Dancing with the Stars - TV Fanatic

Who Won Dancing With the Stars? The Fall 2011 Champion is ...

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 06:00:23 EST

After ups, downs, injuries, controversy and 10 weeks of ballroom battle, Ricki Lake, J.R. Martinez and Rob Kardashian headed into the Dancing With the Stars season finale with one last chance to win it all.

Rob, surprisingly, held a slight lead heading into Monday night, with Ricki and J.R. in a tie for second just a few points behind. All three proved they were the cream of the Season 13 crop and then some.

But there could be only one champion.

J.R., Ricki and Rob vied for the Mirror Ball.

A dark horse underdog for weeks, Rob peaked at exactly the right time, turning in some truly outstanding performances and finishing the finals with the most points. Would that be enough, however?

It was enough to beat out Ricki Lake, but not J.R. Martinez, your DWTS winner.

"First and foremost, I want to thank everybody who voted for us, for 10 weeks," said the soap opera actor, motivational speaker and Iraq war veteran, who reserved his highest praise for partner Karina Smirnoff. "You are amazing, and I'm grateful that I could be a part of your first Mirror Ball trophy."

Karina's win was her first in 10 seasons as a professional.

"For one of you, that was your victory dance," Carrie Ann Inaba told J.R. and Rob after they performed instant sambas in round four (both were perfect). "But I think both of you are winners tonight."

Rob came in second, and after both he and J.R. scored 30s with said sambas, he ended up with a two-night total of 113, one higher than Martinez's 112. J.R.'s votes from fans put him over the top.

That's the way it goes, but if Kardashian was upset about it, he didn't show it. "I'm definitely not sad," Rob said, noting that he beat expectations all season long. "I already won in my book."

As for Ricki, who ended up in a somewhat surprising third? "I've loved basically every minute of this," she said afterward. "I had the best partner, the best teacher, the best motivator there is."

"I've accomplished something here that I really didn't think I could do."

And so it goes. We'll see you this spring for an exciting 14th season!

Did J.R. deserve to win Dancing With the Stars? Are you surprised that he edged out Rob? Who was your favorite dancer this season? Was this one of the best in recent memory? Tell us below!

Dancing With the Stars: Who Was Perfect? Who's In the Lead?

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:54:49 EST

Ricki Lake and J.R. Martinez have been exchanging the top spot all season on Dancing With the Stars, but dark horse Rob Kardashian wasn't kidding when he said he was peaking at the right time.

The underdog may well hoist the coveted Mirror Ball trophy after the final night of performances saw him take the lead for the very first time this season, netting his first perfect 30 in the process.

If you've watched this season at all, you knew he was good, improving to the point where he maybe even had an outside shot if one of the favorites stumbled. But who could have foreseen this?

Rob and Cheryl Burke earned a perfect 30 with a Charleston-like freestyle. Then they tacked on a 27 later in the evening for an impressive aggregate score of 57. Their competitors each tallied 54.

J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff earned a 30 of their own with their second routine, an '80s hip-hop / samba mash-up, but their first dance, deemed "not very good" by Len, netted only 24 points.

Meanwhile, Ricki Lake and Derek Hough received two sets of all nines Monday, good enough to keep them in striking distance even if perfection eluded them. It's really anyone's game tonight.

Can J.R. or Ricki derail Rob's surprise run for the Mirror Ball?

Kardashian's lead isn't big, so a strong turnout for one of the other contestants would likely vault them to the title. But if we can rally enough votes of his own, there could be an upset Tuesday.

There's nothing anyone can do about the standings now, other than rally support from voters. The scores for the last night of Dancing With the Stars performances in Season 13 were as follows:

Rob Kardashian & Cheryl Burke: (27, 30) 57
J.R. Martinez & Karina Smirnoff: (24, 30) 54
Ricki Lake & Derek Hough: (27, 27) 54

Who was your favorite dancer on Monday? Do you think anyone was scored unfairly by the judges? Can Ricki and/or J.R. overcome Rob's narrow advantage? Who's your pick to win this thing?

Follow the link for much more coverage of Dancing With the Stars!

Dancing With the Stars Results Show: The Final Three Are ...

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 06:04:46 EST

Did Tuesday's Dancing With the Stars results show offer another surprise?

Not really. In the end, it was clear one dancer's run had come to an end.

