'Dancing With The Stars' Finale Recap: Who Will Be Crowned The 'All-Stars' Winner?

The finale effectively summed up the journey of each contestant: Shawn continued to break the rules; Melissa gained the confidence to take risks; and Kelly and Val found ways to confess their love to one another at every possible moment.
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The dancers all put their best foot forward in the finale of "Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars", with each of the final three couples shining in their own way. The episode showcased the stars' growth on the show, allowing each couple to select one routine from earlier in the season to perform again, in addition to creating a supersize freestyle routine in which they not only got to choose their own style, but they could also bring in outsiders to join their performance. The finale effectively summed up the journey of each contestant, with Shawn continuing to break the rules with one too many back flips, Melissa gaining the confidence to take risks, and Kelly and Val finding ways to confess their love to one another at every possible moment. (She also grew as a dancer and stuff.) After the uniformly great routines, it's unclear who will take home the Mirrorball tonight. (But secretly, I really hope it's Shawn.) So who will walk away with the prize? And who will leave empty-handed? Find out below.

THE COUPLE OF THE NIGHT:

Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani: Melissa and Tony decided to give their energetic samba another shot and shook their hips across the stage with commitment. The judges were amazed by how much Melissa has grown as a performer and the confidence she gained over the course of the season, with Carrie Ann calling her fabulous and brilliant. Score: 30

Supersize Freestyle: Melissa, usually one to shy away from risks, put it all on the line with an emotional contemporary routine for her freestyle. Her risk paid off and the judges all loved it, earning her a perfect score of 60 points for the evening. Bruno called her a gem and Len told her that the dance "had passion [and] was wonderful." Score: 30

Total Score: 60

THE STANDOUT:

Kelly Monaco and Val Chmerkovskiy: Kelly and Val's powerful paso doble earned them big points their first time around, so the couple decided to take it on again in hopes of an even higher score. Not only did the judges love the routine, but they were all really proud of Kelly for how much she has improved as a dancer. Len called it her best dance to date and Bruno told her she "burned the dance floor." Score: 29.5

Supersize Freestyle: Kelly and Val's freestyle read more like a mutual love confession, but given their journey on the show together, it was fitting for their final number. The couple took on the classic "I've Had the Time of My Life" number from "Dirty Dancing" (those are some pretty big shoes to fill, guys) and opened the routine with Val serenading Kelly on the violin while she did aerial work suspended above him. The dance turned into a full on show, complete with backup dancers and a gospel choir. Carrie Ann summed up the dramatic performance by saying, "You told us a beautiful love story and it was wonderful." Score: 29.5

Total Score: 59

THE GOOD:

Shawn Johnson and Derek Hough: Derek and Shawn chose to perform their rule-defying quickstep that left the audience on their feet and the judges skeptical. This time around, the feedback was similar. The judges seemed a bit disappointed in the couple's decision to break the rules in the finale, but still acknowledged that it was a fantastic routine. Despite their low score, Shawn and Derek had no regrets. For them, this season was all about entertaining the audience and making their fans happy. Score: 27

Supersize Freestyle: For her supersize freestyle, Shawn called on the entire Fierce 5 Olympic champion women's gymnastics team. Shawn didn't get the chance to win the gold with them at the Olympics this year, so performing on the stage with them was her personal redemption for missing out. With an enormous "SHAWN" sign behind her, she dominated the dance floor and pulled out all of the stops. This time the judges were all in agreement. Bruno called it astonishing and Len awarded her with a gold medal. Score: 30

Total Score: 57

What was your favorite performance of the night? Who do you want to win the Mirrorball on Tuesday night? Sound off in the comments.

The final episode of "Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars" airs Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST on ABC

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