(S05E19) And it all comes down to this... well, kind of. In an overly complicated bit of percentages and math, the champion will actually be decided Tuesday, with the scores and votes from Monday being added to the Tuesday performance. We'll argue about that on Wednesday though.Monday brought us the final three, each offering two dances. The first, judge's choice, where each couple would have to do a new routine in a style chosen by the judges. And then, the one everyone has been waiting for. The freestyle, where the rules get tossed out and we are all assured that we won't have to hear Carrie Ann prattle on about lifts. Despite the shouting and protests about who should, or shouldn't be in the final, it has shaped up to be a very close race. More on all of the performances and we'll break out the calculator to see where everybody stands, after the break.
Melanie Brown and Maksim Chmerkovskiy (Cha Cha) - Historically, I've always thought it was best not to go first on DWTS. It just seems that more often than not, the couple out first catches more flack than they deserve. Luckily for Mel & Maks, finals night was one of the exceptions. Before they could get things started with their cha cha, we got the obligatory training tape. In the video we saw Mel bringing in some of her dancers from the Spice Girls tour to help with the freestyle. As we would see throughout the night, all of the couples had grand plans for the freestyle.
Then it was time to get to the dancing with the judge's choice cha cha. That was a great pick for Mel. It plays right into her personality and dance abilities. She kicked off the dance by running over to her husband, before being drug back onto the floor by Maks. I worried that the opening was a little long, as Len has complained about that before, but once things were underway, it really took off. Mel has such amazing confidence now. There are no more nerves and she really looks like she is having fun. That, more than anything, was what struck me about their performance. How after ten weeks, she really has embraced the competition. The performance as a whole stopped short of being one of the amazing finale numbers that we have seen in the past, but was well done and probably the best of the judge's choice round.
Len congratulated Mel on making the final and said it was very deserved after seeing their performance. He called it great. Bruno said he couldn't believe what an accomplished dancer Mel has become. Carrie thought it was good, praising the footwork and hip-action, but added that she was expecting more excitement. Short of pyrotechnics, I'm not sure what would have done that for her. That seemed like struggling to find something to complain about. Score: 28 (9,9,10)
Marie Osmond and Jonathan Roberts (Samba) - As their segment kicked off, Tom made a note of pointing out that Marie made it to the finals without ever having topped the leader board. Going to the training video, Jonathan brought out the crash pad. Clearly he had some big ideas for the freestyle performance. In a gag, they took out a cherry picker in order to spy on Helio and Julianne.
The judges chose the Samba, which isn't exactly playing to Marie's dancing strength, but she does have the personality that can sell anything. That's key, because as we have seen all season, what she lacks in pure dance ability she makes up for with a great acting performance. You could tell she was having fun, and it was a well danced number. But, as we have said again and again these last few weeks, Marie is just a step below her competitors when it comes to the dancing.
Bruno said he was going to tell her the truth. He said that she always gives 110% and never fails to entertain, but the samba is tricky, and this wasn't her best dance. Carrie Ann agreed that it was very entertaining, but added that Marie's limited range of motion showed itself. Len also agreed that it had technical limitations, but for entertainment value, Marie is second to none. Score: 24 (8,8,8) While 8's are always surprising on finals night, that was a fair score.
Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough (Jive) - Like Jonathan, Julianne was quick to bring out the mats. She also made sure to point out how difficult it is for Helio being the only man left in the competition, having to perform the lifts of the freestyle. For the judge's choice, they were given the jive. I liked that choice for Helio, even though their first attempt was looked at as something of a failure.
It was a nice improvement. Their sock-hop inspired jive was all kinds of fun. The Helio charisma was as evident as ever. Julianne did a great job with the choreography as well. It was a very fun performance and managed to work in a lot of great steps to showcase Helio. The crowd absolutely loved it. The judges, not so much.
