That was the first time Brooke really nailed the performance aspect and that’s why I would probably put her ahead of Kristi. It wasn’t expected of Brooke that she could do that after that failed jive the week before.
Derek and Jennifer’s freestyle is my least favorite of his three. Don’t get me wrong – it’s good! But in my opinion, definitely not the best ever. I think Kyle’s should be higher as well.
Not to mention, Gitte – Kristi had a ton of training of all kinds whereas Brooke didn’t.
Hine’s Freestyle is VERY American Football – I can definitely see how someone who’s not American would fail to get it.
I don’t know if this is just me but I think Kelly and Alec’s freestyle deserves at least an honorable mention. I don’t know why, I just love it! I realize she still is sloppy at many points but I love the song, the costume change, the lots of ballroom and the energy from the two of them too much not to want it to get a little bit of recognition hahaha! Im glad you put Kirsties and Maks on there – I think that one was slightly underrated at the time because I thought it fit Kirstie perfectly and she really connected to it.
However, I do agree with all the freestyles that are currently on the list, I may have switched Donny and Kym’s with Kyle and Lacey cause I flove Kyle and I probs would have put Shawn and Mark higher because for some reason their’s is the freestyle I watch the most- I just think its so joyful and Shawn looked like she was having more fun on that dance floor than she had had all season!
Shawn and Mark freestyle is IMO the best freestyle ever, better than Kristi Y.’s for sure. Kirsti A’s freestyle shouldn’t be there coz it was sooo nooooot good. How can you put Nicole’s and Jennifer’s freestyle on the list? Oh nevermind!
I approved your post, Maddy, just so I could roll my eyes at you. :::rolls eyes:::
You guys were very biased in this post they were other freestyles that could have been put on the list in place of all three of Dereks and both of Marks’s…CHeryl’s freestyle should have definitely been on but i realise you guy favour Derek and Mark…Both of Cheryl’s freestyles were historic how can you have a list and not include them..
I agree w all of those except for Kyle and Lacey. I think Kelly and Alec’s freestyle should be #10. It was the first freestyle ever to get a perfect score and showed what the freestyle is all about. Also, Alec can choregoraph a killer freestyle.
Lastly, Hines’ freestyle has grown on me. Its actually really good. When I first saw it that night of the finale week, I was like “ugh this is too cheesy” but its actually really good but i still liked kirstie’s better.
Because we don’t agree with you, Reneess…it’s that simple. Start your own blog, then you can make your own list.
So easy to cry about bias. What are yours? You look in the mirror and think perhaps yours influence you? Of course not. 🙂
If you’re only here to point the finger & shriek “Biased!!!” and bitch about how your favorite didn’t make the list – you may as well not even comment, because your comments are neither intelligent nor insightful. You’re just as biased as we are.
LOVE Jennifer & Derek’s freestyle. It actually showcased Jennifer’s natural grace & talent. The iconic watermelon from DD was a genius idea. Not too may lifts that would make it cheerleaderish, the lifts were there & the last lift that I saw for the very 1st time was done was a perfect fit & was a fantastic way to end their freestyle.
Kristi’s freestyle was great too but Mark always all season had the twirls & kicks that she does on ice.
Drew’s is unique,& was the best then but after 9 seasons, greater & more amazing happened
Kyle was full of energy but am not a big fan of hip hop for freestyle.
Brooke’s was awesome but it looked like it was just a series of lifts, yes she did them great lifts but I was looking foir more portrayal of the character of Grease.
Loved seeing these, esp since I missed some of them the first time around. Mark and Shawn’s almost seemed like it was being watched on the ‘fast forward’ mode–wow, what energy and speed. I like Nicole’s better now than I did at the time–compared to some of her regular season dancing, I wasn’t sure the routine fared well, but compared to other freestyles, it was a knockout. And how weird is it to see Brooke and Samantha side-by-side after Brooke and Derek’s dance? Funny…
Nicole’s freestyle is very difficult and has tons of dance content. At first the color of the costume took me out of it. But it was difficult and great.
I think Jennifer’s is rightfully number one. It has everything we love to see in a freestyle. Interesting lifts, fun story that connected to Jennifer. Like Hines’, it is about the celeb.
Joey’s freestyle is number two for me. Brooke does impress me more because of her background and Kristi’s to me is very cheerleader hip hop lite. Same with Apolo. I love Julianne but she cannot dance hip hop as well as her brother or Mark. But their freestyle works and when you have Young MC himself cheering for it, it is good!
