‘DWTS’ 2016: Paige VanZant, Ginger Zee and Nyle DiMarco Battle It Out on 1st Night of Finale

— -- Paige VanZant, Ginger Zee and Nyle DiMarco pulled out all the stops tonight on the first night of the two-night “Dancing With the Stars” finale, each performing two routines in their intense contest to win the mirror ball trophy.

At the end of the night, Paige VanZant was leading the pack in judges’ scores.

The stars each had to do a “redemption routine” -– where they reprised a previous dance to show how much they’d improved. They also had to perform all-important freestyle, which has generally had tremendous significance in determining the overall winner of the competition.

The finalists will perform a third routine tomorrow -- the 24-hour fusion challenge. This challenge, along with the judges’ scores and viewer votes from last week and this week, will be combined to determine the champion.

Co-host Tom Bergeron said the voting so far had been the closest in any “DWTS” finale.

TONIGHT’S ROUTINES