'Dancing With the Stars' Recap: Hines-man Trophy
Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward and Kym Johnson win it all
By Kate Mulcrone
Special to MSN TV
It was only fitting to see Hines crowned the champion after he and Kym reprised their sizzling samba. His performance was absolutely perfect – he could have been one of the pros. The crowd and judges both went crazy for it. What a champion.
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Hines was beside himself – and actually looked surprised to be named the winner. He said he owed it all to Kym and thanked the judges for helping him improve. He also thanked the fans, especially his base in Pittsburgh.
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Kirstie came in second, but she certainly won out in other ways. She looked absolutely stunning in her refitted costume from Week 1. And wouldn't you know it, Kirstie and Maks went with their debut cha-cha as their final dance of the season. Kirstie's hip work was amazing and her footwork was improved almost beyond recognition. Bruno stood up and shouted "Kirstie, my girl, you saved the best for last!" Len and Carrie Ann agreed that this cha-cha was Kirstie's best dance of the season. What a way to end the season! Kirstie called the show "the most extraordinary adventure I've been on in my life."
Chelsea and Mark reprised their Harry Potter-themed Viennese waltz to great acclaim from both the crowd and the judges. The first time around Len was none too pleased with Chelsea's execution, but he changed his tune: "Well done." Bruno and Carrie Ann praised Chelsea for her technique and performance. Both cited her hard work throughout the season. Chelsea thanked the audience for everything as she left the stage for the last time.
Are you happy with who won the Mirror Ball Trophy? Sound off
"Dancing With the Stars" airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT and Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
When this competition started they would cut Chelsea and Mark for everything and then turn around and give them high scores. Did the opposite on others. I think it was obvious from the start that it was a popularity contest. I thought they should have been gone from the get go. I guess we are lucky the fans were paying attention at the end. I felt that Ralph should have been in there instead. I'm glad that Hines and Kim won, although I was torn between them and Kirstie and Maks. At Kirstie's age, which is younger than me. Between her age and her weight, she was phenomenal. I suspect that all you detractors out there are definitely young, slim harpies.
AND, I suppose all you Kirstie supporters are older and overweight?
Kasey..give it a rest...please. Giving her all the credit and the second place because she is older and her weight is wrong..period!!! It is a dance contest. Your comments on Chelsea and Mark are hard to believe, You were watching DWTS right?
"What is with Mark these days anyway? I think he hurt Chelsea's chances to win DWTS. He needed to chill out, adjust his competitive behavior, and maybe show a little humility in order to help his partner capture more audience votes and win the dancing competition. I believe that lesser-known stars and celebrities have won DWTS in the past"
Probably frustrated. Last show he was paired with Palin. You know how that went. Very similar to Kirstie. Fan bewilderment. So, maybe he was frustrated because she could not dance. So, now, next season, he is paired with Chelsea, an outstanding dancer and quick learner. Still, he is hearing it from the judges throughout, and ends up third. So, he cannot win for losing. How about Max. He and Brandy were great. She improved fast. They were great together. Could of won also. So, now, this show he is paired....never mind. So, you can see where there is possible frustration. Len is funny, but he needs to lighten up and let modern techniques be added. If anybody wants to see Ballroom dancing, tune into your PBS station. I enjoy watching Ballroom competition. This show is a little different.
I thought the last three did a great job to me they were all at about the same level of skill. Chelsea was good but she is way younger than Kirstie and obviously has a little experience with dancing more so than Hines. I would have liked to have seen Ralph make it to the finals as I thought for someone his age and inexperience he did just as well. I enjoy watching the show- its not to be taken seriously. Although Bruno does get carried away and gets on my nerves!
When this competition started they would cut Chelsa and Mark for everything and then turn around and give them high scores. Did the opposite on others. I think it was obvious from the start that it was a popularity contest. I thought they should have been gone from the get go. I guess we are lucky the fans were paying attention at the end. I felt that Ralph should haved been in there instead. I'm glad that Hines and Kim won, although I was torn between them and Kirstie and Maks. At Kirstie's age, which is younger than me. Between her age and her weight, she was phenomenal. I suspect that all you detractors out there are definitely young, slim harpies.
Hines was my odds-on favorite to win it all from about the halfway point. Congratulations to him and Kym! His learning ability, technicality and stage presence were the most consistent from week to week. But all three performances last night were outstanding. Kudos to the judges to see that and give everyone 10s, so as not to be a factor in the final scoring (kinda like NBA refs 'letting them play' at the end and not affecting the outcome by calling a silly foul).
A bit of a surprise that Kirstie overtook Chelsea. I thought Chelsea would be runner-up for sure. She is very mature and eloquent for her age, and I liked her attitude throughout - even when Mark would be the one to get upset. Still, Mark is amazing to watch and he did his job by making Chelsea look good.
Although Kirstie was the most improved over the course of the season (I hope she keeps dancing, because she's looking great!), she came off as a 'ditz' to me. Whenever she was asked a question, she would snicker and hide her face in her hands or on Maks' shoulder. What was up with that?
The outcome was NOT the outcome of real Dancing talent , but due to the popularity of the individuals. Chelsea was by far the better Pro-style dancers and while I appreciate the efforts of Kirstie, she survived well beyond her real abilities. Hines seemed to be the judges favorite from the beginning and the Steeler Nation made sure he won regardless of his flat feet throughout the entire season.
The real talent was definitely Chelsea and from my perspective... Petra was better than the top two finishers.
Another fan departing this show.... never again will I bother to watch another show where popular vote wins over talent. If you want a popularity contest... go back to Junior High.
It should not be about dancing along with the pro, it should be about dancing LIKE A PRO, like it was when Brook won, Anton' Ono, or Kristie Y, even the race car driver that won, best dancers in all cases, and got their just reward. Last night didn't get it right. Hines and Kim performed well together, but Chelsea danced like a pro. she handled everything Mark gave her very well.
ITs time for two paddles! 1. Choreography 2. Technical difficulty, combined with a reduced popular vote. A hidden judges panel in addition to main panel for finals! The show has lost all respect for scoring system until this system is corrected.
Maybe even separate it out and have 2 winners. 1 Choreography/technical difficulty champion 2. popular Dance champion. America has nothing to do with winner 1. Judges along with a hidden panel of experts only decide it with final 3! Then let the public vote on the popular champion.
It's not right to send true champions away as loosers.
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Deanna Barnert | Los Angeles, Calif.
Entertainment journalist Deanna "TVDeeva" Barnert visits sets, interviews industry players and critiques the final product. Buzz's daytime TV queen covers it all for MSN TV, but loves her sitcoms, soaps and any juicy drama that doesn't call itself Reality TV.
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