Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
When the "Dancing With the Stars' cast was announced three months ago, one name stood out: Alfonso Ribeiro.
He had the nostalgia factor courtesy of his goofy Carlton character on "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" who even had his own signature dance dubbed (of course) "The Carlton."
If anyone was the favorite to win, it was him.
And guess what? He did win. Despite back issues, he soldered forth and finished strong.
Among the guys this year, there was no peer.
But he faced some formidable women. Four quickly showed their prowess: "Back to the Future" actress Lea Thompson, "Duck Dynasty" reality star Sadie Robertson, YouTube sensation Bethany Mota and "Pretty Little Liars" actress Janel Parrish.
Lea was flushed out prematurely before Tommy Chong two weeks ago, finishing sixth. On Monday, the charming Bethany was eliminated. Sexy, intense Janel tonight was cut, landing third. Ultimately and expectedly, Alfonso and Sadie were left standing. I figured they were going to be the final two weeks ago.
Arguably, Janel was a better dancer than Sadie but the teenager showed more warmth. Plus, Sadie revealed extraordinary raw talent, building from zero dance (or acting) experience. Her dance partner Mark Ballas was able to showcase her sweetness without over sexualizing her, which might have turned off her base (and her parents.).
Alfonso was an interesting balance of humbleness and dogged determination, especially when he was clearly in pain. His squat body type also yelped underdog, belying his athleticism.
Ultimately, the judges kept showering perfect scores on the dancers so who won ultimately came down to who had a bigger fan base. And that was Alfonso.
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
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