'Dancing With The Stars' Recap: Meryl Davis, Amy Purdy & Candace Cameron Bure Reach Finale

by Chelsea ReganMay 20, 2014, 12:00 amNews >

Dancing With the Stars on Monday featured Meryl Davis, Amy Purdy, James Maslow and Candace Cameron Bure fighting for the Mirror Ball Trophy dancing two routines – including a freestyle – each.

James Maslow & Peta Murgatroyd

James and Peta Murgatroyd’s first dance of the night was a sultry tango in which the two used their chemistry to heat up the routine. Surprisingly, out of the three judges it was Carrie Ann Inaba that was the biggest technique stickler, criticizing the Big Time Rush star for being too uptight throughout the Latin dance. Scores: 9+10+10=29

Prior to James’ second dance, viewers learned that his brother was in a motorcycle accident that left him in a coma for three months. Watching his brother pull through inspired him to focus in on his dreams and make the move to Hollywood. For his freestyle, he danced a hip-hop routine in which James tried to channel Channing Tatum in Magic Mike and pulled out some moves from his karate repertoire. Scores: 10+9+10=-29

Meryl Davis & Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Meryl first danced an Argentine Tango with Val Chmerkovskiy and now had to outdo herself with his brother Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Maks clearly knows that Meryl has the grace and athleticism to pull off some daring feats and difficult technique, and therefore choreographed a challenging and beautiful routine that was sure to wow. Scores: 10+10+10=30

For their freestyle, Meryl and Maks took on a contemporary routine that Maks wanted to show her growth into a more confident woman throughout her stint on Dancing With the Stars. Once again, the Olympic ice dancer showed that she’s the one to beat. Both Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli wished they could have given her an 11 for the dance. Scores: 10+10+10=30

Candace Cameron Bure & Mark Ballas

Candace and Mark Ballas came into Monday night with the disadvantage of Mark suffering from a shoulder injury after Sunday’s rehearsal. The performance wasn't great, but it was a marked improvement from the last time the former Full House star attempted the dance. The judges, aware of the difficulties she faced preparing for this week, were more than kind in their remarks. Scores: 9+9+9=27

Mark decided to let Candace loosen up for her freestyle, which was inspired by her growing into womanhood after going through her teens with a harsh spotlight on her weight. Set to Jamiroquai, the routine tried a little too hard, with Candace starting off at the DJ booth and sporting a skintight gold ensemble. Scores: 8+8+8=24

Amy Purdy & Derek Hough

Amy and Derek Hough were tasked with improving on her Salsa moves. Derek once again took the routine to another level, challenging Amy, who was game to prove she belongs in the finals. The judges were duly impressed with what the duo put together. Scores: 10+10+10=30

Since Amy has proven time and again that she’s capable of defying the odds, Derek wanted her to defy gravity during her freestyle routine. Although the routine had a little less dancing than the judges would have liked, when Amy spun around on a rope up above the dance floor, the audience went wild. Scores: 10+9+10=29

Elimination

After all of the pairs completed both of their routines, it was time for host Tom Bergeron to reveal who would be performing on Tuesday night. The first couple in the final three was Meryl and Maks, followed by Amy and Derek, and then, surprisingly, by Candace and Mark. It was the end of the line for James and Peta.