Dor Harari and Julia Shahar are the big winners in the third season of “Dancing with the Stars”. The two picked up the coveted title after they managed to beat the three couples who competed against them in the final that was broadcast tonight. This year the show’s judging team was composed of Anna Aronov, David Dvir, Eli Mizrahi and the new judge Leah Yanai Mor who, as I remember, replaced judge Rona Lee Shimon. In the current season, many celebrities from various fields of entertainment participated, including Eurovision winner Neta Barzilai, network star Avi Aborumi, comedian Mariano Idelman and more.
Dor and Julia lift the trophy, photo: Ortal Dahan
The first to be eliminated and reach the fourth place in the final are Tal Mord and the dancer Sena Sokol who underwent a medical drama 24 hours before the grand final when Mord injured his leg and needed medical treatment. Tal’s injury was preceded by another drama, when Sena fainted at the end of the second semi-final of the competition, just after the two qualified for the final. After their dance tonight, Anna announced that Mord was the surprise of the season for her.
Tal and Sena in action on the evening of the finals, photo: Ortal Dahan
The couple that reached third place is Linoy Ashram and the dancer Raphael Fleishman who won countless superlatives throughout the season. Already at the beginning of the season, Ashram demonstrated the skills of an Olympic champion and garnered a lot of praise from the judges. “Even before you took a single step, I saw your facial expression, you said ‘this stage is mine’,” praised Eli Mizrahi to Ashram in her debut performance. “It’s insanely stressful,” Linoy said after dancing in the finals when she referred to the comments she receives about how, as an Olympic gymnast, the challenge is supposedly easier for her.
Linoi and Raphael in the final, photo: Ortal Dahan
The couple that almost won the entire jackpot and came in second place is Maya Kay and the dancer Lotem Madmoni who were marked as one of the strongest couples at the beginning of the competition and enjoyed high scores throughout the season when they displayed impressive abilities on the dance floor. At the end of one of Kay’s last dances, judge Anna Aronov went out of her way. “I’m so proud of you, wow, really,” she told Kay. “You are made of the right stuff. Your eyes are on victory, on the final, you know you will do everything to get there and this dance proved that you are fully worthy of this status.” Their first Cha Cha style dance on the night of the finals they finished with a maximum score of 40 points.
Maya Kay in the final, photo: Ortal Dahan
The winners are actor Dor Harari and dancer Julia Shahar. One of the couple’s memorable dances throughout the season was the dance with the yellow balloon, which was created as a tribute to the struggle to free the kidnapped. “I think that dancing with a yellow balloon is such a naive and small attempt to hope that our abductees will return. Just return already, we can’t take it anymore,” said Harari in a broken voice.
Dor and Julia’s dance in the finale, photo: Ortal Dahan