Dancing with the Stars Season 8

The Eighth Season of DWTS from Start to Finish

The eighth season of Dancing with the Stars had controvesy before it began. Two stars dropped out with injury. They were replaced by two reality show stars. And then more started getting hurt. Is it just a bad mystery show? Is it sabotage? Find out!

If you want to know who won, skip to the end ;-).

Get the latest at the main Dancing with the Stars page.

Dancing with the Stars Premiere

As always DWTS serves shock and drama in the context of a civilized pastime. And that was before the season had even started!

With both Jewel and Nancy O'Dell out two last minute substitutes were found. Holly Madion (who had been announced) and Melissa Rycroft (who had been leaked). Will they dance? Won't they? Well, they did.

Melissa was the stunner of the night, performing a marvelous performance after only a day or two's practice. Lucky she's an ex-cheerleader with ballet training!

For me, the best performance was Gilles and Cheryl's. Choreographed excellently, as always, by Cheryl, the dance played up Gilles' sexy, Naked Guy image. I'm pretty sure he was putting his hands in places he shouldn't at 8.30 at night, but it was fun.

The rest of the performances gave highs and lows. Ty Murray was the second-lowest which was a little unfair as he was just as stiff and embarrassed as Lawrence Taylor and Steve-O. Holly Madison and Denise Richards got a free pass from the judges.

The one who enjoyed themselves the most (apart from, perhaps, Cheryl Burke) was The Woz. He was awful. And he loved every minute! Vote Woz!

Favorites - Melissa Rycroft, Shawn Johnson, Gilles Marini
In with a chance - Lil' Kim, David Alan Grier, Chuck Wicks
Middle of the pack - Belinda Carlisle, Holly Madison, Denise Richards, Lawrence Taylor, Steve-O
No real chance - Ty Murray
Absolutely no chance but let's keep him around because it'll be fun - The Woz

Newbies impress on 'Dancing' premiere

DWTS Week 2 - The Dances

Steve-O being taken to hospital only added to the drama, but also stirred up some controversy.

Because he couldn't dance, the judges scored them on their dress rehearsal. This is a common practice in dancing, and other competitions. The judges get used to the routine so they can concentrate on the actual performance on the night.

However, it does explain some situations when the judges' comments where inconsistent with the scoring. Last night, Chuck and Julianne were lambasted for not performing well enough and then got a 20 - a reasonable score. It makes one wonder whether the scores are pre-decided and, barring big mistakes, won't be changed.

In summary, Gilles and Melissa were marvellous, Ty was MUCH better and The Woz was still, well, The Woz.

The two lowest scores were for The Woz and Steve-O but Belinda, Ty, DAG, LT and Holly could all be in the bottom two depending on the viewers vote.

Here are the scores from the first two nights: (How to vote)

The Celebrities and their partners

Lil' Kim and Derek Hough - 21 & 23 = 44
Steve-O and Lacey Schwimmer - 17 & 14 = 31
Lawrence Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska - 20 & 16 = 36
Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas Jr - 23 & 24 = 47
Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough - 20 & 20 = 40
Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke - 24 & 27 = 51
Denise Richards and Maksim Chmerkovskiy - 18 & 21 = 39
David Alan Grier and Kym Johnson - 17 & 19 = 36
Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower - 20 & 14 = 34
Steve Wozniak and Karina Smirnoff - 13 & 17 = 30
Belinda Carlisle and Jonathan Roberts - 17 & 18 =35
Holly Madison and Dmitry Chaplin - 18 & 18 = 36
Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani - 23 & 26 = 49

The bottom two celebrities will perform again and the judges will re-score them replacing their original score, but keeping the viewers votes.

Gilles, Melissa look like 'Dancing' stars to beat

DWTS Week 2 - The results

This season DWTS has introduced a dance-off between the two lowest scoring couples. They each perform their dances again, get new scores from the judges and these new scores replace the previous judges' scores. The viewer vote is still counted.

The advantages
- the losing couple gets to dance one more time
- the show doesn't spend as much time on who isn't going home
- it livens up the reults show

Disadvantages
- you get to see two bad dances again

Personally, I would prefer no dance-off and a 30 minutes show.

