Seems like just yesterday we were scratching our heads and saying, 'Who are these people?"But we've seen them jive, shimmy, samba and waltz all season long, eliminated one by one.
Monday's finals started off with our final four:
• YouTube vlogger Bethany Mota
• Pretty Little Liars star Janel Parrish
• Duck Dynasty teen Sadie Robertson
• and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actor Alfonso Ribeiro,
They each had to do two numbers -- a Judge's Pick and (everyone's favorite) Freestyle.
More: 'Dancing' fans blast ABC for Ferguson interruption
By the end of the night, only three stars would be moving on to Tuesday's finale, when a Season 19 winner will be crowned, taking possession of the coveted mirrorball trophy.
So who made it through?
Here's how the night unfolded with hosts Tom Bergeron and a glamorous Erin Andrewsin a blue Gucci gown, and scores from judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman,Julianne Hough and Bruno Tonioli.
Alfonso: "My body is battered. It's bruised. It's breaking down, but I'm not going to let that get in the way of me winning this mirrorball trophy." Carrie Ann tasked them with re-creating their Week 1 jive, which earned them four 9 paddles from the judges the first time around. "It will show us if you've grown," Carrie Ann told them in rehearsals, when she stopped by to give Alfonso a massage. In the ballroom, Alfonso and partner Witney Carson exploded with energy. They made their jive look completely painless and tons of fun. Carrie Ann shrieked about how good it was. Len told Alfonso: "You dance like Frank Sinatra sings." Julianne said, "Everything connected. ... Everything was so on-point." Bruno raved. Erin Andrews kept calling out for Will Smith, who has been supportive of Alfonso all season with tweets and messages, to come to Tuesday's finale. Scores: 10, 10, 10, 10 = 40
Alfonso's freestyle with Witney was a lively, old-fashioned, fun freestyle that included Alfonso tap-dancing. Joey Fatone could be seen whistling his approval in the crowd. Carrie Ann said it was "old-school and new school." Len said it was "an all-you-can-eat buffet of dancing fun." Bruno said it was a "show stopper in the great American way." Said Erin: "I feel like I'm at a very fun wedding right now." Scores: 10, 10, 10, 10 = 40Total: 80
Sadie: Sadie and Mark Ballas were asked to re-create their wacky Duck Dynastysamba from Week 4, complete with Sadie's dad, Willie, onstage in a rocking chair blowing his duck caller. Julianne liked it even better than the first time around. Bruno said Sadie was slightly behind in the timing. Carrie Ann said she didn't expect to see Sadie in the finals, but this number proved that she belongs there. "You're a bright light." Len also noticed the out-of-sync moment but otherwise loved it. Scores: 10, 9, 10, 9 = 38
Sadie's freestyle with Mark took on a video game theme with Mark as Super Mario and Sadie as his princess. "What I'm doing is completely unorthodox," he explained, as Sadie worried about all the stunts and moves during rehearsals. Their cute routine was done to the music of the game, with all the familiar beeps. The crowd went wild when it ended. Julianne said it was the "cutest thing I've ever seen." Bruno said it was so "original" and it brought "wave upon wave of absolute joy." Carrie Ann said that was the "most memorable freestyle routine in ages." Now, go get out your old Nintendo! Scores: 10, 10, 10, 10 = 40
Total: 78
Janel: Janel missed three days of rehearsal because of a bruised rib, which was stressing out partner Val Chmerkovskiy. Julianne Hough picked a samba for them to re-create from Week 6, which wasn't among their highest-scoring dances of the season. There was a little flub-up at one point, but the crowd loved it. Bruno said, "The passion was pulsating!" but he noticed she lost balance. Carrie Ann said she thought Janel kicked the samba's booty. Len said he didn't notice any mistake. He raved. Julianne said, "You got this, girl." Scores: 9, 10, 9, 9 = 37
Janel's freestyle with Val was designed to be a "reflection of our journey on the show," explained Val. It was an intimate and sexy contemporary dance, with Val shirtless and Janel in a flowy short dress. Bruno said it was "the visualization of a love poem." Carrie Ann said it was "different" and "immaculate." Len liked that it was just the two of them, combining "athleticism with artistry." Julianne said it was "honest" and "pure" and "absolutely breathtaking." Total: 77
Bethany: Bethany and Derek danced an adorable jive, a re-creation of their Week 1 jive. When it ended, Derek was miffed, telling host Tom Bergeron, "The whole set didn't move. Kinda messed us up a little bit." But it wasn't obvious. Len did point out a little mistake. Julianne said Bethany has "grown into a beautiful woman." Bruno noted a misstep when they were off timing. Carrie Ann also noted the mistake. Scores: 9, 9, 9, 9 = 36
Bethany's freestyle with Derek was done to the Diplo song, Revolution. "It's a dedication to her fans," said Derek. "I really want to go out with a bang," said Bethany. "Strong and fierce." The theme was futuristic with the duo in black leather. The moves were precise and strong and it was impressive, as Derek always is. Len liked the "drama." Julianne said she was proud of her. Bruno said she was like a "dancing Katniss." Carrie Ann: "You are a fighter." Scores: 10, 10, 10, 10 = 40
Total: 76
By the end of the night, well into the 10 p.m. hour because ABC cut in to show the Ferguson grand jury verdict, the ballroom was electric from the four perfect freestyles. We could feel it at home.
But someone had to go.
Sent home at 10:12 p.m. ET: Bethany Mota. She had a big smile. "I've discovered things about myself that I never thought I could do. ... I was just hoping to make it past Week 2, so to be in the finals ...."
Derek said he was "so proud of her. ... She's an amazing role model."
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