Allyse Ishino Crowned the Winner on ‘Dancing with the Stars: at Sea’ Champions Cruise
During the Jan. 12 Champions Cruise aboard ms Nieuw Amsterdam, Holland America Line crowned guest Allyse Ishino the line’s first “Dancing with the Stars: At Sea” Champion.
Allyse, who represented ms Westerdam, beat out 14 other guest competitors to claim the title and take home the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy.
Allyse celebrating her “Dancing with the Stars: at Sea” win!
Allyse danced in the ship’s main show lounge with her partner Tiago in three elimination performances before making it to the finals where she performed in front of a judging panel that included “Dancing with the Stars” professional dancers Kym Johnson, Tristan MacManus and Sharna Burgess; dancer and choreographer Jaymz Tuaileva; and Cruise Director Eric Dowis.
Allyse and Tiago with the judging panel and the Mirror Ball Trophy.
Allyse competed in the Jan. 18 finale against Todd Greenquist (ms Amsterdam) and Kristin Capaldo (ms Noordam).
All three finalists danced the Fox Trot then were able to select another dance style to perform. Allyse chose a passionate Tango, and the judges described her performance “like a professional dancer.” Todd danced a Samba and Kristin performed an energetic Jive.
As previously mentioned, each of the 15 competitors represented one of the 15 ships in the Holland America Line fleet and was selected as the winning guest with the highest overall score from the “Dancing with the Stars: At Sea” dance competitions that were held onboard throughout the past year.
Each of the 15 guest competitors sported shirts boasting ‘their’ ship.
The Top 10 guest competitors and their dance partner instructors from the ship’s showcast.
While all 15 guests competed in the first round, the dancers were narrowed to 10 guests in round two. Allyse, Todd, Kristin, Julie Hurt (ms Prinsendam), Mimi Chen (ms Zuiderdam), Trudy Morris (ms Veendam), Tanya Robinson (Zaandam), Daniel Honig (Statendam), Randy Estoesta (ms Nieuw Amsterdam) and Jose Javier Omar (ms Oosterdam) earned a spot in the next round. In round three, Mimi, Kristin, Allyse, Randy, Jose Javier and Todd vied for the three spots in the finale.
The final 6 perform. Clockwise from top left: Allyse, Omar, Kristin, Randy, Mimi and Todd. Photos courtesy of Holland America Line/RobComeau.com.
Photos courtesy of Holland America Line/RobComeau.com.
Joining the Champions Cruise to perform in a special production show were “Dancing with the Stars” professional dancers Emmy Award–winner and five-time “Dancing with the Stars” champion Derek Hough, two-time winner Kym Johnson, Sharna Burgess, Emma Slater and Tristan MacManus. Celebrities who performed included actress Sabrina Bryan, singer Joey Fatone and television personality Carson Kressley.
Dancing with the Stars professional and celebrities from left: Mulatu Niguse, Joey Fatone, Kym Johnson, Tristan MacManus, Emma Slater, Carson Kressley and Sabrina Bryan.
The “Dancing with the Stars: at Sea” crew enjoy a fiesta in Cozumel, via Anya Fuchs (@myanyatv).
Carson and Kym having a fun time ashore. Photos courtesy of Carson Kressley.
Additional events on the cruise included a special fashion show featuring the glamorous show costumes, a chance to meet the dance pros and celebrities, and a question-and-answer session.
To see more photos from the Jan. 12 “Dancing with the Stars: at Sea” Champions Cruise, visit the Holland America Line Facebook page and check out the “Dancing with the Stars: at Sea” Champions Cruise photo album.
Holland America Line has extended its partnership with “Dancing with the Stars” and will feature the shipboard program through the 2014 sailing season, culminating with another Champions Cruise guest dance-off competition on the Dec. 6, 2014, Caribbean sailing of ms Westerdam.
The 2014 schedule also will include six special “Dancing with the Stars” theme cruises featuring the show’s professional dancers and celebrities. Currently scheduled to sail on all six theme cruises in 2014 are professional dancers Tristan MacManus and Kym Johnson, television personality Carson Kressley and actress Sabrina Bryan.
Congratulations go out to Allyse and all of the guest competitors who competed on Holland America Line’s first “Dancing with the Stars: at Sea” Champions Cruise!
Photos not credited in the caption courtesy of Holland America Line/RobComeau.com.
We were there, it was awesome. Best cruise ever!
We were on the Dancing with the Star cruise for two weeks and it was the best cruise ever. Niew Amsterdam is a lovely ship and it was so much fun to meet the Stars and follow the competition. I was very happy to see Allyse Ishino win and her tango was spectacular. Hopefully Holland America will continue with these theme cruises for a long time, because this is not going to be my last voyage!! Also 5 stars to Eric, the Cruise Director. He was the best! As a Travel Agent, I am marketing the cruises.
Curtis and I had the most wonderful time on our 17 day cruise, Oct. 1, 2013, on the ms Zuiderdam through the Panama Canal from San Francisco. We are looking forward to another enjoyable cruise in the future.
[…] And if you’re serious about competing, Holland America has five upcoming cruises with the DWTS: At Sea theme. The Cruise Champion from each voyage will go on to the complimentary seven-day Champions Cruise, where they will all compete for the right to be named Grand Champion of the DWTS: At Sea cruise season. The 2013 Champions Cruise, which set sail, January 12, featured a performance from Eric Hough from the Dancing with the Stars television show, as well as the Grand Champion final competition between the fifteen guest winners from each of Holland America’s participating ships. See the winner of the 2013 Champions Cruise, click here. […]
[…] And if you’re serious about competing, Holland America has five upcoming cruises with the DWTS: At Sea theme. The Cruise Champion from each voyage will go on to the complimentary seven-day Champions Cruise, where they will all compete for the right to be named Grand Champion of the DWTS: At Sea cruise season. The 2013 Champions Cruise, which set sail, January 12, featured a performance from Eric Hough from the Dancing with the Stars television show, as well as the Grand Champion final competition between the fifteen guest winners from each of Holland America’s participating ships. See the winner of the 2013 Champions Cruise, click here. […]
We did the last two cruises back to back and they were super. Everyone was great and there were so many wonderful dancers. Trying to work out my schedule so I can see the next final.
My wife and her family were on the westerdam in September 2013 . We had a great time on the Alaskan cruise. We both actually qualified for the finals of the Dancing with the Stars competition for that particular cruise. We didn’t win but it was a great experience. One of the judges told me that the only trophy I would be taking home would be my wife. And that was what happened.