Mark Ballas And Louis Van Amstel Write About The DWTS 13 Finale

Louis Van Amstel has written a new blog at ABC on the Dancing With The Stars Season 13 finale. He describes how each of them deserved to win for different reasons: “Ricki Lake for consistency, J.R. Martinez for spirit and musicality, Rob Kardashian for most improved.”. Check out more of what he writes below and at the link. Yeah, I imagine he is jealous. LOL!!

J.R. winning “DWTS” Season 13 is in my opinion the right choice because overall he was closest to having the whole package of a champion: talent, heart, his personal story, plus the difficulty level of the choreography Karina taught J.R.

J.R. and Karina’s choreography was more challenging than the other couples’, and J.R. did deliver. He also had a few ups and downs, which showed what he was truly made of. America saw that and voted for J.R.’s devotion.

Big congratulations to pro Karina Smirnoff for winning her first mirrorball trophy. I’m jealous, lol!

Mark Ballas wrote on the night as well at USA Today. No one was more shocked to see Ricki and Derek get third than he was. Below are more of his thoughts on the night. You can read more on his plans for the off season at USA Today.

During rehearsal they had some slip-ups with a few of the lifts, and Karina was very nervous when they couldn’t nail them. J.R. came to the rescue and got her through it. These two have relied on each other throughout the season and have been the epitome of teamwork. They both are very deserving of the win!

That said, the other competitors did not make it easy. Rob (Kardashian) put up a fight; he showed up this week ready to leave with the trophy in his hands. Sometimes the pressure of the finals can make competitors crack, or it can make them focus even harder. Rob definitely falls in to the latter category. He was very smooth and determined all week, and that showed in his dances during the finals.

He couldn’t have done anything differently; he was pretty much perfect. This season was so unpredictable you never knew what was going to happen or who was going home. Maybe if Rob would have competed on a different season, he would have been the winner. Although second place is still a huge accomplishment and he should be proud.

My jaw dropped when Ricki (Lake) was announced in third place — I think everyone was a little shocked. This season was packed with talent, there was stiff competition and not everyone can win, but all three finalists were equally talented. It made for a gut-wrenching finals week. Derek (Hough) did an amazing job transforming Ricki into a dancer. Their freestyle was amazing and Ricki looked great. Her body completely changed over the course of 10 weeks. This show takes a lot of hard work and dedication, so props to Ricki for sticking with it.