The celebrity-professional pairings for Season 11 of Dancing With the Stars have just been revealed. Who will be cutting a rug with who come September 20?
Let's take a look ...
[Photo: ABC]
The Female Stars
The cast of Dancing With the Stars was unveiled last night during Bachelor Pad on ABC. Here's the list of competitors for the 11th season kicking off September 20 ...
Who do you think is the favorite to win among the cast? Who are you most excited to see bust a move on the floor? Besides Michael Bolton, obviously.
Three finalists remained as the 10th season of Dancing With the Stars came to an end last night. Three finalists, each of whom made such compelling quests for the glory.
After the filler settled, the winner of the coveted Mirrorball trophy was ...
... Nicole Scherzinger! To the surprise of no one! Congratulations, girl!
Despite a heck of a late-season run by Erin Andrews and a formidable challenge from Olympian Evan Lysacek, Nicole and her partner Derek Hough took home the crown.
Deservedly so, too. They were the best all season long and their final dance netted them a perfect 30, putting an exclamation point on an amazing campaign - jive style.
Nicole Scherzinger and Derek Hough are your Dancing with the Stars winners!
Not only did Nicole's jive earn a perfect 30, but it won Len’s praise - that Nicole deserved to be the winner of the competition - and a hug from Gladys Knight. Hard to top that.
Erin Andrews finished third, which despite her terrific performances, was probably the correct result. She just couldn't match the raw talent and athleticism of Nicole or Evan.
As for Lysacek, the figure skater fell just short in his bid to succeed fellow Olympian champions Apolo Anton Ohno, Kristi Yamaguchi and Shawn Johnson as the DWTS winner.
For a longer breakdown of everything that transpired on the ballroom floor on this epic night, follow the link for a comprehensive recap of the Dancing with the Stars finale.
If the final week of competition on Dancing with the Stars was supposed to be a coronation of Nicole Scherzinger, rather than a competition, no one told her ... or Erin Andrews.
Rather than just playing it safe, heavy favorite Nicole went for some of the boldest moves in the show's history, while long shot Erin raised her game to tie Nicole on the night.
Evan Lysacek finished third, but only three points behind the lovely ladies. So which talented dancer will win the prized Mirror Ball title on the final results show this evening?
Our guess is still Nicole Scherzinger and Derek Hough. This tandem has been the best all season long, has remained popular with viewers and certainly didn't stumble Monday.
Just the same, Erin Andrews and Maksim Chmerkovskiy started off the night with a Samba that netted them a very nice 29 - ahead of both Evan and Nicole's respective 28s.
Can Erin Andrews and Maksim Chmerkovskiy pull the upset?
In the freestyle round, Erin and Maks scored a 26, giving them 55 total. Nicole made up ground with a 27, tying Erin at 55. Evan faltered a bit with a 24 and a total score of 52.
The final dance of Week 10, and the season, may be the tipping point for Scherzinger. Her freestyle was so demanding and great that voters may reward it more than judges.
All in all, it was a pretty fun ride, especially with Erin giving voters something to think about. Nicole will probably win this thing, but at the very least, people will think twice.
The ESPN reporter's dancing has gotten so much better each week, it might even net her the crown. She and Maksim are by far the most engaging and easy on the eyes, too.
Follow the jump for last night's full scoreboard ...
Chad Ochocinco's run on Dancing with the Stars has come to an end.
The Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver and his pro partner / rumored love interest Cheryl Burke were eliminated on the penultimate week of Dancing with the Stars last night.
Erin Andrews and Maksim Chmerkovskiy joined them in the bottom two, but survived, as did Nicole Scherzinger and Derek Hough and Evan Lysacek and Anna Trebunskaya.
Ochocinco, the only remaining semifinalist with no dance training (making his performances this week, while the lowest-scored, all the more impressive) is still pleased.
"This was awesome," the NFL star said. "I enjoyed the journey. I got some great criticism. I met awesome people, including the beautiful Cheryl Burke. I already won."
Great attitude from a great competitor.
ADIOS, 85: Chad Ochocinco and Cheryl Burke finished a respectable fourth.
With the exception of Bruno's interpretation of Erin Andrews' moves, the Dancing with the Stars were far from stingy with the 10 paddles last night - and rightfully so.
Nicole Scherzinger earned a 30 on her Tango, and a 29 on her Cha Cha for a 59. Evan Lysacek scored a 30 on the Foxtrot and a 29 on the Paso Doble for his own 59.
Erin Andrews nearly achieved perfection with a 29 on her own Paso Doble, only to have Bruno call out her partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy for "f*%king up" the end.
Bruno also messed with Erin and Maks inadvertently when he accidentally held up his 10 paddle for their previous dance, even though he had entered and said nine.
Bringing up the rear, through no fault of his own, was Chad Ochocinco, whose combined score of 52 was not shabby, and seemed a bit too low considering his effort.
Are the judges trying to encourage people to oust Chad with their votes for the other couples? He may be the weakest of the four left, but only by a very little bit.
Dancing with the Stars' last four couples after their terrific efforts.
