'Dancing with the Stars' Recap - The Finals (Night One)

After weeks of competition twelve celebrities have been whittled down to the final three: Rob Kardashian, JR Martinez, and Ricki Lake. For night one, the dancers had their final unlearned dance and the Freestyle. It seems quite unfair for both Ricki and JR to have the Cha-Cha after doing the Cha-Cha Relay last week, making their dance vaguely learned.

Round One - Unlearned Dances

Ricki & Derek - Cha-Cha - After hitting the top last week; Ricki was excited about the finals. Carrie Ann came to help Ricki with technique. She suggested trying to not be restrained and win over the audience. After high amounts of smoke and lights, the couple went right into hold. The cha-cha felt a bit slow than it could have been, but it helped emphasize the sexual motions of Ricki. I thought that Ricki had a lot of hip action and a lot of gusto that she wouldn't have had back in week one.

Len thought there was good timing and rhythm, but there were moments of jerkiness. Bruno thought the dance was going at full-steam. Carrie Ann thought Ricki was living the dance. Score: 27 (9,9,9).

Rob & Cheryl - Waltz - Rob has been on the high of last week, but the mirror ball trophy was on his mind. Cheryl had issues with Rob's waltz and Bruno arrived and thought that Rob was on a good trail. As the couple danced, I thought their waltz was a bit faster than I expected. I appreciated the choreography but there were moments where Rob looked like he was hunched to make sure that he was matching Cheryl. I was engrossed by the dance and thought it was really short.

Bruno thought he was flowing and glowing in the dance, but messed up some crossover work. Carrie Ann thought he's evolved from his week one Viennese waltz. Len thought he had good rise and fall, but there were moments where he was heavy. Score: 27(9,9,9).

JR & Karina - Cha-Cha - After the ankle injury, JR got an X-Ray and was cleared of dancing. Len arrived and gave his tips about his hands and his hips. Len also emphasized that Karina has never won and deserves a chance. Karina began on top of the judges table and the couple wasted a lot of time out of hold. JR's walking could have been better but by the time the couple got into hold, the dance improved. There were some moments where I thought JR could have been doing a lot more than just stand while Karina did all the work, ankle or not.

Carrie Ann thought his musicality was off, even though he had a good time. Len thought he was brave having a lot of solo moments, but he agreed that he was off-time. There were a lot of mistakes. Bruno liked the honest mood JR had with Karina, but his hands and timing were bad. Score: 24 (8,7,9)

Round Two - Freestyle

Ricki & Derek - Salsa/Quickstep Hybrid - Ricki was freaked out by all the lifts and tricks and filled with stress. Derek was even harder with Ricki and the choreography. He was relentless, but Ricki knew it was for a good reason. The dance began with an oversized Ricki picture and her emerging from it. Clearly, they stretched the photo to emphasize Ricki's wright loss. The two were immediately dancing and they had a nice salsa section. Derek, because he's Derek, hand to lose his shirt at one point while they danced I thought the choice of sticking to more of a traditional route was almost a relief, being smart and not going Contemporary and playing Derek's strength. I loved the fact that they incorporated several different styles of dance, including the dreaded Quickstep. The lift at the end was an amazing ending, even though Ricki showed a little bit of fear.

Len thought the dance was overall great. Bruno thought the dance was one of the most demanding and she did a good job. Carrie Ann loved the fluidity and difficult lifts. Score 27 (9,9,9).

Rob & Cheryl - Jazz Club Inspired - Cheryl has pointed out winning twice and losing once. She suggested going slow and then picking up at the end. She wanted to bring the chemistry and lifts together. Rob knew he had to bring everything he had in his bag of tricks. Rob looked nervous about his hat in the beginning and there were moments where a bit broken. I liked the Foxtrot influences and the choices of lifts and drags. The dance transitioned into a faster section, but it wasn't the best of transitions for the band. The dance was fun, but it lacked a bit of shimmer.

Bruno thought the performance was brilliant. Carrie Ann was blown away. Len thought that he gave his all in the competition. Score: 30 (10,10,10).

JR & Karina - Salsa/Afro-Cuban/Reggaeton - JR decided to do a Salsa-inspired dance. JR was worried about how dangerous Karina's lift choices were. In the morning of the show Karina was hesitant about the whole dance. The two started dancing with some confidence. The first lift was one of the most creative sequences I've seen on the show. The worried moment of the jump was okay but not as good of how hyped the package made it seem. I thought that Evan Lysacek and Kirstie Alley had the best view at the end, but I thought that too much time was wasted on the little stages.

Carrie Ann turned into Bruno for a moment and thought the lifts were sick. Len thought the dance was fantastic. Bruno thought he was a wild animal. Score: 30 (10,10,10).

Night One Scores

Rob & Cheryl - 57 (27 + 30)
Ricki & Derek - 54 (27 + 27)
JR & Karina - 54 (24 + 30)

Who will win? With a very tight race, both voting and the two dances tomorrow will make the biggest difference. With the three point difference, it seems like it won't go down to the predicted JR/Ricki showdown, but it's all up to Rob's fans.