Andy said the number one question he got for Caroline was… would she ever return to Real Housewives of New Jersey? She said, “No.” Caroline said to Andy, “We’ve had this conversation. You’re better to answer that question than me.” Andy joked, “You always add a lot of zeros to it [the pay she’d accept].”
Speaking to Good Morning America a humble and excited J.R. still couldn’t believe he won! “It’s amazing. We’ve all been putting over three months of work into this. To be able to hold that [mirror ball trophy] up was a tremendous honor.”
J.R.’s partner Karina Smirnoff, who landed her first win on the show, also could not believe it! “I think I was screaming so loud, I lost my voice. It is an amazing feeling,” she said of learning they won. “And what a person to share it with.” Awwww… I love them together!
“I’m just so grateful that I was able to be part of the journey to help get her first mirror ball trophy. She deserves it. She should be in the elite category of people who’ve won on this show,” J.R. told The Hollywood Reporter about his partner.
The duo credits their win to non-stop grueling practices; even beyond the work some of their co-competitors put in! “We’d take a break but instead of going to sit down, we’d go to everyone else’s rehearsal. Just trying to keep everyone’s energy up,” J.R. explained. “That was the cool thing about it. It was never competitive among us. It was all fun and we cheered everybody on.”
Rob Kardashian echoes that sentiment and despite his second place finish he is proud of his performance. “I literally couldn’t have asked myself to have done any better. I went as far as I could go,” Rob revealed “J.R. deserved that trophy.”
Even though J.R. was a total prankster on set; even hiding Rob’s phone and Cheryl Burke’s shoes! “For two hours he didn’t rehearse because he was looking for his phone,” J.R. laughs. So that was his secret!
Rob admitted he loved participating in the show because he was able to escape his annoying sisters; particularly working with Cheryl. “I genuinely did like kind of learning a new dance,” he revealed. “You start over every single Wednesday, that’s the worst part of the week and then you have to learn a whole new dance again in four days, but I enjoyed it.”
Third place finalist Ricki Lake explains the show is exhausting and exhilarating at the same time; adding that the weight-loss benefits weren’t bad either!
“This really is putting everything on the line. Your body is at its limit. You get emotionally caught up in it. You want to win. You know, it’s very scary to do these moves in front of 20 million people,” Ricki described.
J.R. won more than just the hearts of the American public; he impressed Defense Secretary Leon Panetta as well!
The Iraq war veteran received a special shout out, congratulating him for both his win and the message he sent to other veterans! “Your strength and spirit captivated the nation, and your victory sends a strong message about the strength and resilience of our wounded warriors,” Panetta wrote in a letter reported by the Washington Post. And apparently Panetta would like to personally speak to J.R.!
Hopefully J.R. will be able to fit Mr. Panetta into his busy schedule! Because following his win J.R. will be co-hosting CNN’s Heroes: An All-Star Tribute on Dec. 11 and also participating in CNN Heroes: Where Are They Now? special which airs this Thursday.
Congratulations J.R. and Karina! I, for one, think you definitely deserved the win not only for your dancing, but your hard-work, class and showmanship!
[Photo Credit: DJDM/WENN.com]
THOUGHTS ON J.R. AND KARINA’S POST-WIN INTERVIEWS? ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS?
Admittedly, I didn’t think I would get as caught up in Dancing With The Stars’ final three as I actually did. Embarrassingly, I didn’t think I’d be this happy for Rob Kardashian finally doing something that didn’t involve his sisters, and he’s clearly improved tenfold throughout the season. Don’t get me wrong… I still love J.R. Martinez and I have serious respect for Ricki Lake. At least I won’t be (too) disappointed if my favorite doesn’t win the “coveted” mirror ball trophy!
As to be expected, there was a lot of fluff on last night’s finale show, but that always happens when ABC tries to drag out forty-five minutes of content into two hours of programming. It’s almost as bad as the engagement episode of any Bachelor/Bachelorette season. Each of the final three’s Monday performances are highlighted. Rob goes into the final night three points ahead of both Ricki and J.R. Rob and J.R. both managed to wrangle perfect 30s as well. Before getting into tonight’s portion of the competition, Lady Antebellum (love!) performs a song off their latest album.
