We told you weeks ago that this would be the season to watch “Dancing With the Stars.”
There has never been a group of contestants more unique and more dedicated to winning the coveted mirror ball trophy — from Amy Purdy’s strength in dancing after losing her legs, to 77-year-old Billy Dee Williams fighting through fierce back pain. It was definitely a season worth watching.
Unfortunately, only one couple could be crowned the champs, but, before we get to that, here are the highlights of Tuesday night’s season finale.
James Maslow and Peta Murgatroyd come back
You can’t keep this hot and steamy dance duo down for long.
After being eliminated just one episode shy of the championship, Maslow and Murgatroyd returned to perform the opening encore of the season finale.
The pair aced their performance the night before, and fans were fittingly shocked to see them get eliminated. The two kept things short, sweet and edgy with a hip-hop dance.
Iggy Azalea’s flubbed start
Oh, the pressures of being a hot new artist.
Iggy Azalea was a victim of unpreparedness when she couldn’t hear through her earpiece. Rather than freestyle rap (as most rappers do), the Australian beauty stood confused and apologized.
“I’m so sorry, but there is something wrong with my ear,” she said.
Iggy’s dance partner grabbed her by the hand and brought her down the shiny ballroom steps.
After losing a minute into the song, Charli XCX chimed in for her part of “Fancy.” The rapper continued on in her yellow-checkered poodle skirt and old-school up ’do.
NeNe Leakes shakes a tail feather to ‘Grown Woman’
Leakes wants all of America to know that she is a “grown woman.” That’s why she performed to the hit song by Beyoncé during the season finale.
Dressed in a red-hot feathered get-up, the Atlanta housewife strutted all over the ballroom.
Ariana Grande performs ‘Problem’
The concert finale continued with Grande, who performed her new song, “Problem.”
The 20-year-old, who sounds a lot like Mariah Carey, kept things cute in a black cropped bustier and matching peg-legged pants.
Amber Riley debuts new song and kills performance of ‘Do Your Thing’
Riley is still the queen of the ballroom, and she has a mean set of pipes.
The “Glee” star, who won last season’s competition, debuted a snippet of her emotional new ballad, “Colorblind.” Later on, she turned up the heat with a full dance routine and performance of “Do Your Thing.”
The petite singer looked the part of a 1940s ingénue in a sparkling gold cocktail dress. She brought the audience and judges to their feet with the high-energy performance.
Meryl Davis and Maksim Chmerkovskiy romance their way to the trophy
Maksim C. finally got his trophy.
The Russian dancer pulled it off with Davis, the ethereal Olympic skater. The steamy pair fueled romance rumors throughout the season.
Purdy and Derek Hough came in second place, and Candace Cameron Bure and Mark Ballas went on to take third. Meryl and Maksim beat out the other couples in the “24-Hour Fusion Challenge,” earning 90 points.