So who's going to win this season of Dancing With the Stars? We'll get the first inkling of an answer in tonight's performance finale. (Oh, and you can have your say in our poll here.)
The first couple to take to the stage is Kelly Osbourne and Louis Van Amstel. Since we've got some time to kill, we spend the first part of the segment reliving the entire season's dances. After that, Carrie Ann Inaba comes in to work with them and give them some tips on their Argentine tango, mostly trying to get Kelly to be more comfortable with the intimate moments of the dance. It seems to help, as their tango is very intense, and their chemistry is better than usual in the more romantic dances. I feel like Louis is such a good partner and leader that he's guiding Kelly through this dance more than she's actually dancing it, if that makes sense. I mean, she does a pretty good job with it (though her posture is a bit off-kilter), but he's just so dominant. Head judge Len Goodman says Kelly epitomizes what this competition is about: as someone who has no dance experience, she has transformed into a dancer. He says she danced "right up there." Bruno Tonioli says she's been the revelation of this season because of her dedication and hard work. He didn't love her loose free hand, but it was still very good. Carrie Ann says she's proud of how far she came, especially with the emotional connection. Scores: 9-9-8, for a 26/30.
Mya and Dmitry Chaplin get a visit from Len while they are rehearsing for the paso doble. He pushes them to bring more and more intensity, more power, more aggression, more snap. They bring that intensity to the dance floor in the performance as they dance to "We Will Rock You." That's purely me speaking as an amateur, though. Also, the audience looooves it. Bruno says it was fearless and flamboyant and amazing. Carrie Ann dubs her "the queen of the paso doble," adding that it was hot and dynamic. Len says the pressure in this final is crazy, but they came out "like the no-stress express." He says it's right up there with his favorite paso of all the seasons, Mel B and Maks'. Scores: 10-10-10, for a 30/30.
Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson work with Bruno on their cha cha, especially his technique. The tweaks from Bruno definitely help because during the performance, Donny just parties down and looks like he's actually having a good time, instead of looking like he's trying to sell the idea that he's having a good time, and a lot of his moves are sharper than they've been all season. At this point, I think, "Dang, he could win this thing." Carrie Ann wants to know where those hips came from, saying he had a breakthrough in the finals. Len says, "That was a cha cha cha!" Bruno says Donny is a credit to his profession, adding that "I shouted at him for an hour," and he took it all in and reacted like a professional. Scores: 9-9-9, for a 27/30.
Continue reading "'Dancing With the Stars' recap: It's finals time!" »