Carrie Ann agreed with the audience calling it really exciting and fun, but... she added that there was a problem with the footwork. Len didn't even couch his complaints, going right to hammering Helio for his technical difficulties. I find it interesting how he was basically telling Helio the same thing he told Marie, but did it in such a different tone. Bruno said Helio had boundless energy and everybody loves him, but also called attention to the footwork. Score 25 (8,8,9)
Melanie Brown and Maksim Chmerkovskiy (Freestyle) - Like most fans, I have really been looking forward to the freestyle round. And of all of them, this was the one I wanted to see. Unfortunately, my hopes for something special were dashed, as this was kind of disappointing. They kicked things off with some interesting chair work and then went into the main part of their performance. I have to say, it was kind of slow to start. There was far too much of Mel watching Maks dance. Things picked up somewhat when they got to the lifts. Their second one was really impressive, and probably the best lift of the night. Overall though, it came off as a little disjointed, and lacking content. I found myself waiting for it to really get going, and before it did, it was over. I expected a lot more from these two. I can't help but wonder if this wasn't a case of the lack of rehearsal time that we have heard rumblings of before.
Carrie Ann said that this was the freestyle round, which is her favorite. She added that she thought Mel was better than that routine. And then was booed by Baby Spice. Len liked the lifts and the bit with the chair, but thought it lacked flow. Bruno also called the lifts spectacular. Score: 27(9,9,9) After the drubbing from the judges, Mel was a little surprised that they were that good, and so was I.
Marie Osmond and Jonathan Roberts (Freestyle) - Marie had hinted earlier that her freestyle would have something to do with her career as a doll designer. I thought it was actually a good idea, at first. Jonathan winding her up was cute, and her stiff doll movements were fun in that Marie way. The problem was that it went on a lot longer than it should have. They did manage some impressive lifts of their own, but Marie's stiff doll act got old quickly. Had they opened with that, and transitioned into a normal dance, with their freestyle content it would have worked much better.
Len said that what happened here has happened to him in the past. It sounded like a good idea, but it didn't work. Marie interrupted him. Bruno called it the loopiest thing he has ever seen, like a cross between Baby Jane and the Bride of Chucky. Carrie Ann praised Marie for taking a risk, however she agreed that it was a bad choice. Score: 22(8,7,7)
Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough (Freestyle) - With the first two freestyle performances somewhat disappointing, the door was open for Helio and Julianne. And they drove right through with the best performance of the night. The racing suits to open with were a nice touch, and they echoed back to it with their fantastic finishing move where Helio flipped Julianne so she landed in the back seat and they finished driving away. That was what made their performance, it was actually a thought out and put together routine.
Bruno called Helio Mr. Irresistible and praised his work on the difficult lifts. Carrie Ann thought it was fantastic saying that Helio has technique and the entertainment factor. She did ding him on coming out of one of the lifts, which was a fair point. Len simply said that it was the best freestyle of the night, by miles. Score 29 (9,10,10)
Overall, I'd have to say that this wasn't one of the better finals nights the show has had. It lacked the big performances where you are blown away by what you have just seen. I was happy to see that reflected in the judge's scores.
So, where does that leave us? Well, after getting out the calculator and doing a bit of figuring, I think it's still up in the air. The way it sits, Mel has 35.4% of the judges vote, Helio has 34.8%, and Marie has 29.7%. That means that Marie is going to need to get 5.1% more of the fan vote than Helio, or 5.7% more than Mel. Given what we have seen over the past few weeks, I think that's entirely possible. We really could see any combination of the couples in the big dance off tomorrow.
It should be interesting. Until then, check out AOL's extensive Dancing With The Stars coverage, which includes photo galleries, a live chat (Mondays & Tuesdays, 7:30pm ET), and the chance to support your favorite couple by voting in AOL's poll!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
11-26-2007 @ 11:33PM
lal31 said...
Marie's freestyle dance was horrific. I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt, but it was embarassing to watch. My money is on Helio and Julianne. They were by far the best tonight. I expected more from Mel.
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11-26-2007 @ 11:52PM
lucyfan62 said...
I like Mel and Helio both equally so it's really hard to cast a vote...but I split my five online 3-2 in Mel's favor. It's time a woman won, but I sure am going to miss Helio's smile!
