(S03E20) The grand finale of season three really boiled down to one question. With the judges taking themselves out of the equation, or being taken out of the equation by the producers (for the tinfoil hat crowd), would the viewers vote based on the dancing or popularity? Emmitt Smith put on quite a show over the course of this season. I think most people were surprised by just how well he performed. But as good as Emmitt was, Mario was consistently better.Both of the couples got encores tonight, which was fitting. Emmitt & Cheryl performed their samba again and Mario & Karina brought back their freestyle dance. As would be expected, both teams were great.
After a recap of the seasons eliminations all of the other couples returned for a dance medley. It seems like so long ago that Tucker was sent packing. And he managed to be the worst once again At the end of the number everyone was in the same pose, except Tucker. Still, it was a nice way to wrap up the series.
And in the end, Emmitt & Cheryl are the season three champions. I'm sure some people are annoyed with that result, because it really was a case of the popular vote trumping the dance performance. I'm ok with it though. If the judges aren't going to be expected to actually judge the performances, the viewers can't be expected to do any different.
It was a successful season overall. There were certainly moments when it seemed that things were going off the rails. And as with any competition of this sort, the order of eliminations wasn't always what many thought it should have been. But at the end of the day, it all worked out. Emmitt is a deserving champion, and Cheryl really is the M.V.P.












Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-16-2006 @ 9:19AM
Brent said...
My wife and I stopped watching this show about halfway through the season. It stopped being entertaining. I hope that if they do it again next year, they some how make it more entertaining.
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11-16-2006 @ 9:44AM
Scott Mowery said...
Emmitt rocked the house in ABC’s Dancing with the Stars finals last night. His version of the Hammer Dance by MC Hammer was totally awesome. For taking a beating at RB for so many years in the NFL, I was surprised he could still move so well. Emmitt is an incredible dancer. It's just too bad the show is more of a popularity contest instead of a true dance competition.
Nonetheless, Emmitt's Hammer Dance cracked me up. It was almost as good as the one in this e-card one of my friends forwarded to me. Here's the link:
http://www.americangreetings.com/display.pd?bfrom=1&prodnum=3114507&path=25200
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11-16-2006 @ 9:55AM
Erosia said...
Brent - This season had it all: couple's hooking up, a dancer injury, a drop-out due to a scandalous divorce, *and* Jerry Springer. What more do you want, dancing monkeys? The filler portions of the show are annoying, sure, but just grab some knitting or do the dishes during those parts like I do and it's not a problem.
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11-16-2006 @ 9:58AM
Tony B. said...
My prediction for next year is that we will see a female heavy group of celebs to insure a better than 50% chance of having a female champ.
Emmitt and Mario are good men and both worthy of a championship. Remember this is "Dancing with the STARS" and there is a legitimate popularity contest element to this show that often determines who wins. However that should not diminish Emmitt's championship. He is competition experienced which helped him win. Like in football where you learn plays, techniques and skills he applied those concepts to dance. Remember the final judges scores came out to a tie and they didn't hand out 10's freely, you had to earn them.
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11-16-2006 @ 10:15AM
jake said...
I am disappointed with the results -- Mario actually won the judges votes (if you add all his scores together) and without a doubt the better dancer. It's funny that an aol poll asked if Emmitt should win -- yes and asked who was the better dancer -- it was Mario -- same POLL. Emmitt did make it a difficult choice and certainly made the race a tight one. Either way, Mario Lopez is a certified leading man star the second that he stepped on the dance floor. His tango was the best of the season. Kudos to Karina.
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11-16-2006 @ 11:06AM
James said...
Yes, Mario should have won, but it wasn't like he lost out to Springer. A great season, lots of fun and even a few tears sprinkled in. Does anyone know if they are going to have another season after the first of the year or are they going to wait until next Fall?
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11-16-2006 @ 11:12AM
jaykaydee said...
Emmitt absolutely deserved to win. The show is *supposed* to be about non-dancing pseudo celebrities who really improve over the course of the show and learn the techniques. Mario so obviously has years of dance training, despite his attempts to convince us otherwise. He often danced on "Saved by the Bell." So he had an unfair advantage over Emmitt. It's the same reason why Stacy Keibler didn't deserve to win last season. She clearly had years of ballet/dance training, so what's the challenge? Emmitt has some natural talent but never studied dance like Mario did. Emmitt is what the show is about, not Mario.
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11-16-2006 @ 11:26AM
Danica Velarde said...
Look, Emmitt is a deserving champion! He worked extremely hard. Mario may be the BETTER dancer, but how much improvement did he actually make. Mario's dances always seemed to be solo acts showcasing his dance accuity not his ability to dance with a partner.
I personally liked Emmitt's freestyle better since it was an actual dance routine. Mario's freestyle was a disjointed hodge podge of dance moves that had no cohesion. Half The time during Marios freestyle Karina was standing off to the side flailing her arms about, while Mario was doing an individul dance move. You can blame Karina for not puting together a proper dance routine, but I think Mario's opinions and personality probably dominated her. So don't blame Emmitt for actually dancing with his partner. If the show were "So You Think You Can Dance With The Stars" Mario would have definitely won, because he was the better indiviual dancer.
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11-16-2006 @ 11:36AM
Anon said...
