shawn johnson bikini
There it was, sitting right in front of the judges: the "ultimate symbol of televised ballroom greatness," in host Tom Bergeron's words. It was the splendidly sparkly and tragically tacky disco-ball trophy awarded to the winner of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars," an appropriate prize for a show whose charm lies in its total lack of seriousness. (Except for Samantha Harris, who sometimes seems to think she's on a different show.)
A few highlights and lowlights of Monday night's final:
Paso the salt: The three finalists performed a side-by-side paso doble, complete with long solo segments. By this point, we know everybody's strengths and weaknesses, and the paso illustrated them:
Shawn Johnson, with partner Mark Ballas, had her game face on; she was focused and precise but perhaps a bit careful. Melissa Rycroft, with Tony Dovolani, was limber and graceful. Gilles Marini, with Cheryl Burke, was dramatic and elegant, which is hard to do when you're wearing white pants trimmed with black lace. The judges' rankings: Gilles first, Melissa second, Shawn third.
Dance, anyone? The freestyle round, in which all rules are thrown out and competitors are completely free to perform a series of scantily clad lifts set to music, revealed a lot of sweat, acrobatics, and judge schizophrenia. Johnson's lightning-fast, gymnastic-filled routine received nothing but praise and a perfect score of 30, despite it being the sort of thing Len Goodman usually describes as Messing About. Rycroft's lightning-fast, gymnastic-filled routine got furrowed brows from all the judges, with Goodman saying "I don't get it"; admittedly, Johnson's choreography had more detail but if anything even less dance. The most dance-y of the three numbers, the steamy "Flashdance"-inspired performance of Marini and Burke (what a feeling, indeed), received mixed reviews, with two judges saying it should have had more dancing. What? The standings: Johnson first, Marini second, Rycroft third.
Hello, Victoria's Secret? Rycroft danced the paso doble in a black bikini worn with a long coat. Because, of course, you get cold in just a bikini.
Speaking of bikinis: I think we could have gotten through the season without seeing Bruno Tonioli in a Speedo. Alas, we didn't.
Best cameo: Apolo Anton Ohno, who showed up in rehearsal to encourage fellow Olympian Johnson (and to lay the pressure on her by reminding her that all Olympians who've made the "DWTS" finals have won).
Wit and wisdom: Bergeron, who's looser than Marini's hips, was in rare form tonight. "Last week Len was wishing his paddle went to 11, and what guy hasn't said that?"
Wit and wisdom II: Goodman, in rehearsal with Marini, cheered him on with "Give it to me, Sunshine!"
Overstatement of the night: Marini, charmingly out of breath, told Harris that "This experience took me to another planet." Hmm, how do the rest of us get there?
Who will win? With the judges' scores combined, Marini and Johnson are tied at 58, with Rycroft behind at 56; perhaps points were deducted for that coat. Though I think Marini's the best dancer (and Burke the best pro of the remaining three), it's anybody's disco-ball trophy. I'm going to predict Johnson, just because. Join me for a live chat at noon Tuesday and we'll talk.
There it was, sitting right in front of the judges: the "ultimate symbol of televised ballroom greatness," in host Tom Bergeron's words. It was the splendidly sparkly and tragically tacky disco-ball trophy awarded to the winner of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars," an appropriate prize for a show whose charm lies in its total lack of seriousness. (Except for Samantha Harris, who sometimes seems to think she's on a different show.)
A few highlights and lowlights of Monday night's final:
Paso the salt: The three finalists performed a side-by-side paso doble, complete with long solo segments. By this point, we know everybody's strengths and weaknesses, and the paso illustrated them:
Shawn Johnson, with partner Mark Ballas, had her game face on; she was focused and precise but perhaps a bit careful. Melissa Rycroft, with Tony Dovolani, was limber and graceful. Gilles Marini, with Cheryl Burke, was dramatic and elegant, which is hard to do when you're wearing white pants trimmed with black lace. The judges' rankings: Gilles first, Melissa second, Shawn third.
Dance, anyone? The freestyle round, in which all rules are thrown out and competitors are completely free to perform a series of scantily clad lifts set to music, revealed a lot of sweat, acrobatics, and judge schizophrenia. Johnson's lightning-fast, gymnastic-filled routine received nothing but praise and a perfect score of 30, despite it being the sort of thing Len Goodman usually describes as Messing About. Rycroft's lightning-fast, gymnastic-filled routine got furrowed brows from all the judges, with Goodman saying "I don't get it"; admittedly, Johnson's choreography had more detail but if anything even less dance. The most dance-y of the three numbers, the steamy "Flashdance"-inspired performance of Marini and Burke (what a feeling, indeed), received mixed reviews, with two judges saying it should have had more dancing. What? The standings: Johnson first, Marini second, Rycroft third.
Hello, Victoria's Secret? Rycroft danced the paso doble in a black bikini worn with a long coat. Because, of course, you get cold in just a bikini.
Speaking of bikinis: I think we could have gotten through the season without seeing Bruno Tonioli in a Speedo. Alas, we didn't.
Best cameo: Apolo Anton Ohno, who showed up in rehearsal to encourage fellow Olympian Johnson (and to lay the pressure on her by reminding her that all Olympians who've made the "DWTS" finals have won).
Wit and wisdom: Bergeron, who's looser than Marini's hips, was in rare form tonight. "Last week Len was wishing his paddle went to 11, and what guy hasn't said that?"
Wit and wisdom II: Goodman, in rehearsal with Marini, cheered him on with "Give it to me, Sunshine!"
Overstatement of the night: Marini, charmingly out of breath, told Harris that "This experience took me to another planet." Hmm, how do the rest of us get there?
Who will win? With the judges' scores combined, Marini and Johnson are tied at 58, with Rycroft behind at 56; perhaps points were deducted for that coat. Though I think Marini's the best dancer (and Burke the best pro of the remaining three), it's anybody's disco-ball trophy. I'm going to predict Johnson, just because. Join me for a live chat at noon Tuesday and we'll talk.
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