This is it. The last chance for the stars to strut their stuff and show us what they’ve got. Tomorrow one of these three couples will be crowned season 5’s Dancing With The Stars Champions. Each couple will perform two routines tonight. The first will be the judge’s choice. In this round the judges will have decided which dance each of the couples will perform. The second round is a freestyle routine in which the couples are literally free of the rules for an given ballroom dance to perform strictly for your entertainment. So without further ado (I always wanted to say that), here is how our stars did tonight.

Melanie Brown & Maksim Chmerkovsky
Dance: Cha Cha Cha
Mel & Maks gave us a solid performance. Perhaps not quire up to their normal level of perfection but it wasn’t a bad way to start off the show. Len said “It was crisp, it was clean, it was precise. For me, one or two funny bits in it.” Bruno liked it and complimented Mel on how far she has come this season. Carrie Ann thought it was a little flat saying, “I was just expecting just a hair more excitement.”
Carrie Ann Inaba:
Len Goodman:
Bruno Tonioli:
Total: 28

Marie Osmond & Jonathon Roberts
Dance: Samba
I don’t know. This was a good performance but I just really don’t think Marie & Jonathon are on the same level with the other two couples. As they have throughout the season all of the judges really liked the performance quality of Marie’s routine but the technical quality leaves a lot to be desired. Bruno said “Technically, it wasn’t your best dance, but as an entertainer you always deliver.” Carrie Ann went a little farther saying, “Your range of motion is a little bit more limited, and I feel like it kind of showed itself in this dance a little bit more than it usually does.” Len said, “Technically, you’re not the strongest of our finalists, but for entertainment and fun you’re second to none.”
Carrie Ann Inaba: 8
Len Goodman: 8
Bruno Tonioli: 8
Total: 24

Helio Castroneves & Julianne Hough
Dance: Jive
This performance was so much fun to watch. The adrenaline was pumping because Helio & Julianne had obviously kicked it up a notch for the finals. The judges agreed with the entertainment value of the performance but they thought it was a disaster technically.
Len went through a laundry list of mis-steps that they made. Bruno summed it up when he said, “The footwork wasn’t good enough but, the performance was great.” No perfect 30 for Helio & Julianne in round one.
Carrie Ann Inaba: 8
Len Goodman: 8
Bruno Tonioli: 9
Total: 25

Judge’s Choice Round Leader Board
Mel & Maksim: 28
Helio & Julianne: 25
Marie & Jonathon: 24

Melanie Brown & Maksim Chmerkovsky
Dance: Freestyle
As Randy Jackson would say if this was American Idol, ‘That was just OK for me,’ except he would have added ‘Yo Dog,’ first. I liked some of the tricks they did but other wise I was somewhat less than impressed. It didn’t have the energy throughout the routine that I think it could have. Carrie Ann said it better than I could have when she said, “I think you’re better than that.” Len liked it but thought it was disjointed. Bruno seems pretty subdued tonight with his, “I think you did a good job.”
Carrie Ann Inaba: 9
Len Goodman: 9
Bruno Tonioli: 9
Total: 27

Marie Osmond & Jonathon Roberts
Dance: Freestyle
Their music: Awesome. The routine, not so much. That was just way too cutsie for me. Some of the tricks were good again and it was a cohesive performance but I can’t say that I really enjoyed it. “You think this is a good idea, let’s put it on the dance floor, and when it comes out, it somehow doesn’t work,” agreed Len. Bruno said, “This is the loopiest thing I have ever seen… it is not a dance.” Carrie Ann was the most gracious but, even she agreed that this was probably not their best choice.
Carrie Ann Inaba: 8
Len Goodman: 7
Bruno Tonioli: 7
Total: 22

Helio Castroneves & Julianne Hough
Dance: Freestyle
Once again this was a very high energy performance from Helio & Julianne. I was a little worried when they came out dressed as race car drivers pretending they were driving, but once they shed their protective suits it was on. Of the three freestyle performances I can definitely say I liked this one the best. In fact I think this was my favorite performance of the evening. It had the most and the best moves and lifts, it was the most energetic, and at the same time it of the freestyle routines it was the the performance which was closest to the ballroom routines we have seen throughout the season. Bruno made it a point of mentioning how difficult all of the lifts that Helio & Julianne performed in this routine were. Carrie Ann said that Helio was the perfect blend of Mel and Marie with both the entertainment and technical qualities in each performance. Carrie Ann as usual did have to point out the little trouoble they had coming out of one or two of the lifts though. Len called it, “The best freestyle of the night.”

Carrie Ann Inaba: 9 (Boo!)
Len Goodman: 10
Bruno Tonioli: 10
Total: 29

Freestyle Round Leader Board
Helio & Julianne: 29
Mel & Maksim: 27
Marie & Jonathon: 22

Overall Judge’s Leader Board
Mel & Maksim: 55
Helio & Julianne: 54
Marie & Jonathon: 46

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