Each contestant will hit the dance floor one more time to perform what they believe to be their strongest dance of the season. First, Ricki and partner Derek Hough perform their tango. Len Goodman calls it one of the most memorable dances of any season, while Bruno Tonioli proclaims it “unforgettable.” He’s so dramatic! Carrie Ann Inaba continues with the love fest and Ricki seems to have had a very strong finish.
Rob and Cheryl Burke are dancing the foxtrot at Rob’s request. He wants to improve upon the dance from the first time they performed it. As the Kardashian Klan watches on — Kris is even krying! — he proves he really has come a long way in this competition. Rob has a (very) minor slip-up… so minor, in fact, that I had to rewind to see it after host Tom Bergeron congratulated him on his “nice recovery.” Carrie Ann says she’s so proud of Rob, while Len gushes — yes, GUSHES! — about how Rob does some of the best footwork of any male contestant he’s seen on the show. Ever. That is quite some praise!
J.R. and Karina Smirnoff decide to revisit their jive, although they must tweak it a bit to appease the judges critiques of the dance the first time around. Carrie Ann calls him a “catalyst of joy” before citing his sloppiness in the middle of the routine. She also professes to miss the lift they eliminated from the dance because she penalized them for it their first go-round. Huh? Len spends most of his speech recognizing the wonderful band and singers, but seems to feel the same way everyone else feels about J.R. You can NOT smile when you see him dance. Bruno exclaims that he “LOVED IT!”
For the judges, Ricki is in the top spot earning 30 points, with J.R. garnering 28, and Rob in third with 26. After adding the point to Monday’s scores, Ricki leads, Rob is in second and J.R. is in third, although only one point separates each competitor from the next. In another filler moment that lasts far too long, a blooper reel of the judges is shown. Seriously, this whole finale really only needs to last an hour.
One couple will be eliminated before the final dance of the evening. After lots of dramatic pauses, WHAT? Ricki and Derek are eliminated. I did NOT see that one coming. She’s been such a fan and judge favorite. J.R. and Rob look totally shocked. I swear Rob has tears in his eyes. True to form, Ricki goes out like the total class act that she is.
After highlighting some of the season’s shocking moments, some of the first “stars” to be voted off return to dance again. Metta World Peace and Elisabetta Canalis perform with their partners followed by Kristin Cavallari. Chyna Phillips returns for another shot at the dance that sent her home after she froze on stage and forgot her routine. The always entertaining Carson Kressley vogues, and Nancy Grace shakes her medieval groove thang. Chaz Bono and David Arquette take to the dance floor again before another performance from Lady A, singing their hit Need You Now. A less sour Hope Solo and a less combative (I hope) MaksimChmerkovskiydance again as well.
It’s time for the final dance for J.R. and Rob, competing with a quick instant Samba to unknown music. J.R. and Karina dance first with a strong routine, but Rob and Cheryl are equally (dare I say more?) fierce. Len gives a rare standing ovation for both couples. Bruno believes both contestants are “brilliant” while Carrie Ann declares them both as winners. The judges give three perfect 10s to both J.R. and Rob. It’s all up to the viewer votes now! I love that Rob and J.R. seem to have become really good friends. After a long and entertaining season, the mirror ball trophy goes to…
J.R. Martinez!!! Woohoo!! I am beyond thrilled. What an amazing guy and I am so happy to see Karina’s first DWTS victory.
WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE FINALE? DO YOU THINK THE RIGHT PERSON WON? HOW GREAT WAS IT TO SEE THE COMRADERY AMONG THE CONTESTANTS?
Each of the three remaining finalists had to perform two dances each — a regular dance and a freestyle. In a total shocker, Rob finished with the highest score of the night, earning a total of 57 points!
First Rob, 24, earned a score of 27 for his classic waltz and then a perfect score of 30 (his first this season) for his retro freestyle. “You’re like the male version of Cinderella who made it to the ball, and deservedly so,” said judge Carrie Ann Inaba.
Tying for second place were bothRicki Lake and war veteran J.R. Martinez each finishing the night with a total score of 54 points. J.R. earned a 24 for his lackluster cha- cha which judge Led Goodman described as “not very good,” before improving to earn a perfect score of 30 for his 80s freestyle dance!
Ricki Lake was pretty consistent last night earning a score of 27 for both of her dances, which included a cha-cha and a freestyle. “You’ve never been hotter, you’ve never been sexier,” raved judge Bruno Tonioli.
