01:25 PM EDT 05/23/2013
Karina Smirnoff
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Dancing with the Stars Season 16 Winner Is Kellie Pickler!
Originally posted 05/21/2013 09:30PM
On Tuesday, Dancing with the Stars named its season 16 champions.
At the end of Monday night's episode, Zendaya and an injured Val Chmerkovskiy received perfect 30s for both of their full-length routines, and then tacked on an additional five points to their score for winning the cha cha relay.
But only one point below the highest scoring pair were Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough, who earned perfect 30s for their routines, which included a dramatic freestyle number that had viewers in tears. They came in second place during the cha cha relay, and scored four extra points.
Below them were Alexandra Raisman and partner Mark Ballas, followed by Jacoby Jones and Karina Smirnoff.
And the winners are Kellie and Derek!
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Dancing with the Stars: Which Couple Deserved to Win?
Originally posted 05/21/2013 07:15PM
The final four Dancing with the Stars contestants – Jacoby Jones, Kellie Pickler, Alexandra Raisman and Zendaya – and their pro partners have overcome injuries and potential eliminations to make it all the way to the season 16 finale. But only one couple can take home the tantalizingly close mirror-ball trophy.
Pickler's strong performances throughout the season were magnified Monday night, when she and Derek Hough earned a perfect 30 score for a freestyle dance judge Carrie Ann Inaba called "one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen." Pickler later admitted "I let all of my walls down" for the fearless show-stopper.
NFL player Jones and pro partner Karina Smirnoff did not have the most stellar performances, getting flak from the judges for an imperfect jive, and later for a super-sized freestyle dance. But Inaba nevertheless dubbed the wide receiver the "number one entertainer of season 16," in the semifinals the previous week.
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Dancing with the Stars Pro Val Chmerkovskiy: 'Thank God the Blood Subsided'
Originally posted 05/21/2013 01:30PM
Zendaya's elbow went flying, and Val Chmerkovskiy's night was suddenly in jeopardy.
But Chmerkovskiy, 27, being the pro that he is, soldiered on after the accident in dress rehearsal for Monday's Dancing with the Stars left him with a deep gash over his right eye that almost sent him straight to the hospital before the first night of the season 16 finale.
"That's what I was worried about," he told PEOPLE after the show. "It's going to keep pouring, pouring, pouring, and I'm going to need stitches. If I was going to have to go get stitches, then I wouldn't have time to make it back. So thank God the blood subsided."
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Dancing with the Stars: Final Four Compete for Mirror-Ball Trophy
Originally posted 05/20/2013 10:30PM
The final four couples performed three routines each on Monday's Dancing with the Stars. By the end of the night, one pair were in the lead with a perfect score for all three dances.
However, the episode kicked off with an imperfect – though energetic – jive.
Karina Smirnoff and partner Jacoby Jones – who judge Carrie Ann Inaba previously called "the number one entertainer of season 16" – were told by judge Len Goodman that they showed improvement, but that "you got excited at times and lost it."
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Dancing with the Stars: The Best Tweets from the Season Finale
Originally posted 05/20/2013 08:00PM
Who's going to take home the coveted mirror-ball trophy?
The top four couples on Dancing with the Stars – Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough, Alexandra Raisman and Mark Ballas, Zendaya and Val Chmerkovskiy, Jacoby Jones and Karina Smirnoff – are hitting the ballroom one last time Monday night in hopes of earning high scores from judges and lots of votes from viewers to win the competition.
And the competition is fierce! Kellie and Zendaya have been clear frontrunners from the beginning, while Alexandra has also scored big and Jacoby is finishing strong, charming the judges and picking up enough votes to make it to the finale.
We want to hear from you about Monday's show. Share your thoughts on Twitter @peoplemag and we'll post the best Tweets right here.
Karina Smirnoff Sent to Hospital for Neck Injury at Dancing with the Stars Rehearsals
Originally posted 05/13/2013 01:25PM
Jacoby Jones and Karina Smirnoff were practicing a flip when something went wrong.
Smirnoff landed on the NFL pro Sunday, twisting her neck and banging her face, and she had to be taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for possible whiplash and a dislocated jaw, a source tells PEOPLE.
The ballroom pro later Tweeted that she was "still a bit sore" but would make it to Monday night's semi-finals on Dancing with the Stars..
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Cheryl Burke Celebrates Birthday with Dancing with the Stars
Originally posted 05/09/2013 06:00AM
After Dancing with the Stars on Monday, Cheryl Burke celebrated her 29th birthday with the help of her fox-trotting friends.
Kelly Monaco, Karina Smirnoff and Kym Johnson were on hand for the celebration at Mixology 101 in Los Angeles, where they presented the birthday girl with a towering red velvet cake.
"Cheryl is one of my best friends," Johnson told PEOPLE. "I loved being at Mixology to help her celebrate alongside these gorgeous ladies!"
Reflecting on the occasion, Burke said, "I've spent my entire twenties on DWTS. It was incredible to be able to celebrate 29 with my show family and friends," adding, "I can't wait to see what this year brings."
– Michele Stueven
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Dancing with the Stars: Did Sean Lowe Survive Another Week?
Originally posted 05/07/2013 10:10PM
Were Sean Lowe's fans able to save him from being eliminated on Tuesday night's Dancing with the Stars?
On Monday, the former Bachelor star failed to impress the judges with a pair of foot-fumbling routines that put him at the very bottom of the leader board with 42 points out of 60.
Soap star Ingo Rademacher trailed not too far behind with 48 points for the night.
Read on to find out if one of these handsome men were forced to say goodbye to the ballroom.
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Dancing with the Stars: Who's Heading Home?
Originally posted 04/30/2013 10:10PM
Week after week of consistently low scores haven't spelled the end of the road for Dancing with the Stars competitors Andy Dick and Sharna Burgess. But is their time finally up?
The actor and his pro partner scored just 17 points for their rumba on Monday night's all-Latin show, putting them at the bottom of the leader board below soap star Ingo Rademacher and his partner, Kym Johnson. Burgess even spoke out in anger against the judges for their harsh critiques.
But their fans have saved Team Dick before. Did they do it again? Read on to find out who was sent home on Tuesday's elimination show ...
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Dancing with the Stars: Alexandra Raisman & Mark Ballas Join 10 Club
Originally posted 04/29/2013 10:30PM
The ballroom heated up on Monday night's Latin-themed Dancing with the Stars.
Seven weeks into the competition, almost all of the remaining couples came up with impressive routines. But it was Alexandra Raisman and Mark Ballas who landed their first 10s of the season, with a salsa that Len Goodman – who gave the pair a nine – called, "tasty and refreshing."
The pair got 10s from the other two judges, which put them at a total of 29 points out of 30. They also received an additional three points for winning a dance-off against Andy Dick and Sharna Burgess.
Raisman and Ballas tied with regular high-scoring duo, Derek Hough and Kellie Pickler, who wowed judges with their samba to Ricky Martin's "Shake Your Bon Bon."
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