People Are Really Upset About the DWTS Finale

Photo credit: Getty Images
Photo credit: Getty Images

From Good Housekeeping

Spoiler alert: Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon and his pro partner Jenna Johnson won Dancing With the Stars: Athletes last night, capping off a string of high-scoring performances that cemented their status as season-long frontrunners.

The duo nailed their jazz routine to “Anything You Can Do” from Annie Get Your Gun, earning a set of perfect scores from all three judges and a standing ovation. Their self-described "quirky" freestyle to DJ Kass’ “Scooby Doo Pa Pa” left the panel a little confused, but a solid 28/30 still put the pair at the top of the scoreboard.

While Rippon's victory over fellow celeb competitors Josh Norman and Tonya Harding didn't come as a surprise, fans couldn't help but voice their disappointment with a lackluster special season that didn't include the ballroom dancing show's usual glitz and glam.

Many viewers hated the shortened schedule, which chopped the usual 10-week season down to a mere four episodes:

ABC had planned on the truncated competition all along, but shrinking down the usual two-hour finale to just one came as another sting. The final episode ran into the American Idol finale directly afterwards, but DWTS fans wanted more time to vote, plus extra details about Rippon's Mirrorball win rather than Maddie Poppe's victory.

Photo credit: David Livingston - Getty Images
Photo credit: David Livingston - Getty Images


Others hated on the fact the show didn't name who took second place, instead declaring Harding and Farber runner-ups as well as Josh Norman and Sharna Burgess. A source close to the DWTS production later told ET that the "tie" actually stemmed from the fact that the show ran out of time.

Even more people were upset that pro dancer Burgess was robbed yet again of a trophy despite a whopping 10 seasons on the show and a number of close finishes.

While it's impossible to please everyone, DWTS viewers will be relieved to learn that the show will return in the fall with the usual episodes on Monday nights, but fans can catch even more dancing action on Sundays with the new spin-off Dancing with the Stars: Junior.

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