Best freestyle choreographers Kym and Derek. They make it about their partners and entertain.
Thanks for compiling this list — an interesting read.
Love Kym and Joey’s and Kym and Donnie’s. She does know how to choreograph to fit her partner. Having said that, I found Kym and Hine’s underwhelming now, just as I did when I first saw it. And it’s not because I don’t understand football — watching it right now, as a matter of fact. Just too little dancing. It didn’t even get started for me until the Jackson 5 music started. But Kym’s outfit was awesome and I liked one of their lifts and the little fip at the end. Definitely would give their routine an honorable mention at best.
And while I rooted for Kristi Y. her season, I hated the hip hop that Mark inserted into their routines, both once during before week 10 and in the freestyle. Kristi could put a smile on her face and seem like she was enjoying anything, but I saw no connection by her at all with that free style. I love the personality she showed in her skating routines (her Bjork “Oh So Pretty” routine is one of my all-time favorites), and Mark seemed ot me to be completely oblivious to that. The clip posted in the 10 worst thread of him, Derek and Julianne performing to the same song that he used for his and Chelsea’s free style just shows to me all the more how Mark choreographs for himself first and foremost. Still, Kristi was amazing and her free style deserves recognition.
Thanks for these! I loved watching them all again. Derek and Jennifer were fantastic. I loved Kym’s and Hine’s. Nicole and Derek were something else. Well I loved them all, except I wasn’t crazy over Donnie and Kym’s or Julianne and Apollo’s. and may I say that Kym looked fabulous way back in Season 4 with Joey. Maybe a little more of a natural look than what we’re seeing now. She’s still beautiful of course. As for Drew and Cheryl, I really do like their freestyle just because it’s so different, probably because of the country flavour. I didn’t like Kirstie and Maks’ freestyle at all at the time. I haven’t seen it since. Hoping what we see on Monday will make this list next season! 🙂
It is interesting to see how many of season 11 & 12 freestyles made it into the discussion (a third of the top 10) – I wonder if the iconic dances poll was taken again, how many of the last three seasons would make the top ten….
And i’m torn on Cheryl/Drew’s freestyle. Yes, it may not stack up against all that has come since, but I think it was so different then and it definitely made people think differently about what a freestyle could and should be. So I agree, deserves at least an honorable mention…
These are my top 10 favorites.
10.) Kirstie and Maks
9.) Jennifer and Derek
8.) Donny and Kym
7.) Nicole and Derek
6.) Helio and Julianne
5.) Hines and Kym
4.) Kyle and Lacey
3.) Brooke and Derek
2.) Kristi and Mark
TIE for 1.) Shawn and Mark and Apolo and Julianne.
Brooke and Kyle are actually my two favorites but they’re all awesome!
I really don’t like Kirstie’s freestyle. Love her, but that was the worst of that season, definelly.
WOW, Pure girls,,,you picked my own absolute favorites! I totally LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your top 10 freestyles! Derek’s are always amazing, and I am more and more impresssed with Kym’s choreography. LIke Derek, she makes it about her partner and audience entertainment as evidenced by Donny’s freestyle: how perfect was that dance for “Mr Showmanship” himself? Anyway, you girls rocked it! A++
Agree with most of the choices but not in that order.I didn’t like Kirstie and Maks’ freestyle. I LOVED Helio and Julianne’s and Emmitt and Cheryl’s freestyle which would have made my list.
Top 10.
1. Nicole and Derek
2. Jennifer and Derek
3. Shawn and Mark
4. Helio and Julianne
5. Hines and Kym
6. Apolo and Julianne
7. Kyle and Lacey
8. Emmitt and Cheryl.
9. Kristi and Mark
10.Donny and Kym.
Heh – you have no idea how many times thing went into and out of the top ten and how often the order got shuffled. I didn’t find it that easy to put them in order at all.
yes, Nicole’s freestyle was amazing. Number one on my list (even with that not-so-good lift at the end). Derek and Kym are the freestyle champions 🙂
Where would u rank Alec and Kelly’s freestyle?
Jennifer Grey and Derek did have the best freestyle. It had everything, even the watermelon was genius, sorry.
ITs the pros job to showcase the celebrity and this dance did it in my opinion!