It’s been what seems like a very long time coming, but finally it’s here…the Dancing With the Stars’ Semi-Finalist Results show. No surprise that Ricki Lake is on top of the leader board, but it was sad to see an ankle injury force J.R. Martinez into third due to less than his normally stellar performances.
The tongues are still wagging about Rob Kardashian’s booty shaking samba that garnered Kimmie’s bro his first ten of the season. Not surprisingly, it’s the judge’s encore dance of the evening and Rob and partner Cheryl Burke are highlighted. The pair even won first place in the cha-cha relay. First on the chopping block, it is revealed that Rob will be dancing in the finals.
Cobra Starship performs with Sabi. I had no idea they sang this song… where have I been? Next up, Hope Solo and Maks Chmerkovskiy’s Monday night is revisited. As you recall, Maks had yet another tiny tiff with judge Carrie Ann Inaba, and Hope’s attitude was less than sportsmanlike… just as it is when it’s revealed she is in jeopardy. Did she just fist pump?
Ricki Lake’s amazing Monday night is remembered with Ricki scoring even more tens. J.R. slipped from last week due to a noticeable ankle injury, gaining scathing commentary from Len Goodman before being highly praised for his second dance despite a botched lift.
Noooo! J.R. is sent to the bottom two while Ricki waltzes into the finals. Poor J.R. looks hopeful, gracious,and nervous, while Hope’s smile looks like she’s super close to killing someone. She’s eliminated, and I will say that she exits with class. Maks apologizes for not being a better partner for her, and she reminds us that he’s a producer of the show. Okey doke.
Fast forward to today and UsWeekly is reporting Hope acted like a sore loser backstage. According to the mag, Hope, 30, was sour backstage and refused to do press following her elimination! Wowzers.
While Hope’s fellow DWTS contestants spoke to media outlets backstage, Hope gave only one TV interview, refused all other press opportunities and burst into tears.
Even worse, in a video recap of Monday’s performances, Hope complained about her scores: “Sevens? The same thing I got in week one. Kiss my booty,” she said. Hope and partner Maks were also heard swearing at the judges while they waited for their second set of scores: “F— ’em,” they said with Hope refusing to look at the judge’s table.
Perhaps her partner’s bad attitude has been rubbing off on her?
IS HOPE A SORE LOSER? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MAKS’ CONTINUED AGGRESSIVENESS TOWARDS THE JUDGES? WHO DO YOU WANT TO WIN THE MIRROR BALL TROPHY?
Each of the four remaining contestants had to perform three dances each — two individual dance numbers and a Cha Cha relay.
After falling into second place last week, Ricki Lake came back with a vengeance this week earning the highest scores of the night! Ricki finished in first place by earning a perfect score of 30 for her “sizzling hot, bright and brilliant” samba dance, a 29 for her tango, and an 8 for her Cha Cha. She ended the night with an amazing score of 67!
Also showing an amazing improvement after coming in 4th last week was Rob Kardashian! First, Rob earned a score of 28 for shaking his butt during his “fantastic” samba. When you add that to the 27 he earned for his Argentine tango along with the 10 he received for the Cha Cha, Rob finished the night with a 65.
Coming in last place this week was soccer starHope Soloand partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy. In Hope’s defense, she did have to dance through a painful shoulder injury. While the judges liked her Argentine tango, giving her a score of 24, they also stated her paso doble “lacked artistry”. Hope received a 21 for the paso doble and earned 4 points for her Cha Cha after finishing last in the relay dance.
Meanwhile, after the live show, Maksim had some choice words for judge Carrie Ann Inabawho criticized him for smiling during her critique. When asked about Carrie Ann’s comments backstage, Maks stated: “F— Carrie Ann,”adding, “Next question.” Perhaps he was joking?
“I think Carrie Ann has an issue,” continued Maks. “I don’t know what it is. I would love to know what it is so I can address it. But as of now, I have no clue… I think it was a great night. I totally disagree with the scores, but what else is new?” Hope also chimed in stating, “They’ve [the judges] wanted to get us off since day one.”