Last night Belinda Carlisle was the first celebrity sent home. She and Steve Wozniak had the dance-off and both scored 17 (what a coincidence!). This was an improvement for The Woz and one point less for Belinda.

The Woz looked surprised to be safe. he was enjoying himself, I'm not so sure Belinda was...

Belinda applied herself with vigor and I do think she would have improved greatly if she had stayed. Unfortunately, she didn't have the viewer votes. Perhaps she has been out of the spotlight for too long. I also suspect that people who remember her (especially the women) were probably more interested in Melissa from the The Bachelor!

By the way - 10% of you said Belinda would be the first to go - not a good start to the season!

Belinda Carlisle Go-Gos home on 'Dancing'

Belinda Stuff

Belinda Carlisle - Her Greatest Hits

Amazon Price: $7.97 (as of 12/09/2009)

Place on Earth: Greatest Hits

Amazon Price: $10.99 (as of 12/09/2009)

Heaven Is A Place On Earth

Amazon Price: $0.99 (as of 12/09/2009)

Week 3 - The Dances

Things were polarized in week 3 of Dancing with the Stars.

There are four firm favorites - Lil' Kim, Melissa, Gilles and Shawn

There are four stars that are just lining up to leave - Denise, Steve-O, Woz and Holly

And there are four that could go either way - Ty, Chuck, LT and DAG

The highlights of the night were:

- Three way tie between Shawn, Melissa and Gilles. All were super dances and show they've got what it takes. Lil' Kim wasn't far behind!
- Ty was sooooo much better - 23 points!
- DAG is a funny man
- Woz, well, can't dance...

The low light was the judges' scoring for Woz. Yes he can't dance. Yes it was one of the worst sambas ever. Yes, The Woz doing The Worm is not something most people would want to remember. But throughout the history of DWTS and its variations around the world the judges never give the correct score for someone who can't dance. It just isn't done. They give a lower score than everyone else, but they don't actually give the right score. (If anything he should have had lower!) Perhaps they just didn't want him anymore. Shame.

The Woz has little chance to stay in. Assuming he and Steve-O are in the dance off, and they get the same scores as they did last night then Woz would need 50% more viewer votes than Steve-O. If he dances better, he would need less. A tall order!

Here are the scores from the third week: (How to vote)

The Celebrities and their partners

Lil' Kim and Derek Hough - 25
Steve-O and Lacey Schwimmer - 15
Lawrence Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska - 20
Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas Jr - 27
Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough - 23
Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke - 27
Denise Richards and Maksim Chmerkovskiy - 16
David Alan Grier and Kym Johnson - 24
Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower - 23
Steve Wozniak and Karina Smirnoff - 10 (sic)
Holly Madison and Dmitry Chaplin - 17
Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani - 27

'Dancing' features three-way tie for first

The Dance-Off Proves Its Worth

DWTS Week 3 - The Results

I don't like the dance-off. It's false, we have to watch bad dances again etc. etc. Well, last night it showed how much fun it could be!

The big question was "Who would join Steve Wozniak in the bottom two?" The big answer was Holly and Denise...um, wait that's three! yes, The Woz wasn't in the bottom two which meant he must have had (roughly) 60% more viewer votes than Denise and 70% more than Holly. Amazing!

We were left with the battle of the blonds. Holly battled through her routine again getting one more point from the judges compared to the night before. Denise, although still dancing like Pinocchio, managed to improve her score by a massive four points (20%) meaning she had 20, Holly 18.

Denise went home. She can't dance and no one voted for her. Awh.

She didn't come across very well - petulant, crying, but I always feel sorry for losers. Even if they're pocketing $200,000.

Next week TWO couples will be voted off!

Denise Richards kicked off 'Dancing'

Denise Stuff

Valentine

Amazon Price: $5.79 (as of 12/10/2009)

The Life (Unrated Edition)

Amazon Price: $13.49 (as of 12/10/2009)

PLAYBOY Magazine December 2004 DENISE RICHARDS pictorial

Amazon Price: (as of 12/10/2009)

DWTS Week 4 - The Dances

The gap between the people who can dance and the people who show up is getting greater and greater. Plus it's getting less crowded at the top!

