Janel Parrish Dances Through the Pain for DWTS Finals

Janel Parrish and Valentin Chmerkovskiy danced both the samba and freestyle on the Dancing With the Stars Finals.

Janel had a challenging week leading up to the competition, dealing with an injury and lack of rehearsal time.

Janel posted a photo of her bruised rib injury, writing “I had an ouchie today. Thank you @iamvalc for holding my hand and making me feel like a champ. Let's get it! Final three! #teamjanelskiy”.

Credit: Janel Parrish's Instagram

Filming the Pretty Little Liars season 5 finale has also kept Janel busy, leaving her with less time to rehearse her dances.  Janel tweeted “This week is rough. V and I barely have any time to rehearse”.

This week is rough. V and I barely have any time to rehearse 😔 but we got this @iamvalc… http://t.co/Cy7VgoRyAC
— Janel Parrish (@JanelParrish) November 20, 2014

It was DWTS Judges’ Pick/Freestyle night, so Janel and Val danced the samba to Celia Cruz’s “La Vida Es Un Carnaval" for their first dance.  Janel’s rib injury caused problems when Val grabbed her during the samba, so Janel had to ice the injury after the dance. 

Bruno pointed out that Janel lost her balance due to her injury, but he thought it was a wonderful dance.  Carrie Ann also saw that Janel lost her footing in the turns, but she thought Janel was a warrior.  Len didn’t notice mistakes on the turns.  He saw “great rhythmic dancing, mixed with a clarity and sharpness that is so hard to get”. 

Carrie Anne, Julianne and Bruno gave Janel 9s, but Len gave a 10.  That gave their samba a total score of 37.

Janel and Val’s freestyle dance was to "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by Sleeping At Last.

Bruno was moved by their dance, saying it “was the visualization of a love poem.  It sprung from the heart, it touched everybody’s soul.  So moving, so deeply felt, hypnotically beautiful”.  Carrie Ann said their freestyle “went inside all of us and I think you changed us for a minute”.  She thought they were immaculate as a team.  Len said “it combined athleticism with artistry”.  Julianne thought their breathtaking dance was honest and pure, showing the trust between Janel and Val.

All four judges gave Janel and Val’s freestyle dance 10s, giving the dance a total score of 40.

Janel and Val were both brought to tears after the freestyle dance as they reflected on their experience on DWTS.

Despite the injury and busy schedule, Janel did an amazing job on Dancing With the Stars.  Find out if Janel Parrish will win the Mirrorball Trophy on ABC tonight during the season finale.  Good luck Janel!