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11-26-2007 @ 11:59PM
Steph said...
Tonight really showed me that Sabrina and Mark should have been in the finals! The freestyles weren't the best, last years was MUCH better! The best out of the 3 was Helio and Julianne. So I hope Helio and Julianne win, because the others aren't as good. I can't being myself to like Mel B. Her attitude puts me off. Marie has a charming personality, but she CAN'T dance! Go Helio and Julianne!
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11-27-2007 @ 12:13AM
David said...
Sabrina wasn't in the finals because the voters didn't want her on the show, as evidenced by how few votes she must have been receiving to be eliminated with her decent judge scores. (Read the voting rules; Sabrina would have had to have done terribly with the public voters to have gotten eliminated the week she got eliminated.)
Reading through the explanation on the ABC website of the finale voting rules (which are different than normal voting rules), I think it's a shoe-in that Marie will win. The emphasis is on the fan vote, because they discount the 3rd place finisher's votes when retabulating the "final public vote" for the dance off. So if Marie has a large proportion of votes (as I expect she does), then Mel or Helio gets eliminated in 3rd, the re-tabulation of the final public vote will be hugely in Marie's favor (because the eliminated contestant's votes are no longer counted in the total votes cast, which means Marie's proportion of votes is even higher). At least, that's what I think it means. I'm not a mathematician :)
Unlike a lot of "people", I haven't enjoyed this season as much, and I think the quality of dancing is fairly poor compared to past seasons. I have been voting for Mel these past two weeks because I like her best, but overall, she's not in the same category as Anton or Mario or Emmitt or Drew, even though she's a professional dancer. They were more exciting, more appealing, and just better showmen. So I'm looking forward to this season ending and us moving on to a new set of celebrities in the spring.
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11-27-2007 @ 12:22AM
Ryan said...
Folks, the poll question wasn't "Who should we see..." but rather, "Who will we see in the dance off?"
It's going to be Marie and somebody, whether or not it's deserved. (Based on this week, it's not.)
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11-27-2007 @ 12:42AM
Brett said...
David,
I read the finale voting rules the same way you did. If we find Marie in the dance off, her chances of winning the whole competition are very good. The one thing that could change that is if there is a large differential between the two scores for the final two dances. That could actually widen the percentage gap with the judges scores. But with the way the judging usually goes in the finale, I don't expect a very big gap.
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11-27-2007 @ 1:09AM
mamadoe said...
I thought it was a very lackluster finals. I felt kind of let down afterward. Last year, we saw that Maks and Leila had a very lackluster freestyle (also a problem was that he couldn't do lifts with Leila) and Julianne and Apolo's freestyle was fantastic. Julianne is a tremendous choreographer. And, she's right, Helio is not used to lifting. Of course, with all the men who've been in the finals in past seasons, we've seen a lot of non-dancers doing lifting, so I don't know if that's a valid excuse.
At this point, as long as Marie doesn't win, I'll be happy. I don't think Mel is going to win, mainly because Marie will get more fan votes. I think Helio is going to win. I wish Mel would win, but this incredible popularity contest for Marie proves you really don't have to bring your A game to the floor, just put on a show. It's really turning out to be a disappointing end to the season.
As for Sabrina, I remember reading remarks about her "attitude" and then, after she was eliminated, suddenly everyone was saying she was the best dancer and they wished she hadn't been voted off. Mel was in the bottom two at one time, but Helio and Marie have never been in the bottom two. Like I said, I wish Mel would win, but if it comes down to Helio and Marie, Helio all the way. If Marie wins, half of the country will let out a collective groan.
And, if we have the level of celebrities we had this season next season, let's not call it Dancing with the Stars let's call it Dancing with Celebrities. Outside of Jane Seymour, Wayne Newton, Marie Osmond and possibly Mel B., most of us hadn't really heard of the others before the show. They were very much part of a niche market (soaps, teen shows, etc.) As someone said on VH-1's The Best Week Ever, "The professional dancers are more famous than the celebrities!" Yup.