Steve-O, Woz and Holly aren't dancers and it's showing. There is little to no improvement week to week and I'm not sure Holly and Steve-O are really enjoying themselves!

Lil' Kim and Ty are continuing their inmpressive week-week improvement with Lil' Kim producing a stunning tango, and Ty starting to feel much more comfortable.

The story of the night, of course, was Gilles and Cheryl's Argentine tango. A perfect 30. Those judges love Gilles to the point it's actually becoming creepy!

Two celebrities will be going home - the obvious question is whether its Steve-O or Woz that joins Holly on the way out. But strange things are happening this season!

Here are the scores from the fourth week: (How to vote)

Lil' Kim and Derek Hough - 27
Steve-O and Lacey Schwimmer - 15
Lawrence Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska - 19
Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas Jr - 25
Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough - 22
Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke - 30
David Alan Grier and Kym Johnson - 22
Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower - 25
Steve Wozniak and Karina Smirnoff - 12
Holly Madison and Dmitry Chaplin - 16
Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani - 29

'Dancing' hands out first perfect 30 of season

(Previous weeks)

Holly and Woz Wobble Away

Week 4 - The Results

With two celebrities being sent home this week, the big question was: "which Steve would go home with Holly?"

There wasn't a dance off this week and I'm now becoming a fan of said dance off (I'd still prefer a thirty minute show though) because it's become interminable again. - limping through all the people who were safe isn't exciting TV.

We were down to the end - two Steves and Holly in the bottom three. Holly goes home. (This is the woman who fell off her chair on Monday before she even started dancing).

And despite the geek vote, Woz was joining her.

Holly was a last minute replacement and I actually think she did pretty well considering that. The trouble was she just couldn't dance.

The Woz didn't have enough votes to make up the 1.5% in viewers votes (yes that's all) he needed to overtake Steve-O. The Woz threw himself into this - clearly enjoyed himself and, I'm sure, made friends along the way.

The dancers have left pretty much in terms of dancing ability. Once Steve-O leaves it'll start to get interesting.

Steve and Holly finally go home on 'Dancing'

Holly Stuff

Holly Madison 2010 Wall Calendar

by: NMR

Amazon Price: $12.59 (as of 12/10/2009)

Playboy Magazine February 2009 Holly Madison Cover

Amazon Price: (as of 12/10/2009)

The Selected Letters of Dolley Payne Madison

by: Holly C. Shulman

Amazon Price: $32.18 (as of 12/10/2009)

Gilles Doesn't Get 30 for Dancing, But Gets High Marks For Losing The Shirt!

DWTS Week 5 - The Dances

Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke dance the Paso Doble in Dancing with the Stars

Apart from Steve-O, everybody seemed to do a little worse than last week. There was no one reason - Ty became hesitant again, Lil' Kim needed to work on her footwork, Melissa looked like a transvestite, Len was too busy looking at Gilles' pecs rather than his dancing etc. etc.

Steve-O was at the bottom with 18, but I think LT might be at risk this week, only two points ahead. We know Steve-O has a following - does LT?

The Celebrities and their partners

Lil' Kim and Derek Hough - 26
Steve-O and Lacey Schwimmer - 18
Lawrence Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska - 20
Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas Jr - 26
Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough - 23
Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke - 29
David Alan Grier and Kym Johnson - 22
Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower - 21
Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani - 25

Shirtless, steamy Gilles heats up Dancing with the Stars

Viewers Certainly Have Favorites!

Week 5 - The Results

The mood lights come on. In no particular order, the celebrities are told who is safe. The interminable pauses continue interminably....Steve-O isn't in the bottom three!

LT, Ty and DAG are in the bottom three. That means Steve-O got more than 2% more viewer votes than David ALan Grier! Not much really - just shows how little the judges' scores matter in the early rounds!

Ty was the next to be told he was safe and Lawrence and David danced off. DAG scored an extra two points, while LT scored the same as the night before.

Alas, for David, it wasn't enough. His ever changing expressions will be missed - a genuinely nice guy, that was getting better and better each each week. I don't think he would have won but it would have been nice to keep him around.