Mario Lopez lost because he flaked out on radio stations during a scheduled press tour. DJs have been talking lots of trash about him because he canceled without giving a reason this week. Emmitt's been doing consistant press for the last few rounds.
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11-16-2006 @ 12:32PM
Margaret said...
#8 and #9 - you took the words right out of my mouth, so I won't repeat them.
#7, at the end of the show, Tom said they'd be back next year with another season of dancing.
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11-16-2006 @ 2:35PM
Maribel said...
Very dissapointed Mario didn't win. To me and to alot of people Mario was the best dancer and should have won the trophy for his talents. Too bad the show is about popularity and not about talent. I think the judges shouldn't even vote next year. They should just give their opinions, because they left the voting up to the fans anyway, so why bother.
For three seasons now, the right talented person hasn't won. Well that is in the first season the best dancer almost won, until they decided to do that stupid rematch. Althought the show is entertaining, I'm always disappointed in the results in the end.
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11-16-2006 @ 3:52PM
Michael G said...
Can we find the vote count for the celebs? I want to see if it was a landslide win or very very close.
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11-16-2006 @ 3:59PM
Michael Petty said...
Emmitt is a deserving champion?!?! I must disagree!! Sure, he worked just as hard as the others and he seems like a very kind, talented and humble man. However, Mario IS the BETTER dancer. It was not a shock to me that the popular vote gave it to Emmitt though. Americans can be such a dumb bunch of voters: Rewarding and always going for the assumed "underdog". Mario did always gave a slight air of professionalism that made him unrelatable to most of us non-dancers watching week after week. It was as if Emmitt won because we all agreed that this non-dancing, big football king was really working hard standing up next to and being compared to the seemingly professional dancing Mario whose moves were polished to perfection and made it look as if it came natural for him. But Mario really worked hard too. Mario should have won and he is the better dancer. Period. Emmitt can put that disco ball thing up on his shelf right by those football awards and feel proud that we just "gave" it to him out of love. All said and done... the show was really FUN to watch this season!
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11-16-2006 @ 9:49PM
Katie said...
It's true that Mario did not lose out to say Tucker Carlson but to say that he is somehow not supposed to be in the competition because of his supposed training is, for lack of a better word, absolute hogwash! This is for celebrities who don't have a profession as a dancer. Mario still worked very hard to learn routines as all the stars did -- four days to learn 2 dances -- don't take away the fact that he didn't work hard enough -- all the stars put in the work and it did not come easy to any of them.
I disagree, I was very happy that Drew Lachey won last year, I think he has been the best and most talented winner of dancing with the stars.
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11-17-2006 @ 10:20AM
Brandi said...
Since the first night I have been backing Emmitt. Ok, my loyalties were a little divided – I’m a huge Sara Evans fan and have adored Joey Lawrence since he was little guy on Carson! Other’s have said it, but I’ll say it again. Mario came into this knowing how to dance. Emmitt did not. Mario danced wonderfully, his talent and ability was obvious every single episode. Emmitt got better every dance. It’s not about who can dance consistently, but who can consistently grow and improve. If you;ve watched the previous seasons, you’ll know that’s what Kelly did (I don’t count the “Dance Off” victory of John O’Hurley. I ;loved him, but that was sour grapes), it’s what Drew did, and that’s exactly what Emmitt did.
The thing that struck me about Mario was his out of the gate arrogance. He repeatedly watched the judges with a look of “how dare you criticize me?” Yes, Joey broke the rules, oddly enough, the same night as Mario, but in all honesty, I think the fault for that should be placed at the feet of their partners. While Joey took the barbs like a gentleman, and apologized, Mario stood there looking incredulous What stuck me the most and made it more obvious at the end who was a true champion was the fact that one the fist things out of Emmitt’s mouth was praise for Mario, yet Mario never even said “Congratulations” and kept a good distance from Emmitt and Cheryl. That, to me, says a lot about him.
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11-29-2006 @ 12:22AM
Darlene Crouse said...
On the last night of Dancing with the Stars I tried to cast my votes. The Phone line was busy for over an hour. I would hang up and press redial. I did this over and over again. I think the show did something to Mario phone line because I could not get thru. I tried with both my home phone and my cell phone. I just could not get thru. I wonder how many others there are like me. Mario should have won. Emmitt was ok but Mario was very very good.
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12-05-2006 @ 6:44PM
bev said...
Mario did win he is the best of the best but i knew
Emitt would win esp.when last to nights he danced first.this is racial not talent.and what favors is his dance partner giving out? that she won 2years in a row her dancing is not that great marios dance partner, she is good.both she and mario brought alot of class to the show,that ended up to be a total sham.
I know i wont be watching dancing with the stars again
the judges are a total pain.I was able to vote six times for Mario when i was told i reached my limit now as i recall they said there is no limit, to call as often as you want,I guess if i had been voteing for Emitt i could have called as often as i wanted to.
plus it was not easy getting through but,i was persistent,and still my votes didn't count. A sham was foisted on me and the american people.Something that should have been fun, it turns political.Oh and the BS with Jerry Springer I could not beleive how long he stayed on and the week before he left that no one had to leave, please give me a break judges.
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12-05-2006 @ 6:45PM
bev said...
mario is the winner so there not emitt so there.
cheryl what favors is she passing out that she won not once but,twice her dancing is not that great.
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12-06-2006 @ 7:53PM
mario dancing with the stars fan. said...
mareio he the man he the man.yo,yo.
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