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11-27-2007 @ 1:36AM
Stacie23 said...
We actually don't know if Marie was ever in the bottom two. For the past 2 weeks they have not revealed the bottom 2 dancers. They have been saying that when they announce who is safe or not that the last 2 announced aren't neccessarily the bottom, only 1 of the teams is definetly the bottom because they are the ones going home. It is quite possible that Marie has been in the bottom 2 for 3 weeks now but we haven't seen it because of either dramatic effects or because the Dancing with the Stars people want to Marie on the show for some reason, maybe to keep the older fans watching. Marie definetly has fans no doubt about it, but we don't really know where she stands. She might have been 1 vote better than Jennie last week and Cameron the week before, but we just don't know. She has fans, but who knows if she has more than Mel or Helio.
Tommorow will be the first time in 3 or 4 weeks when we will actually know who is in the bottom 2 and who obviously is the winner.
The winner overall should be Mel B, but Helio's last dance definetly improved his chances. Marie winning would put a really bad feeling around DWTS, it would be a joke. No offense to Marie but she doesn't deserve to win. She didn't even break 50 on finals night. That isn't a winner in my book. A 46 out of 60 is terrible, no matter fan support or not that kind of score doesn't deserve to be champion. Mel should win, if not Helio, if this happens the season would end on a positive note.
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11-27-2007 @ 3:06AM
martineaupdm said...
if marie wins or even gets in the final 2,I won't watch dwts anymore. It won't be a dancing competition anymore, just a personality contest. It will be sad if helio and mel arn't in the finals.
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11-27-2007 @ 3:51PM
Pinky said...
Marie is awful and yet she is still there -- I agree that if she wins I will not watch again- and Mel B is the best dancer on the show now.
11-27-2007 @ 6:28PM
Merry said...
I agree, that if Marie wins I may not watch the show again, or certainly with different expectations. I think it will greatly affect the integriety of the show in a really negative way. Itis not "entertainmet with the Stars", it is DANCING with the stars, and that is what people expect. I don't think the judges have ever really critiqued her in specific ways, but have brushed by many of her poor dancing performances by gushing about what a great entainer she is.
As for Mel, who is clearly the best dancer, I have a problem there as well. Since she is a professional dancer competing with non-professionals. Even though I would like to see a woman win this season, My vote goes to Helio. He has improved tremendously, and has more than enough NATURAL 'entertainment' charisma.
11-27-2007 @ 3:18AM
doug said...
Not really into the whole thing, just started watching the week before Sebrina was tossed off. (unfair) But hey, Marie and the Osmond boys are likey to win this thing. Yeah yeah boo hoo she fainted! Surprised (she's awaiting an Oscar for that performance), her dad (unfortunate), her son - perfect timing, then Donny on the Entertainment Channel - (THAT'S FAIR) NOT! Last week he was slamming everyone yet Marie had the LOWEST scores, not that I was a Jenny fan, but hey - the girl was doing a heck of alot better than Marie! Its sad but true (like the Bush election) (BOTH OF THEM!) - Marie will win because of the fans - (where they came from I have NO idea), but seriously, the other "stars" have nothing really to gain from winning - Mel - a successful singer / dancer, mother and wife, not to mention wealthy! Helio, a succesful race car driver, now a great dancer thanks to his partner - they will probably end up together - and he's wealthy! Marie......hmmmmm, 8 kids, insane family, mormon, single/divorced, will most likely be on an MTV reality show at some point in the future about weight or child stars - a bad dancer, the best thing she has is a great smile! Not wealthy!
C,mon people - this is the reality in reality TV - nothing and everything is what it seems!
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11-27-2007 @ 4:19AM
teri said...
Marie's doll dance was absolutely terrible. Why is it that these stars start going downhill AS SOON AS they think: "I'll just forget about dancing and do something entertaining instead!"
