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James Hinchcliffe Falls Short On ‘Dancing With The Stars,’ Gives Sharna Burgess The Gift Of A Lifetime

By Victoria Miller
Published on: 22:36 PST, Nov 22, 2016

James Hinchcliffe landed in the runner-up spot on the 23rd season of Dancing with the Stars, but the Indy Car driver finished on a serious high note. Not only did James and his pro partner, Sharna Burgess, nab two perfect scores for their final dances, a freestyle and a finale night Foxtrot/Viennese waltz fusion, but they formed one of the most amazing connections ever seen on the ABC celebrity ballroom competition.

After 16-year-old Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez was crowned the 23rd Dancing With the Stars champion, Hinchcliffe took to Twitter to offer the teen congratulations and describe her as a “deserving winner.”

Earlier in the evening, James Hinchcliffe had fans—and his partner—in tears. Hinchcliffe, who has four Indy Car career wins under his belt, nearly died in a car crash last year. In a poignant DWTS behind-the-scenes moment, James gave Sharna the first jumpsuit he wore after his near-fatal crash.

“You finished my story,” Hinchcliffe told his pro partner. “And this is part of that story.”

Of course, James being James, he had to put some humor into the touching moment. Hinchcliffe told a move an emotional Burgess: “Just don’t bedazzle it.”

James and Sharna had a tumultuous Dancing With the Stars season. While their chemistry was amazing, Sharna was forced to sit out the Halloween theme week due to a serious knee injury. James donned some Joker makeup and danced a Suicide Squad themed dance with fill-in DWTS pro dancer Jenna Johnson—and he still got a perfect score! The following week, an injured Burgess was still out of commission, so James danced his Showstoppers Week routine with Johnson as well.

“There is a possibility that Sharna and I have danced our last dance this season,” Hinchcliffe said at the time.

Luckily, Burgess was back on her feet after a couple of weeks and the couple was able to finish out the season together with a powerful freestyle and perfect-scoring fusion dance.

Of course, in addition to Sharna, James Hinchcliffe has another special lady in his life. Ahead of the DWTS finale, James also thanked his longtime girlfriend, Becky Dalton, for being there for him during his time on the ABC dancing competition. Hinchcliffe described himself as a “sore, tired, and sometimes cranky boyfriend” throughout the past three months, and he gave his girl props for putting up with his “guyliner and fake tan.”

Ahead of his run on Dancing With the Stars, James Hinchcliffe told USA Today reporters that dancing on live TV was definitely something that was outside of his comfort zone. James also joked that Sharna had her work cut out for her with him as her partner and that he wasn’t sure of he had ever danced sober before. Still, Hinchcliffe looked at the positive side of his DWTS gig.

“I’ve got the competitive spirit, and Indy Car drivers have a pretty good record on this show, so hopefully that counts for something,” James said at the time.

Indeed, James Hinchcliffe is in good company. In fact, if James has won this season of Dancing With the Stars, he would have been the second Indy Car driver to do so. In Season 5, Indy Car champ Helio Castroneves won the mirrorball trophy alongside pro partner Julianne Hough. Of course, both Castroneves and Hinchcliffe outshined Season 19 contestant, Nascar driver Michael Waltrip, who didn’t last long on his season of DWTS. Still, with any luck, James Hinchcliffe will get another chance on an upcoming Dancing With the Stars all-stars season.

Take a look at the video below to see James Hinchcliffe and Sharna Burgess’ final fusion dance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyOF8VfXG1U

[Featured Image by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images]

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