And Steve-O will have to miss his dog for at least another week.

Improvement doesn't save Dancing contestant

DAG Stuff

Boomerang

Amazon Price: $9.98 (as of 12/10/2009)

David Alan Grier - The Book of David: The Cult Figure's Manifesto

Amazon Price: $13.49 (as of 12/10/2009)

Art City: A Ruling Passion

Amazon Price: $26.99 (as of 12/10/2009)

Lil' Kim - Con Turned Cop?

DWTS Week 6 - The Dances

Lil Kim and Derek Hough jiving

Wow! Was Len grumpy or what??

I think he thought it was time to be a little stricter and criticized everyone. He was actually rude to Steve-O! I don't think it's a bad thing - things we getting a bit too luvey-luvey.

Lil' Kim was the big story tonight - a wardrobe malfunction, gallantly hidden by Tom Bergeron. Oh. and she got the highest score! She's been getting better and better.

Julianne wore something that looks as though it should be worn on one's wedding night (for a minute or two at least) but it didn't stimulate the judges, their score being in the low twenties yet again.

Gilles did some really fancy footwork, but seemed to forget the actual dance - it shows he can be beaten!

Stve-O and Ty had the lowest scores, and then a four point gap to LT. Assuming Steve-O's fans turn out again, it's not looking good for Ty.

The Celebrities and their partners

Lil' Kim and Derek Hough - 28
Steve-O and Lacey Schwimmer - 16
Lawrence Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska - 22
Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas Jr - 26
Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough - 23
Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke - 26
Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower - 18
Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani - 27

Lil' Kim Dazzles on Dancing with the Stars

Wake Up! Steve-O's Gone!

Week 6 - The Results

In one of the most boring 60 minutes in television history, it was revealed in the last two minutes that Steve-O would be going home.

Despite not even being in the bottom three last week, Steve-O was sent home, even though he was only 2 points behind Ty in the judges' scores. Perhaps David Alan Grier's fans really didn't like him. Who knows?

Steve-O was funny, engaging and not really interested in dancing. An alternate Cloris perhaps.

They didn't have the dance off this week. Please bring it back! It gives us something to watch!

DWTS sends home a fan favorite

Steve-O Stuff

Steve-O: Out on Bail

Amazon Price: $13.49 (as of 12/09/2009)

Don't Try This At Home - The Steve-O Video Vol. 2

Amazon Price: (as of 12/09/2009)

Don't Try This at Home - The Steve-O Video

Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 12/09/2009)

The Group Dance Surprises

DWTS Week 7 - The Dances

Len must have taken a pick me up, removed the pea from under his mattress or got...anyway, he was a lot nicer this week.

The only real surprise in the scoring was Chuck and Julianne with 27. It seems a little high, but it was their best score so far and I know they have a fan base, so it will be interesting once Ty and LT are gone.

The rest of the favorites swapped around a little with Melissa having the highest score this week - it's almost as if they are taking turns!

The group dance was a 60s inspired affair, with each celebrity being spotlighted. The judges didn't score it, but everyone seemed to have a lot of fun. Particularly Chuck in a blond wig...

The bottom two were LT and Ty. LT need just over 1.5% more than Ty in the viewers' votes to avoid the bottom spot (ignoring dance-offs) so it will be close. It also depends on where Steve-Os fans vote, or if they vote at all!

The Celebrities and their partners

Lil' Kim and Derek Hough - 26
Lawrence Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska - 21
Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas Jr - 28
Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough - 27
Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke - 27
Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower - 24
Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani - 29

Melissa and Tony grab top spot on Dancing with the Stars

The Results Show Bores

Week 7 - The Results

The reprise of the group dance was great. Natasha Beddingfield was great. Celtic Women were great. The aspiring professional dancers were great. Lawrence Taylor thought the fact he could get back to his golf was great.

But it was all so boring....

To put on a 60 minute show and devote about 90 seconds to telling us who was staying and who was going home is way over the top. Bring back the dance off! (I never thought I'd say that!)

It was interesting that the last two (LT and Ty) were "not necessarily the bottom two". Is someone else lurking in the doldrums?

