It took a dozen dance routines, but Paige VanZant will dance next week for the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy.
The UFC strawweight survived a double elimination on Monday night to reach the final of Season 22 of “Dancing with the Stars.” VanZant and pro partner Mark Ballas will compete against Nyle DiMarco, with Peta Murgatroyd, and Ginger Zee, with Val Chmerkovskiy, next week for the title.
VanZant and Ballas had two dances on Monday’s semifinals show. Their samba led to their second perfect 30 of the season. (They also were perfect two weeks ago with jive.) Their white-hot Argentine tango for their second dance fell just short of another perfect score. Head judge Len Goodman gave ghem a 9/10, but only because the performance was too risque for his tastes. But Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba both gave 10s.
Len Goodman calls VanZant’s samba a “show stopper”
VanZant gets her second perfect score
The total of 59/60 was the second highest score of the night. Boyz II Men singer Wanya Morris, who has been at the top of the overall leaderboard more than anyone on the show this season, had two perfect 30s in his paso doble and Charleston with pro partner Lindsay Arnold. But when it came time for the double elimination, Morris and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown were sent home just short of dancing for the famed Mirror Ball.
VanZant and Ballas had to endure a little drama, though. They were the third to be called safe after Zee and DiMarco wereannounced as finalists.
There also was a little off-the-ballroom-floor drama on Monday’s episosde. VanZant has made a few headlines for being rumored to be in a new relationship with “DWTS” dancer Alan Bersten, whom she danced with in Week 2. Bersten filled in for Ballas that week after Ballas injured his back. Bersten joined the pair on Monday for their trio dance that got the perfect 30.
VanZant and Bersten a new couple?
VanZant says she and Bersten are just friends
Erin Andrews puts Bersten and VanZant on the spot
In a taped package leading into her second dance of the night, VanZant opened up about being bullied in high school to the point her family moved to Reno to get her away from it. UFC President Dana White, middleweight champion Luke Rockhold and VanZant’s most recent opponent, Rose Namajunas, all were featured in that package.
VanZant opens up about being bullied
VanZant says her father saved her by moving the family to Reno
Of the final three, VanZant now is atop the leader board. (Had Morris remained on the show for the final, she would’ve been tied with him at the top overall.) With 318 points, excluding the scores given by two separate guest judges, VanZant is just ahead of DiMarco, who has 317. In third overall is Zee with 310 points. DiMarco is deaf and was the winner of “America’s Next Top Model.” Zee is the chief meteorologist for ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
The double elimination was a new twist from past seasons, when four teams have made the final. The four then danced two routines on the first night, and one was eliminated heading into the second night – when the three finalists danced twice more. But this season, it will just be three finalists on Monday, and one of their dances will be a freestyle routine.
VanZant finds out she has advance to the final
Ballas has coached two dancers to Mirror Ball Trophy wins in the past. On Season 6, figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi won the title with him, and on Season 8, he helped Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson to the crown. He has reached the finals six other times since then, but has two runner-up finishes, three third-place spots and a fourth in those six seasons. Murgatroyd and Chmerkovskiy are no strangers to the finals, either. Murgatroyd has a Mirror Ball Trophy in Season 14 with NFL wide receiver Donald Driver. And a year ago, Chmerkovskiy won it all with Bruce Willis’ daughter, actress Rumer Willis.
If VanZant wins it all, she would become the eighth athlete to take home the Mirror Ball Trophy in 22 seasons of the show. NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith won Season 3, followed by Olympic skaer Apolo Anton Ohno in Season 4, Indy car driver Helio Castroneves in Season 5, Yamaguchi in Season 6, Johnson in Season 8, and NFL receivers Hines Ward in Season 12 and Driver in Season 14.
Going into the season, VanZant was the betting favorite to win the show at Bovada, which had the 22-year-old at 2-1 to win the long-running ABC dancing competition –but only after starting out at +1000 before being bet down to +200. DiMarco and Zee, however, remained massive longshots before the season started at +1400 and +2000, respectively.
VanZant (6-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) most recently fought in December, when she suffered a submission loss to Rose Namajunas. It halted a three-fight winning streak that had moved the heavily promoted fighter up the 115-pound ranks. “Dancing with the Stars” runs through May, which means VanZant is unlikely to be booked for a fight until her time on the show is over. However, July’s big UFC 200 event would still be in the running for her next fight.
Above, check out VanZant’s perfect 30 from Monday in full. Below, watch the steamy Argentine tango that got her a 29/30. And stay tuned to MMAjunkie later this week for VanZant’s exclusive wrap-up Q&A with MMAjunkie from the semifinals.
Voting is open online at ABC.com and at the “Dancing with the Stars” Facebook page until 8 p.m. ET. Paige VanZant and Mark Ballas can be followed on Twitter (@paigevanzantufc, @MarkBallas) and Instagram (@paigevanzantufc, @markballas) and through their team hashtag #PowRightInTheKisser.
Also see:
- Competition tight, but UFC’s Paige VanZant in final 5 of ‘Dancing with the Stars’
- USA TODAY: ‘Dancing with the Stars’: The couples going to the finals are …
- Perfection: UFC’s Paige VanZant gets perfect 30 on ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ remains in second
- USA TODAY: How rude! Jodie Sweetin is eliminated from ‘DWTS’
- UFC strawweight Paige VanZant recaps Episode No. 7 of ‘Dancing with the Stars’
- USA TODAY: ‘DWTS’: Two couples got perfect scores, two got eliminated
- UFC strawweight Paige VanZant recaps Episode No. 6 of ‘Dancing with the Stars’
- USA TODAY: ‘DWTS’: Wanyá Morris, Lindsay Arnold say ‘Bye Bye Bye’ to their competition
- UFC’s Paige VanZant gets her first 10 on ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ moves into second
- Week 5 of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ sees UFC’s Paige VanZant in tight race at top
- USA TODAY: See Nyle DiMarco’s ‘DWTS’ performance that had everyone in tears
- UFC strawweight Paige VanZant recaps Episode No. 4 of ‘Dancing with the Stars’
- Paige VanZant closes Week 4 of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ with season’s top scores
- USA TODAY: ‘DWTS’: The clock struck midnight for this couple on Disney Night
- UFC strawweight Paige VanZant recaps Episode No. 3 of ‘Dancing with the Stars’
- Paige VanZant’s ‘bad ass’ paso doble keeps her among ‘Dancing with the Stars’ leaders
- USA TODAY: ‘DWTS’–Nyle DiMarco claims the top spot, Mischa Barton goes home
- UFC strawweight Paige VanZant recaps Episode No. 2 of ‘Dancing with the Stars’
- Paige VanZant, with new partner, gets top score so far on ‘Dancing with the Stars’
- USA TODAY: ‘DWTS’ – Our top 5 dances, Mark Ballas sits out, Geraldo goes home
- UFC strawweight Paige VanZant recaps Episode No. 1 of ‘Dancing with the Stars’
- UFC’s Paige VanZant opens ‘Dancing with the Stars’ run tied for 4th place
- Paige VanZant will accept UFC fight during ‘DWTS’ – if she gets full camp after show
- USA TODAY: New ‘Dancing with the Stars’ cast wows judges on the premiere
- Go behind the scenes with Paige VanZant, Mark Ballas ahead of ‘Dancing with the Stars’
- Sorry, Geraldo: Paige VanZant now the odds-on favorite to win ‘Dancing with the Stars’
- Geraldo Rivera has better shot to win ‘Dancing with the Stars’ than Paige VanZant?! (Updated)
- UFC’s Paige VanZant joins Season 22 of ‘Dancing with the Stars’
And for more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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