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Learn more- The battle for the hideous mirror ball trophy came down to the two-day finale that kicked off with an hour on Monday night that would see the final three couples dancing a cha cha cha in a dance off for the first time and a freestyle performance "where the rules are: there are no rules."
Host Tom Bergeron read off the totals for the season: He tallied 2,857 combined hours of training, 89 competitive routines, 2,125 judges' points, several gallons of spray tan and three trips to the emergency room.
Face off! Each couple would dance for one minute to the same song and they randomly drew numbers to determine the order. It came down to Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke; Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska; and Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas Jr., in that order. They practiced their routines individually, then had to rehearse them together, where the couples all got to see each others' moves.
Cristian and Cheryl started the routine with Cristian bravely wearing a hot pick vest over hot pick spandex pants. They were upbeat and energetic, but didn't do much in the way of spectacular moves until then when they slid in tandem. Jason and Edyta worked things out in a style of dance that wasn't Jason's forte. They pulled off some acrobatic moves, though, with Jason launching himself over Edyta, then sliding on his stomach back through her legs. Kristi and Mark burst onto the floor, though, with Kristi running to the judges' table and planting a big kiss on judge Bruno Tonioli before stealing the show with high energy and fancy footwork. The routine ended with a pretty awesome finishing pose in which Jason and Cristian lifted Kristi into the air with her back parallel to the floor, with Jason holding her outstretched arms, Cristian holding one leg and Kristi kicking her other leg straight up.
Judge Len Goodman said the routine "really got me going." He told Cristian he had great hips, great rhythm and "all the gear in the rear." He told Jason he had great elegance, but that he would have done better with a foxtrot and that Latin dancing wasn't really his thing. He told Kristi she had the technique and the style that Jason had, plus the hips and the rhythm that Cristian had, and called her "the complete package." Bruno, who still had Kristi's lipstick on his upper lip, said it was so exciting and they all did well. He told Cristian he really showed improvement, called Jason's routine very athletic, and said Kristi was in a class of her own. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba said it was a nice format to be able to see the differences between the couples. She told Cristian his injury might have affected his posture a bit. She told Jason he pulled it off but that his "awkward arms" were still presence. She told Kristi, "I'm sorry, it's ladies' night, you won that, hands down."
Scores: Cristian and Cheryl scored 8, 9 and 9, from Carrie Ann, Len and Bruno, respectively. Jason and Edyta scored 8, 8 and 8. Kristi and Mark scored 10, 10 and 10.
To the freestyle: Kristi and Mark weren't looking to hold anything back as they rehearsed for the freestyle. Mark wanted Kristi to boost him at one point so that he could do a backflip, but she wasn't feeling too confident. Mark called in "Dancing" pro Julianne Hough, who was formerly his competitive dancing partner. Julianne showed Kristi some moves and Kristi heeded her advice since Julianne has won the show the past two seasons. The backflip provided for brilliant drama as viewers waited to see if they could pull it off. Of course, they did, and filled the room with electricity with an inspired fusion of mambo and hip hop. The sparkly costumes didn't hurt, either. Bruno said it was very demanding and told Kristi she "did not miss a beat." He said it was worthy of the championship. Carrie Ann said the men have an easier tendency to be crowd pleasers, "but not tonight." She called Kristi the big crowd pleaser. Len said he's not a lover of hip hop but said their dance held his attention from start to finish. "I absolutely loved it," he said. Scores: 10, 10 and 10. That's a perfect 60 out of 60.
Jason and Edyta knew they had to make the freestyle "out of control" and do something special. Edyta wanted to take advantage of Jason's height and strength, but as they practiced lifts, Edyta was continually crashing and tumbling to the ground. Could they get it together for the performance? As Jason said, "This is finals, so it's either go big or go home." The performance lacked a bit in terms of flashiness, but there was a lot of ripping off of clothes, and that never hurts. First, Jason ripped Edyta's skirt off to reveal her more traditional skimpy shorts. At the end, Edyta tore off Jason's tank top to show off his ripped physique. Carrie Ann said she was glad to see Edyta in the finale, and said the lifts were the most ambitious she'd ever seen. Len said he liked the humor they brought to the performance and said he could see it on South beach. Bruno said "it was like watching centerfolds, and the dance wasn't bad, either." Scores: 9, 9 and 9. That's 51 out of 60.
Cristian and Cheryl prayed before the commercial break heading into their freestyle. He said, "The freestyle can either make you or break you, and I'm already broken. So, bring it on!" In rehearsal, he fell during a slide and landed on his bad arm, letting out a big yell. He said he didn't want any sympathy, though, and persevered through practice with one of Cheryl's past trophies sitting nearby for inspiration. Len said he liked the Latin flavor they brought to the dance. He had to compared the couple to the others and said some of the lifts weren't quite up to the standard of the other two. Bruno said, "for one arm, you did bloody well." Carrie Ann said they were looking for who is going to win it, and she didn't see that in anyone but Kristi, but she said Cristian is a winner in so many other ways. Scores: 9, 8 and 9, from Carrie Ann, Len and Bruno, respectively. That's 52 out of 60.
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