LT gave it a go, didn't really like it and now he's gone.

Dancing with the Stars now down to six

LT Stuff

Lawrence Taylor Blue Reebok NFL Premier 1986 Throwback New York Giants Jersey - X-Large

Amazon Price: $124.99 (as of 12/10/2009)

Reebok New York Giants Lawrence Taylor Retired Legends Name & Number T-Shirt

Amazon Price: $25.99 (as of 12/10/2009)

Taylor (Icons of the NFL)

by: Lawrence Taylor

Amazon Price: $22.76 (as of 12/10/2009)

Another Injury, Another Show

DWTS Week 8 - The Dances

The big news this week is that Melissa couldn't dance due to a rib injury!

She has a hairline fracture, and is expected to be able to continue, but was not able to dance this week. She was judged on a rehearsal tape - not very satisfying as she wasn't really trying, but it worked for Steve-O!

Lil' Kim, Gilles and Shawn showed they (and Melissa) were the ones to watch. Chuck got a generous score from the judges, and Ty continues to be a really great guy.

The dancers were split into two teams for the Mambo (Chuck, Shawn and Lacey (for Melissa)) and Tango (Ty, Gilles and Lil Kim). Team Mambo scored 25 each and team Tango 28. Both dances were very enjoyable.

Can Melissa stay in? Well, according to my calculations, she needs 1.6 percentage points more than Chuck, and 2 more than Ty in the viewers' votes to make her safe. Can she do it?

The Celebrities and their partners

Lil' Kim and Derek Hough - 28 & 28 = 56
Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas Jr - 27 & 25 = 52
Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough - 26 & 25 = 51
Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke - 27 & 28 = 55
Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower - 24 & 28 = 52
Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani - 21 & 25 = 46

An injured Melissa misses Dancing with the Stars

Melissa Comes Back from the Dead

Week 8 - The Results

Despite having a low score based on her rehearsal footage, and getting the lowest team score, Melissa Rycroft managed to avoid elimination, sending, instead, Chuck Wicks to the wanna-be hoofers graveyard.

Chuck had been improving and starting to show his lighter side in the past couple of weeks. It's a shame to see him go, but at this stage, It's a shame to see anyone go!

Dancing With the Stars cuts cast to five

Chuck Stuff

Starting Now

Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 12/10/2009)

Stealing Cinderella

Amazon Price: $0.99 (as of 12/10/2009)

Starting Now

Amazon Price: (as of 12/10/2009)

The Results Show Spills Over into the Dances

DWTS Week 9 - The Dances

Melissa Rycroft in Week 9 of Dancing with the Stars Season 8

This week each couple danced twice, and the celebrity had to perform solo for a time in the second dance. That's ten dances. They needed two hours. One dance every 12 minutes. So, they could either have each couple dance for eight minutes (to allow for the judging, interviews, ads) or pad it out like a results show.

Let's go with... Results Show!

Putting aside the increasingly frustrating fillers, the main theme of the night seemed to be which judge could come up with the silliest quote. I won't go through them, but it's obvious a lot of time is spent on throwaway lines!

To the dancing - the couples performed well and scored relative to their abilities. Melissa got her first 30, Gilles and Shawn were close behind, Lil' Kim made a few mistakes and Ty was far behind.

The judges were actually quite rude to Ty, perhaps they were trying to sway the viewers vote?

It's a fact that Ty is the worst dancer, and I had him leaving in week 1 or 2 so he's done really well - he deserves some respect.

Ty will need to score more than 2.2 percentage points than Lil' Kim in the viewers votes to be safe. Other than Ty, no one left has been in the bottom two, so that will be interesting!

The Celebrities and their partners

Lil' Kim and Derek Hough - 25 & 27 = 52
Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas Jr - 27 & 29 = 56
Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke - 29 & 27 = 56
Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower - 25 & 21 = 46
Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani - 27 & 30 = 57

Celebs double up on performances on Dancing With the Stars

The Cowboy Rides into Another Week

DWTS - Week 9

Lil Kim and Derek Hough in Week 9 of Dancing with the Stars Season 8

A collective gasp went up around the audience, from the judges' table, from the celebrities and partners, and most of all, from Ty.

