Dancing with the Stars Finale, Part 1

Realizing that there is a lot of time but not a lot of performers, the producers have decided to show a clip show of what the contestants thought was their best ballroom and Latin dance. Since I don't recall things perfectly, I have a feeling that producers should post edit the dance to cover up a few foot mistakes with a close-up or two.

Brooke & Derek - The ballroom quickstep that they had performed was their favorite. Their favorite Latin was the paso doble. They talk about consistency and how Brooke has the best average of the season (which is nowhere near Kristi Yamaguchi). Brooke talks afterward about having positive thinking and how Warren is trying to psyche Derek out.

There is a little bit of an editing warble where there is an echo. It gets edited as Lance & Lacey talk. Maybe we aren't as live as we think.

Lance & Lacey - Their best ballroom is the tango. Thinking about it now, that performance fit the Halloween theme when it was performed. Their best Latin was the mambo. Lance has had the biggest lead coming into the finals and is the only other contestant who beat Brooke for first.

Warren & Kym - They say that their best ballroom is the Viennese waltz. It showcased Warren's gentle gliding abilities. They pick the paso doble as their best Latin. They call the outfits intimidating. They talk about their strength being that Warren is a fan favorite, they're apparently also averaged second most of the season, though I don't think that's a positive.

The junior trophy winners are Craig & Samantha. They re-dance their jive again. It must be awkward for a brother/sister team to dance with emotions aimed at each other. After receiving their trophy, Samantha waves the trophy in front of her brother's face.

There is a video that says that this could be the greatest ballroom competition, ever. I think that's because they are equally on the same level. Still nowhere near someone like Stacy Kiebler (until she flopped the freestyle) or Kristi Yamaguchi. The judges are here and everyone does their official welcoming. Len talks about how he's so excited that he may have to pee. Everyone starts laughing.

Samba Smackdown - The order goes Brooke, Lance, Warren. Brooke's challenge is to make her steps amazing. Lance and Lacey want to be creative with their section. For Warren, they want to do better than the last place scores they received the last time they did the samba. They do a group rehearsal where everyone tries to intimidate each other. Lance and Lacey play dumb during the practice. Warren tackles a wall to scare Lacey.

The samba starts with Brooke & Derek. They decide to go with technicality and a lot of floor covering. They use a lot of strong hip action to keep them going. They do a few rolls and short runs. Lance & Lacey emerge and they go with a lot of strong, fast legwork. Lacey does some interesting spins. They go with some unconventional moves. Warren & Kim come in and Warren still looks a little awkward, but he definitely has improved. In comparison to the other two, Warren lacks the technicality. The three finish off with some synchronized dancing and an interesting human windmill. Len loves his band as they continuously pimp out the band. Len thought that all three improved: Warren was better, but lacked a little bit of footwork. Lance had more movements and was powerful. Brooke is still the one to beat. Bruno calls Brooke dazzling, Lance clean, and Warren irresistible. Carrie Ann likes that Lance has improved, she's blown away by the improvement of Warren, and Brooke has the best technicality, but was too ambitious.

The Scores:
Brooke - 9, 9, 10 = 28
Lance - 9, 8, 9 = 26
Warren - 9, 7, 9 = 25


Round 2 - The Freestyle

Brooke & Derek - There was a bad jive, but a good salsa. Derek tells her if there are any mistakes he wants her to breathe. They attempt a lot of lifts in practice, it hurts Derek a little so they move to a swimming pool. I'm worried about Brooke's outfit until I realize that they went for a Grease theme. There's a lot of kicking, Broadway-esque moves, and they put Brooke on the judges' table where she becomes Bad Sandy. They do their leaps. She does the leg spiral (which I saw and I'm sure they did on So You Think You Can Dance) into a group tumble. They flip to the end. Brooke loved it as he flails his arms in amazement (he also uses the words Kama Sutra). Carrie Ann thought that they brought it. Len thought it was the best freestyle that he's ever seen. The scores are: 10, 10, and 10.

Lance & Lacey - Last week they aced both their dances, so they are coming in with strength and confidence. They practice some hip-hop type music and Lance booty shakes. Lance thinks that he should do an Nsync move to shout out to his more successful partners. They do an old-school hip-hop. I'm at a loss of words for the whole thing. It's oddly good, but so out of place for this show. Though I will say, the two would have done well on that other dancing show on Fox. Lance takes off his shoe at the end. Carrie Ann thought it was clever, but she thought that there was one section of awkward with the cha-cha. Len liked the song, but he liked the fact that the cha-cha was there. Bruno called it youthful and creative. The scores are: 9, 9, and 9.

Warren & Kym - They did well last week, but Warren still is called out for a lack of content. They decide to go with a lot of different lifts and attempt a death flip. They go for a "Proud Mary" so the beginning is slow. They dance and ace the first lift. They remove their original costumes in lieu of a silver getup as the song speeds up. Kym's dress loses pieces as they attempt lifts. Kym does her best to make Warren look great. They do a similar lift-spin move that Brooke did, but ended with that into a pose. Len was entertained to the max. Bruno wants to lay back and enjoy the ride. (What?) Carrie Ann called it her favorite dance, but pointed out that he messed up at one small point. The scores are: 9, 10, and 9.

The Scores
Brooke - 28 + 30 = 58
Warren - 25 + 28 = 53
Lance - 26 + 27 = 53