'DWTS': James Maslow Goes Home in Final Four Showdown
May 19, 2014 — -- Singer and actor James Maslow was voted off “Dancing With the Stars” in tonight’s season 18 finals, leaving paralympian Amy Purdy, actress Candace Cameron Bure and Olympic ice dancer Meryl Davis to battle it out for the championship.
The audience erupted with boos when co-host Tom Bergeron announced Maslow would be going home. He and Bure--who had been in the middle of or near the bottom of the leaderboard for most of the season--had both been in the bottom two tonight.
Maslow seemed disappointed when he learned his fate, but said he enjoyed his time on the show.
“I’ve really had an amazing experience on the show,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed it more than I ever thought possible. I’ve made some amazing friends and I’m just grateful for the opportunity. It’s been lots of fun,” he said.
His pro partner, Peta Murgatroyd, said she couldn’t have asked for a better partner.
“He was absolutely amazing,” she said, to which Maslow replied: “Thank you for everything.”
Each couple performed two separate dances tonight: a routine they’d previously performed in a partner switch that judges wanted them to reprise with their own partners, plus the all-important freestyle dance.
The mirror ball trophy winner will be announced tomorrow during a live results show starting at 9/8 p.m. Eastern time on ABC.
Olympian Charlie White was voted off last week.
This was the tenth week of the ABC’s show’s 18th season.
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Tonight’s Routines
Each couple danced two routines, earning two separate scores which were combined into a grand total for the night.
James Maslow: The Big Time Rush star’s tango--with partner Peta Murgatroyd--won rave reviews from head judge Len Goodman and judge Bruno Tonioli. Goodman called the routine “sharp as a razor” and “clean as a whistle,” while Tonioli said it was “dominant, dangerous, passionate, focused.” While judge Carrie Ann Inaba largely agreed, she said Maslow appeared “a little uptight tonight,” and advised him to breathe more. Maslow earned two 10s and a 9 for a total of 29 out of a possible 30 points.
The actor’s gritty, hip-hop freestyle featured some martial arts moves. Tonioli appreciated the effort, dubbing Maslow “a new post-apocalyptic hero,” and adding that Maslow, a singer and actor, held his own next to the professional dancers who were part of the routine. Goodman said he liked the concept, while Inaba said Maslow was a star whom she deemed the most versatile contender in the competition. “Tonight you showed us something we’ve never seen before and you killed it,” she said. Maslow earned two 10s and a 9 for a total of 29, and a grand total of 58 out of a possible 60.
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Meryl Davis: The Olympic ice skater and her pro partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, earned a standing ovation for their sultry Argentine tango. “That was sumptuously seductive,” Tonioli said, adding that Davis’ dance skills had developed over the weeks and become “ever more stunning, ever more beautiful.” Inaba said Davis topped her previous performance of the routine, and Goodman agreed. They awarded Davis three 10s for a perfect score of 30 points.