Lil' Kim has been voted off!

Despite having a 52 to 46 lead over Ty from the judges, the viewers voted and Ty must have got more than 2.7% of their votes than Kim. I think all the country singer voters (from Chuck) must have turned to the cowboy.

This just goes to underscore this is a popularity competition as well as a dancing competition.

Lil' Kim, was in among the leaders and actually won a couple of weeks. She was getting better every week and was putting her own mark on her dances. She accepted defeat most gracefully and will be missed!

Will Ty last another week???

Dancing With the Stars' Results: Lil' Kim Is the Big Bootee

Lil' Kim Stuff

Hard Core

Amazon Price: $7.98 (as of 12/10/2009)

La Bella Mafia

Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 12/10/2009)

Notorious K.I.M.

Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 12/10/2009)

Gilles is Perfect, Ty is Going?

DWTS Week 10 - The Dances

Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke pull faces at their detractors

After the shock elimination of Lil' Kim last week, the key thing now is how far behind Ty will be at the end of the evening, and whether he has a chance of knocking someone else out.

Gilles scored two perfect 30s, and looked very good doing it (although the judges were a little sickening in their praise) - so he's OK.

Shawn got a 30 for her Argentine Tango - actually coming across with passion, something they seemed to avoid earlier in the competition (because of her age?). She also got a 26 for her Jive (not her best type of dance).

Melissa was scored rather harshly I felt and ended with 55.

Ty? He actually scored more than last week with 48. That means he's 7 behind Melissa - and so needs 3.2 percentage points more than her in the viewer vote.

Is it doable? I've been predicting he's going to leave for the last three or four weeks so what do I know?!

What I do know is that the length of the show is becoming a joke. Eight dances in two hours. Please....

The Celebrities and their partners

Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas Jr - 30 & 26 = 56
Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke - 30 & 30 = 60
Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower - 25 & 23 = 48
Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani - 28 & 27 = 55

One star turns in a perfect evening on Dancing With the Stars

Riding Off into the Reality Sunset

DWTS Week 10 - Results

Ty Murray inspects Chelsie Hightower for wardrobe malfunctions

As expected, (and has been expected for the last four weeks!) Ty Murray was voted off a typically bloated results show.

Ty is obviously a great guy and has shown the determination you'd expect from one of the greatest rodeo stars ever, but the thing that struck me the most is his ability to learn and to improve on his first dance (he got one more point that Woz). I though he'd go quickly, but he worked on his dancing and how he dealt with dancing, which he is not comfortable with. Respect.

So, we are left with the expected final three - Gilles, Shawn and Melissa. To me, Shawn and especially Melissa have more hard-core fans, but Gilles appeals to a large, but specific fan base.

Next week, each dance to the same music chosen by the judges, and then choose their own.

It's going to be fun!

Just three remain on Dancing With the Stars

Ty Murray Stuff

King of the Cowboys

by: Ty Murray

Amazon Price: $17.05 (as of 12/10/2009)

Ty Murray World Champion [VHS]

Amazon Price: (as of 12/10/2009)

Ty Murray Rodeo Cowboy Cologne New

Amazon Price: $34.99 (as of 12/10/2009)

A Very Close Finale

DWTS - The Finale

Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke Dance in the Finale of Dancing with the stars

Finally! A DWTS show that's the right length! Don't you think it was so much better being only one hour? Maybe I'm in the minority...

A group Paso Doble was the first part of the competition and it played right into Gilles' hands. It's something the actor in him reacts to and he gave a great performance. The other two did well, but Gilles shone.

Freestyle - Gilles was lucky to get 28 in my opinion. It was a rather stilted routine to "Flashdance", which is a surprise as Cheryl is one of the better choreographers. Shawn gave a fantastic performance playing to her strengths and received a 30. Melissa got a rather harsh 27, but maybe they knocked points off for Tony's shirt (ick).

On the basis of last night's judges votes, Melissa would need 1.2 percentages points more than Gilles and Shawn in the viewers' vote to win. But, of course, they have one mrore dance to be judged (but not by the viewers).

Anyone can win!!