Below are the full scores from last night –
Ricki Lake and Derek Hough (30, 29, 8 ) 67 Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke (28, 27, 10) 65 J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff (23, 27, 6) 56 Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovksiy (21, 24, 4) 49
TELL US – WHO SHOULD BE THE NEXT TO GO? DO THE JUDGES HAVE IT OUT FOR MAKS?
It’s time for the results yet again on Dancing With The Stars, and the evening starts out with the female pros performing a very pro-ladies dance. It makes me wish I was much more coordinated than I am — what talent!
Of course, we resume with the highlights from Monday night and let’s be honest; Rob Kardashian has been doing an amazing job since the news that sister Kim’sdivorce became public. I think he just needed his own spotlight after years (and years and years and years) of being in the shadow of a certain group of ladies that share his DNA. Likewise, Hope Solo’s shining performance — her best dance of the season per the judges — is revisited. Then, of course, the results show reminds us of the first perfect score (of two!!) of the season for J.R. Martinez’s waltz. Love. Him. If he doesn’t win, I will be very sad.
The show wastes some time with a mildly funny skit with the man who made me love this show… Jerry Rice. It’s the previous three dancers who are on the chopping block, and (duh) J.R. is deemed safe. Hope joins the winner J.R. in the semi-finals and poor Rob finds himself in unwarranted jeopardy. The show continues what it believes to be a funny NFL commentary sketch with Len Goodman playing an unconvincing Jim Nantz.
Andrea Bocelli performs, and as talented as he is, I am more a Bieber (read: I wouldn’t know timeless singing if it hit me in the face) fan. There is more Super Bowl-esque humor and critique. Really? ABC had nothing else to fill the time than this silly faux football discussion? I remember thinking it was dumb last year. Glad to see they brought it back. I take that back… it’s better than the crew having Len imitate Hope Solo’s nude ESPN magazine cover.
Tonight’s Macy’s Stars of Dance doesn’t highlight one individual, but instead focuses on a troupe from Cirque du Soliel performing to Michael Jackson hits. Sign me up and buy me ticket, please. Following that amazing performance is a number by Flo Rida. I’ll admit it; I still have his cell number in my phone from when he published it in an article to get “closer to his fans.” He’s yet to answer, but there’s something about getting to hear a rapper’s voicemail message.
The next two “stars” are up for judgment: Nancy Grace and my favorite (runner up) Ricki Lake, who didn’t live up to her past expectations with Monday’s performance. Of course, Ricki is safe and Nancy, once again, heads to the bottom. Dare I say she’ll be safe? It’s a tough call. She promotes herself constantly on her own show, clearly she has a fan base. Rob, not so much, but he does seem to come from a family America can’t seem to ignore (unfortunately), love them or loathe them. I know who I think deserves to keep dancing, but I think he’ll be trumped by Nancy’s massive following. We shall see after the commercial break.
Rob looks stoic and Nancy seems smug as they take their place for the results. WHAT? I was wrong and for once I’m kind of happy about it. Nancy is not going to the semi-finals. She exits with class,and her partner, Tristan, exits with even more class. He’s awesome.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE FINAL FOUR? WERE YOU SHOCKED TO SEE NANCY LEAVE? WHO DO YOU WANT TO WIN DWTS?
It’s getting down to the wire on Dancing With The Stars and the five remaining stars put on their strongest performances yet on Monday night!
In fact, in a season first, a contestant finished the night with two perfect scores! Yes, war veteran J.R. Martinezearned a 30, not once, but twice alongside partner Karina Smirnoff. First J.R. earned three 10s for his flawless waltz. “It was like a musical Valentine card,” said judge Bruno Tonioli. “You dance with your heart on your sleeve. It was divine.” Moments later, J.R. earned another 30 for his insta-jive! “There’s nobody coming close to you tonight,” gushed judge Carrie Ann Inaba.
Showing a definite improvement last night was soccer star Hope Solo as she tied for second place with Ricki Lake! Perhaps it was all due to her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiywho promised to take a kinder, gentler approach with Hope. “I will take responsibility for being overly rough,” said Maks during rehearsals about being too hard on Hope last week. It appeared to work as the duo received their highest score of the season — a 27 for their light and breezy quickstep. They ended the night with a total score of 52!
Coming in last was news anchor Nancy Grace, finishing the night with a combined score of 44. “It’s midnight, and it’s time to go home,” judge Len Goodman said to Nancy after comparing her to Cinderella. Ouch!
