"Dancing with the Stars" has whittled its 12 contestants down to the final three and one dancing pair may hold the edge over the other two competitors.
Rumer Willis with Val Chmerkovskiy, Riker Lynch with Allison Holker and Noah Galloway with Sharna Burgess will compete tonight for the coveted Mirror Ball trophy. Each couple will compete in two rounds, including a super-sized freestyle dance, and the winner will be announced during the broadcast on Tuesday, May 19.
Season 20 has no clear frontrunner going into the two-part finale, but a quick straw poll by Headlines & Global News at The Paley Center for Media's "An Evening with 'Dancing with the Stars'" revealed Rumer Willis is the favorite to win.
"I love all three contestants, but I am rooting for a Val," pro dancer Tony Dovolani told HNGN exclusively. He won in Season 15 with Melissa Rycroft. "I feel he's done such an incredible job with Rumer Willis. She came in as a girl and became a woman and she's a very likable person."
The reigning champion Alfonso Ribeiro agreed with Dovolani.
"I'm absolutely rooting for Val and Rumer," the Season 19 winner told HNGN. "After going on tour with Val, we got close and he's a good friend. I'm really proud of the way the Rumer has grown and started out so strong, but still had room to grow. She's grown into a wonderful woman and a beautiful dancer. I just feel like it's their time."
Despite the support, the two gentlemen still believe Willis' two opponents, Lynch and Galloway, still have a fighting chance to clinch the title away from her in the end.
"I could make a case for Riker because he's absolutely the strongest right now and you can't deny Noah's amazing story," Dovolani said.
Ribeiro added, "You can't go against Noah, he is my hero. Riker is doing such a great job, so for me, all of three of them are worthy of winning. But my personal saying is Val and Rumer. I do want him to win."
The finale will also feature a special treat for fans who have missed seeing Ribeiro on the dance floor. "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" will perform on Tuesday, but not with his former pro partner Witney Carson. Instead, Ribeiro will take part in a dance pairing never seen before on "DWTS."
"I don't think there's ever been a first and second place couple that has danced before," Ribeiro said about his special dance partner and Season 19 runner-up, Sadie Robertson. "Sadie and I are doing a dance together. Mark [Ballas] and Whitney are putting the dance together as we speak and it's going to be amazing."
Dovolani and Ribeiro were happy to pick their favorite to win, but judge Bruno Tonioli prefers to stay impartial until the final vote is tallied.
"All the contestants are great, I don't have a favorites, I'm an impartial judge," Tonioli laughed when asked about his pick.
The two-part "Dancing with the Stars" finale will start tonight at 8 p.m. and continue tomorrow at 9 p.m. on ABC.