The Celebrities and their partners

Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas Jr - 28 & 30 = 58
Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke - 30 & 28 = 58
Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani - 29 & 27 = 56

Dancing finale remains too close to call

(Previous weeks)

Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas are Champions of Season 8!

Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas win Season 8 of Dancing with the Stars!

Congratulations to Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas for winning Season 8 of Dancing with the Stars!

The Season Finale results Show was two hours in length and demonstrated that the viewers did pretty well in who they DIDN'T let into the final. Other than (perhaps) Lil' Kim, none of the others had a chance of winning!

A trawl through highlights of the season, repeat dances by each of the celebrities, a very uncomfortable roast by Jeffrey Ross (that sort of thing doesn't really fit in with this show, a number of my Twitter friends were quite upset!) and we had the final three dances.

Each of the couples performed their favorite routines and each scored 30 points. No surprise there, but it does show that the judges are content to allow the viewers to choose the winner.

Melissa was the first to go and then there were two. Shawn kept her eyes tight shut, while Gilles had his actor's face on.

And Shawn was the winner!

One of the favorites from the start, Shawn was never perfect until it counted on Monday night. Competent throughout, her struggle was showing her emotions and feelings through dance rather than learning the steps. A very deserving champion!

This was a very satisfying season.

Bring on Season 9!

Recent blog posts about Dancing with the Stars

LeBron James wants to be on “Dancing With The Stars”?: ?Dancing With The Stars is quite the platform to launch a career,? Battier said. ?Maybe, he's trying to launch a career. LeBron's a smart businessman. I wouldn't put anything past him.? ? Houston Chronicle ...
Dancing with the Stars Music – The Live Band | Pure Dancing with ...: I see by the comments that this is a timely article. :-) I highly recommend clicking the link and reading the entire article. Some excerpts from Variety:
Diary of a Desperate Housewife: Dancing With the Stars Live: And there it was, an email from "On Camera Audiences," the company that manages the Dancing With the Stars Audiences! I've been on their list about 2 years and I had gotten the emails before, but by the time I clicked on the ticket link ...
Dancing With The Stars:Dancing Off The Pounds DVD Giveaway – Ends ...: Dancing With The Stars:Dancing Off The Pounds DVD. Giveaway Link Below: http://www.astheygrowup.com/2009/12/dancing-with-starsdancing-off-pounds.html. You will need to leave a comment to enter the contest at the link above. ...

Powered by Google

Great DWTS stuff on DVD

Work that body - get fit and dazzle your neighbors!

Dancing with the Stars: Latin Cardio Dance

Reader Feedback

submit

Show All

Share this Guestbook
- Stumbleupon
- Facebook
- MySpace
- Twitter
- Digg
- Delicious
- RSS
- Email

Love This Lens?

Check out these great lenses...

: Kelly Ripa - Actress and Talk Show Host
Kelly Ripa is a model, talk show host and actress. She appeared on the soap opera All My Children and the sitcom Hope and Faith. She now appears on the tremendously successful show, Regis and Kelly. Get the latest news and information on Kelly Rip... view lens
: Diane Sawyer - The New ABC Evening News Anchor
Diane Sawyer is a news reporter, TV host and former model. She was the host of Good Morning America for many years, and will take over the ABC news spot from Charles Gibson starting December 21, 2009. A sincere and caring person, Diane is liked and... view lens
: Elizabeth Mitchell - Actress
Elizabeth Mitchell is an excellent actress who has been in many TV and Movie roles. She is best known for her work in the TV series Lost as Dr. Juliet Burke and more recently "V". She also appeared as Mrs Claud in The Santa Clause 2. Get the latest... view lens
: Lynda Carter - Actress, Singer and Wonder Woman
Lynda Carter is a marvellous actress and sometime singer. She is, of course, best known for playing the super hero Wonder Woman in the 70s hit TV show. She has a new CD out - "At Last". Get the latest news and information on Lynda Carter. view lens
: RuPaul - Actor, Singer and So Much More
RuPaul is a model, actor, singer, talk show host and a man. He has been successful since the early nineties releasing a number of albums. He produced and presented the reality TV show "RuPaul's Drag Race". Get the latest news and information on Ru... view lens