‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 13 Finale: Lady Antebellum Performed, and the Winner Is...J.R. Martinez

One of the best and most entertaining season finales I've seen on "Dancing with the Stars" ever on Tuesday night (November 22). In the past they had way too much filler and not enough dancing. There was plenty of dancing from the eliminated celebrities and their pro dancer partners, especially from Carson Kressley who did not disappoint his fans. Chynna Phillips got to redeem herself by re-dancing in its entirety her previously flubbed "Mission Impossible" tango during Movie Week that sent her home.

Lady Antebellum was the only musical guest who was on twice during the live telecast. They performed their latest hit, ironically titled, "Dancing Away with My Heart" and their Grammy-winning song "Need You Now." The three finalists dance their favorite dance of the season. Then it was down to two finalists and one winner at the very end of the night.

Favorite Dances of the Season

Ricki Lake and Derek Hough

It was great to see this dark-sided tango performed once again from "Psycho" during Movie Week. They received a perfect score this time around. 30

Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke

Rob chose his dance from Story Week the foxtrot to the music of Frank Sinatra singing "Fly Me to the Moon." This was the dance he dedicated to his father. Once again it was great to see this passionate performance. I loved the ending where they were at the top of the stairs with a silhouette of the moon in the background. 26

J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff

They chose the jive, not only as their favorite, but as a redemption dance as well. Initially it was one of their low-scoring dances earlier in the season since J.R. did an illegal lift and Len said it was a Lindy hop and not a jive. This time they did it right. I loved the part at the beginning when J.R. was about to do the lift. Instead, he stopped and shook his finger "no" to the audience. That was a great moment. 28

Lady Antebellum

This country music trio of two men and one woman has won one award after another throughout this year. Only a few days ago they won an American Music Award for Favorite Country Group or Duo. Near the top of the show they sang their latest hit single for the first time live "Dancing Away with My Heart" from their newest album "Own the Night." Later on we got to hear their biggest hit to date "Need You Now."

The Top Finalists are...

After the favorites dances were ranked by the judges and combining the votes from the previous night the two finalists were J.R. Martinez and Rob Kardashian. It seemed like Ricki Lake was a definite shoe-in for the Final Two, but Rob made such a dramatic impact on the judges and viewers over the past couple of weeks. This would be the first time a reality TV star has made it this far.

Rest of the Cast from Season 13 Performed

One of my favorite moments during a "Dancing with the Stars" finale is seeing all of the eliminated finalists dance one last time. Why is it they do so much better later on then in the competition? Most likely they are not judged and can enjoy themselves out on the dance floor. That is exactly what they did. Metta World Peace performed first. It did not follow in exact order of elimination, because some of the couples had longer dances.

Case in point was Carson Kressley. I was looking forward to what he would be doing. His freestyle dance was a tribute to Madonna's hit song "Vogue." As usual Carson was over the top, campy and comical all at the same time. He certainly pushed the envelope while dancing with his male crush Maks Chmerkovskiy's brother, Val and another male troupe dancer. One of the best highlights was finally seeing the entire dance by Chynna Phillips while doing the tango to "Mission Impossible." The only difference to the routine was not seeing Tony Dovolani come down from the ceiling. What a memorable moment it was seeing Chynna finally redeem herself.

It was also great seeing Chaz perform a freestyle dance with not only his partner Lacey Schwimmer, but with Lacey's dad, Buddy Schwimmer. David Arquette recreated his "Grease" quickstep complete with some of the DWTS troupe members. This almost seemed like seeing a stage production of "Grease." In one part of the show we saw David Arquette run away on the dance floor with the mirror ball trophy. I will definitely miss the crazy antics of Carson, David and J.R.

Instant Sambas

Brooke Burke announced to the two finalists earlier in the show what music they would perform to. It was "Shake You Bon Bon" by Ricky Martin. They drew miniature mirror balls to determine the order in which they'd dance. J.R. picked the first spot and Rob would go last.

J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff

Talk about being on fire, this challenging Latin dance was never difficult for this couple. They nailed the samba rolls again. It was great to see them dance one last time. 30

Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke

Following right behind J.R. and Karina they went right into their samba with ease. Theirs was much safer, but entertaining to watch. I absolutely loved Cheryl's beautiful costume. 30

Mirrorball Trophy Goes to

By far one of the most deserved wins in the history of "Dancing with the Stars." This is the second time a soap star has won (actually a former soap star) and a first an Army veteran has taken home the mirror ball trophy. A memorable moment was seeing Derek Hough lift J.R. on his shoulders immediately after J.R.'s name was called. I loved seeing some of the pro dancers and celebrities bring out J.R.'s mother onto the dance floor. It was great seeing them together.

Season 14 of "Dancing with the Stars" will be back on Monday March 19, 2012. One thing you can guarantee is the new cast will no doubt be unique, eclectic and entertaining. I can't wait. Congratulations to J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff, her first mirror ball trophy win.

Hyperlinks:

Dancing with the Stars, ABC.go.com

Ann Oldenburg, "'Dancing with the Stars' crowns a winner ", USAToday.com

Suzan Clarke, "J.R. Martinez Wins 'Dancing with the Stars' Season 13", ABCNews.go.com