After Monday performances that saw Ricki Lake cement her frontrunner status on Dancing With the Stars, and Rob Kardashian surge into second place by a mile over J.R. Martinez, they were safe.

It came down to Hope Solo, who has improved a lot this fall, and J.R., who was hampered by an ankle injury but still scored higher than Hope with the judges and voters throughout the season.

In the end, it came as no surprise that America did not keep Hope alive.

Hope Solo was ousted on Dancing With the Stars.

The soccer star was particularly broken up about her elimination and did not give the usual round of interviews, but her fellow competitors were sad to see her and partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy go.

"I love them," Ricki Lake said of Hope and Maks. "They're great people. She did great. She came so far and I now like soccer. I never knew anything about it, but now I'm rooting for my goalie Hope Solo!"

As for the two men who will join Lake in the finals next Monday?

"I never would have imagined this when I signed up for this, never in a million years," Rob said. "I really just gotta bring it more than ever and that mirror ball trophy is right at the end of my fingertips."

J.R.'s injury won't be an issue, he said: "The ankle feels a lot better," he said. "I got some time to rest. I got an X-ray done this morning. The doctor said it's negative. Now, it's about being strategic."

Do you think America made the right call ousting Hope? Which of the three surviving pairs do you think stands the best chance of winning it all next week in what is sure to be a wide open season finale?

Discuss Dancing With the Stars by leaving your comments below!

Dancing With the Stars: The Ricki and Rob Show

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:59:43 EST

Ricki Lake and J.R. Martinez have been trading co-frontrunner status all season long on Dancing With the Stars, and that pattern continued last night, with the former storming back into the top spot.

But might a dark horse ride in and steal the Mirror Ball out from both of them?

The ninth week of Dancing With the Stars' 13th season saw Ricki achieve perfection in one dance and a 29 in another, racking up a strong total of 67 points (out of 70) for the evening as a whole.

The surprising thing? Rob Kardashian, not J.R. was the one right on her heels.

Who would have guessed at the onset of the season that Kim's little brother would be a serious contender. With 65 points on the night, he's so far ahead of fourth place that he seems like a lock.

It's J.R. who will need a little help from voters to make sure he advances. After two weeks at the top, he was a clear third Monday. Still, he has the track record and fan support to bolster his effort.

Can anybody stop Ricki's run for the Mirror Ball?

It really looks like this is the end of the line for Hope Solo, as impressive as it is that she's made it this far. How can it not be, compared to the other dancers in the field? If she survives, it'll be a shock.

There's nothing anyone can do about the standings now, other than rally support from voters. The scores for the second to last night of Dancing With the Stars performances (solo, solo, cha-cha relay):

Ricki Lake & Derek Hough (30, 29, 8) 67
Rob Kardashian & Cheryl Burke (28, 27, 10) 65
J.R. Martinez & Karina Smirnoff (23, 27, 6) 56
Hope Solo & Maks Chmerkovksiy (21, 24, 4) 49

Who was your favorite on Monday? Do you think anyone was scored unfairly by the judges? Who's your pick to make it to the finals, and is there any way Hope and Maks won't be eliminated Tuesday?

Follow the link for much more coverage of Dancing With the Stars!

Dancing With the Stars Results Show: Grace Period

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:48:01 EST

Did this week's Dancing With the Stars results show offer another big surprise?

Not really. Had they, after Monday's performances, there would've been revolt.

After Monday performances that saw J.R. Martinez cement his frontrunner status on Dancing With the Stars, and with Ricki Lake and Rob Kardashian looking consistently strong, they were safe.

It came down to Hope Solo, who improved a lot, but maybe not enough for the fans, and Nancy Grace, the clear weak link after Monday's routines. And at the end of the day, the weak link left.

Nancy Grace was ousted on Dancing With the Stars.

No one could really be surprised by that outcome - Len predicted the previous night after she performed that it was Cinderella time for the HLN host, who far exceeded expectations to get this far.

"I am so proud, but I really cannot take the credit," she said.

"It's been all Tristan, from the get-go," she said of partner Tristan MacManus. "The whole crew at DWTS, my family taking care of my twins so I could dance, all of you - and especially to you, Tristan."

"We've had a blast," the Irish dance pro said, seconding Grace. "We'd just like to thank everybody. Thanks for being so welcoming to me, and also to Nancy. It's the support we get from you all that really pushes us to do this."