Every time they start doing that, they lose (like what's-his-name with the Superman glasses). They never seem to GET that half their fan base is based on people who see how hard they work to perfect DANCING. Marie's doll dance involved very little of anything we could call "dancing". I used to root for her big time UNTIL I saw this terrible cop-out excuse for a dance.
Shame on you, Marie. You used to work on the dancing part, and let your natural personality carry the rest.
But you sure lost me this time. And I can't be the only one who was disappointed that you lost all interest in the dancing itself and instead became mesmerized by manipulating your fan base. Well, you manipulated me right out of your corner!
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11-27-2007 @ 6:11AM
Jim said...
I am not a regular viewer of this show, but I tuned in for the finals, just as I did for Drew Lachey and Emmitt Smith. It was a disappointing hour -- nothing came close to the excitement of Drew Lachey's now-famous freestyle dance.
I will say that Helio was my pick from the moment I saw the list of contestants, and watching him go head-to-head with the Spice Girl (who presumably has dancing experience), I think he clearly embodies the "amateur" spirit of the competition.
I also think the playing field could have been leveled a bit by switching Marie's partner with the Spice Girl's.
Overall, though, a disappointment. I would have rather seen a replay of Drew Lachey. Or longer shots of the co-host!
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11-27-2007 @ 6:12AM
MJ said...
I WILL JUST BE GLAD WHEN I DON'T SEE AN OSMOND EVERYTIME I TURN ON THE TV.
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11-27-2007 @ 7:16AM
Lana said...
Wow! Marie Osmond said at the very start of this competition that she would win because she has so many relatives to vote for her. She was right. Her dancing abilities sure haven't gotten her this far and last night's free-style dance performance was just hard to watch. I was actually cheering for her when it was over, BECAUSE it was over. It was LAME at best.
C-O-R-N-Y describes it.
Helio and Julianne should win it. If Marie and her loopy doll promoting "dance" wins DWTS this season, I will not bother to tune in again. It's a popularity contest and my intellience will be insulted if ABC thinks we, as viewers cannot see who the great dancers are, they are mistaken. We KNOW what we see and we have become educated in Ballroom dancing by now!
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11-27-2007 @ 7:40AM
Cathy said...
I agree with all of you..I hope to never see another Osmond for a very long time..I didn't like them when they were in their prime. It's shameful how they have promoted Marie. Jane lost her mother, was there major news coverage for that? No.. Jane was sick with food poisoning..was there major news coverage for that? No.. I'm sick, sick, sick of seeing the Osmonds on DWTS. It's not the Donnie and Marie Variety Hour!
If Marie wins I won't watch DWTS again! I hope that Mel B. wins, but I would be equally satisfied if Helio wins..they at least deserve it.
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11-27-2007 @ 11:17PM
Jean said...
I agree with everyone on how awful Marie is you can call and hope to not see another Osmond again.
11-27-2007 @ 7:56AM
Karen said...
Ah...if the world was as we wished it would be.
First, this is NOT strictly a dancing contest. If it was, there would not be fan voting. It IS part popularity contest; always has been. Secondly, for all the complaints about Marie, some people are voting for her. How interesting that there are those that think their opinion of how this show should operate is more valid than the obviously larger group of people who are voting for Marie if she wins.
The freestyle dances showcased...not a whole lot. They contained the least amout of dancing. This is why there needs to be limits on the dancers. They do better when they have to work within the boundaries of something. Throwing in all the tricks and leaving out most of the dancing leaves the viewers feeling flat.
I haven't voted for anyone all season. It is an entertaining show, but it isn't politics (ah...they are still seething..ha!) If Marie wins it, she deserves it as much as the rest of them becasue she brought what a huge group of people were looking for. She may not be my favorite, but come on ...the whining here is far worse than her dancing.
*pout* I'm never watching the show again! Pffft!
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11-27-2007 @ 8:05AM
frank said...
Is it my imagination, or has Samantha's boobs gotten HUGE??
The doll thing was cute at first, but it went on too long. It struck me as a cop-out to cover her lack of ability in this dance. Marie has done so much better in the past, this was a disappointment. I'm for Helio to win.
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