If he didn't leave after Week Nine, it would be a big surprise. It's unclear if Chad can pull together the kind of fan support he needs to achieve an upset, but we'll see.
Who do you think should be sent home on the results show? Can Evan possibly oust Nicole? Does Erin have the inside track to beat out Ochocinco as the third finalist?
Follow the jump for the scores from last night's Dancing with the Stars action:
And then there were four. Voters followed the judges' lead this week and awarded Niecy Nash the lowest total, making her the latest Dancing with the Stars casualty.
You could say that Dancing with the Stars viewers cleaned house. Maybe?
Nash, of How Clean is Your House and Reno 911 fame, congratulated the remaining pairs and gave herself props for making it so far as a 40-year-old mother of three.
Well-deserved props, we have to say.
She and Louis Van Amstel then danced into the sunset, leaving us with just four couples this season as the Mirror Ball trophy presentation inches ever so closer.
Niecy Nash and Louis Van Amstel exited Dancing with the Stars.
With their efforts comprising the second lowest Week Eight scores, Chad Ochocinco and Cheryl Burke joined them in the bottom two for what we thought was a toss up.
Ultimately, we also thought that voters made the right call, as Chad and Cheryl have been ever so slightly more consistent this season. Will they win the whole thing?
That we doubt. They're the least strong of the final four, but they deserve their place just the same. Yet if they advance out of next week, we would be truly surprised.
This remains Nicole Scherzinger's thing to lose, with Evan Lysacek and Erin Andrews the dark horses. You never know, but Nicole has the chops and the fan support.
Are you sad to see Niecy go? Who is your favorite pair remaining, and who do you think stands the best chance of winning Dancing with the Stars?
We're sorry, Nicole Scherzinger.
Calling you out last week and saying Evan Lysacek put you on notice with his perfect score might have been a tad premature. You are still the one to beat. We admit it.
The lead Pussycat Doll and her partner Derek Hough not only put up their own perfect 30 in Week Eight, but followed it with a 29 in their second performance Monday.
That put quite a lot of distance between them and the other four couples ostensibly competing for the Mirror Ball trophy, but really just hoping for a spot in the finals.
Nicole and Derek's sizzling Paso Doble won them a 10-10-10 sequence from the judges, only the second routine this season to earn it (after Evan's just a week ago).
Amazingly, their adorable foxtrot was even better in our opinion. The judges disagreed and gave them a mere 29 for that one ... The Scherzinger Standard has been set.
59: Nicole Scherzinger and Derek Hough's scores speak for themselves.
As for the rest of the Dancing with the Stars field, none of the four other couples could touch Nicole and Derek, but two stood out in comparison to the other two.
Erin Andrews and Evan Lysacek should be safe last week. We'll say it now. Chad Ochocinco and Niecy Nash will be sweating bullets this evening. Who will survive?
Follow the jump for the list of scores from week eight of the competition ...
And then there were five.
Somewhat disrespected (or at least discredited) by voters all season long despite considerable aptitude, Pamela Anderson became the latest Dancing with the Stars casualty.
No hard feelings, though.
“I wish everybody continued success,” the star told the remaining Dancing with the Stars hopefuls in a gracious farewell speech Tuesday night. “I love everybody here.”
She thanked partner Damian Whitewood especially, and was even given props by Bruno, not known for his appreciation of Pamela's sexy style. That counts for a lot!
Time ran out on the bombshell last night.
While Niecy Nash and Louis Van Amstel's efforts as the lowest Week Seven scores, Erin Andrews and Maksim Chmerkovskiy joined Pam and Damien in the bottom two.
That came as somewhat of a surprise, however the scores as a whole were closely bunched (54 top, 49 bottom), so you Pam wasn't hosed like Shannen Doherty was.
Everyone did either pretty well or extremely well this week, and someone had to go. Such is life, and now the field has been pared to five pairs ... who will win it all?
Are you sad to see Pamela go? Who is your favorite pair remaining, and who do you think stands the best chance of winning Dancing with the Stars?
Nicole Scherzinger, Pamela Anderson, Niecy Nash, Chad Ochocinco, Erin Andrews, the judges and Dancing with the Stars fans across the country are now on notice.
Guided by sultry partner Anna Trebunskaya, Evan Lysacek bounced back from a last-place performance a week ago and put up a perfect score of 30 Monday night.
Their Argentine tango sizzled so much, we're still cooling off.
Nicole was called the best dancer the show has ever had by Carrie Ann Inaba (not surprising, really, as she dances for a living), but it was Evan's show last night.
But the second scoring component of Week Seven, a team Cha-Cha Challenge breaking off the dancers into groups of the three, helped create a logjam in the standings.
Evan and Anna tangoed their way to a perfect 30.
Evan, Erin and Niecy were outmatched by Chad, Pam and Nicole in this new Dancing with the Stars wrinkle, which factored in equally with their individual scores.
At the end, Evan and Nicole ended up tied ... to the surprise of no one.
Who's bring up the rear and who's in the middle of the pack? There's not a big difference. Follow the jump for the scores from week seven of the competition ...