"It's not about being the best, it's about doing our best, and I think that's what we did."

If you'll excuse the pun, that was certainly a Grace-ful exit. Well done, all.

Do you think America made the right call ousting Nance? Who do you think will be in jeopardy next week? Who's your pick to make it all the way to the finals to battle it out for the Mirror Ball?

Discuss Dancing With the Stars by leaving your comments below!

Dancing With the Stars: Who Can Stop J.R.?

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 06:34:33 EST

Ricki Lake and J.R. Martinez have been trading co-frontrunner status all season long.

After two weeks leading the pack, Lake fell to second last night behind a perfect JR.

The eighth week of Dancing With the Stars' 13th season saw him achieve perfection not just once, but twice, racking up a ridiculous total of 60 points (out of 60) and serving notice that he's in to win.

"Justin Bieber, I will never say never," he said, name-checking last week's musical guest. That total of 60 gives him an eight-point cushion over Lake, who was good but not outstanding Monday night.

Hope Solo turned in her best dances yet, tying Lake for second with a combined 52 points in the rehearsed and "instant jive" portions of the episode. Rob Kardashian tallied 51 points combined.

Can anybody stop J.R.'s run for the Mirror Ball?

It really looks like this is the end of the line for Nancy Grace, as impressive as it is that she's made it this far. How can it not be, compared to the other dancers in the field? If she survives, it'll be a shock.

There's nothing anyone can do about the standings now, other than rally support from voters to better their odds. The scores for the seventh night of Dancing With the Stars performances (solo, group):

J.R. Martinez & Karina Smirnoff: (30, 30) 60
Ricki Lake & Derek Hough: (28, 24) 52
Hope Solo & Maks Chmerkovskiy: (27, 25) 52
Rob Kardashian & Cheryl Burke (27, 24) 51
Nancy Grace & Tristan MacManus (24, 20): 44

Who was your favorite on Monday? Do you think anyone was scored unfairly by the judges? Who's your pick to make it all the way to the finals, and who do you predict is on the way out Tuesday?

Follow the link for much more coverage of Dancing With the Stars!

Dancing With the Stars Results Show: Saving Hope?

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 06:13:58 EST

Did this week's Dancing With the Stars results show offer another surprise? Yes.

After Monday performances that saw Ricki Lake cement her frontrunner status on Dancing With the Stars, and with JR Martinez and Rob Kardashian looking strong, they were safe.

It came down to Hope Solo, Nancy Grace and David Arquette. Any could have gone, but given his scores the last few weeks, the elimination was still a little bit of a surprise to us ...

David Arquette was ousted on Dancing With the Stars.

Despite the fact that everyone loves the guy, and he'd arguably performed better than Hope (and definitely better than Nancy), voters showed the actor and ex-husband of Courteney Cox the exit.

That means Hope Solo, and more incredibly Nancy Grace, are in the final five.

"This whole thing has been incredible, I've loved it," the proud papa of Coco said after the news was announced. "But there must be a mistake, because this is my show. I can't go home!"

Fun dig at Maksim Chmerkovskiy there, dating back to last week's fiasco.

"I'm just kidding," he said. "I came here to learn about myself, face my fears, entertain people and give America a chance to get to know me better - and learn to dance!"

For that, there's no doubt he earns a 10 out of 10. Mission accomplished.

Do you think America made the right call ousting him, though? Who do you think will be in jeopardy next week? Who's your pick to make it all the way to the finals to battle it out for the Mirror Ball?

Discuss Dancing With the Stars by leaving your comments below!

Dancing With the Stars: Lake Lights it Up

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 06:25:32 EST

Ricki Lake and J.R. Martinez enjoyed co-frontrunner status heading into last night.

With that label comes more pressure, and only the former lived up to expectations.

Lake's team won the group dance by three points, bolstering their odds of survival, while she turned in the best solo routine of the week with partner Derek Hough, earning nines across the board.

J.R., meanwhile, gave a performance that was substandard according to the judges, and finds himself mired in fourth place. We still suspect he'll stick around over David Arquette or Nancy Grace.

Grace, if we're going on merit here, should be the one out the door tonight. She's shown some flashes this season and made it seven weeks, but her dancing last night was devoid of ... anything.

Rob Kardashian, meanwhile, stepped it up big time - a much-needed positive jolt for a family reeling from Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries' divorce filing. Kim K. was not on hand, obviously.

Maksim Chmerkovskiy had a nice week, especially after his team proved superior in the group format, ending the night in third place. The heated exchanges were at a minimum last night, too. Thankfully.

Ricki Lake & Derek Hough: 53 (27, 26)
Rob Kardashian & Cheryl Burke: 51 (25, 26)
Maks Chmerkovskiy & Hope Solo: 50 (24, 26)
J.R. Martinez & Karina Smirnoff: 48 (25, 23)
David Arquette & Kym Johnson: 47 (24, 23)
Nancy Grace & Tristan MacManus: 44 (21, 23)

Who was your favorite Monday? Do you think anyone was treated unfairly by the judges? Who's your pick to make it all the way to the finals, and who do you predict is on the way out Tuesday?

Follow the link for much more coverage of Dancing With the Stars!

Dancing With the Stars Results Show: Who's In? Who's Out?

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 07:14:51 EST

Did this week's Dancing With the Stars results offer another surprise?

Chaz Bono was at the bottom of the pack Monday night, but not far behind him was Hope Solo, whose partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, made news for some harsh criticism of the judges.

Ricki Lake and JR Martinez had the highest scores, as usual, and by such a wide margin over the rest of the field that the top two had very little to worry about. Everyone else, though?

It came down to Chaz, Hope, Rob Kardashian, Nancy Grace and David Arquette. Any could have gone, but given his low scores the last few weeks, the elimination was fairly predictable ...

Chaz Bono was ousted on Dancing With the Stars.

Despite the fact that everyone loves the guy, a sense of order returned.

"I took so much away from this," he said, fighting through the emotion. "This was an amazing journey that really pushed me and showed me I could do so much more than I ever thought I could."

"I came on this show because I wanted to show America a different kind of man. I know that if there was somebody like me on TV when I was growing up, my whole life would have been different."

"So I dedicate everything I did to the people out there like me, especially to all the kids and teens who are struggling. You can have a wonderful, great life and be successful and happy."

"You get all 10s for that, my friend," said host Tom Bergeron to Chaz.

Bono criticized the judges as well for their comments the previous night. His low scores? Not the issue he said, but comments by Bruno about him resembling a fuzzy penguin did not sit well.

Do you think America made the right call ousting him? Who do you think will be in jeopardy next week? Who's your pick to make it all the way to the finals to battle it out for the Mirror Ball?

Discuss Dancing With the Stars by leaving your comments below!

Dancing With the Stars Week Six: Things Get Testy

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 06:26:59 EST

J.R. Martinez and Ricki Lake are clearly the stars to beat this season on DWTS.

Not that their dance moves don't deserve that designation, but the judges seem bent on helping them out as well. There was a major dropoff between their scores and everyone else's.

You can't deny that after some unjust eliminations in recent seasons, they must be scratching their heads a bit. So by padding the scores toward the favorites, they provide a buffer.

That's just a theory, and doesn't change the fact that J.R. and Ricki are undoubtedly the best. But it was enough to set off Maksim Chmerkovskiy after Hope Solo earned low scores.

Hope Solo's rumba to "Seasons of Love" was panned by Len, who called it her "worst dance" and drew boos from the audience, to which he said he'd been doing this for 50 years.

Maks suggested that perhaps it was "time to get out." Rough. Aside from J.R. and Ricki, Nancy Grace turned in a respectable routine, while Rob Kardashian fell short of expectations.

David Arquette was better than average, with Courteney and Coco cheering him on (not to be outdone, the Kardashians were out in force for Rob), while Chaz Bono may be on the block again.

There's nothing anyone can do about the standings now, other than rally support from voters to balance them out. The scores for the sixth night of Dancing With the Stars performances were:

J.R. Martinez & Karina Smirnoff: 29
Ricki Lake & Derek Hough: 29
Nancy Grace & Tristan MacManus: 24
David Arquette & Kym Johnson: 23
Rob Kardashian & Cheryl Burke: 22
Hope Solo & Maks Chmerkovskiy: 20
Chaz Bono & Lacey Schwimmer: 19

Who was your favorite Monday? Do you think anyone was treated unfairly by the judges? Who's your pick to make it all the way to the finals, and who do you predict is on the way out Tuesday.

Follow the link for much more coverage of Dancing With the Stars!