'Dancing with the Stars': Katherine Jenkins Tops Competitive Final Performance Show - East Idaho News
Arts & Entertainment

‘Dancing with the Stars’: Katherine Jenkins Tops Competitive Final Performance Show

  Published at

abc dancing with the stars finalists lpl 120518 wblog?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1337657825326ABC(LOS ANGELES) — Who will win the Dancing with the Stars‘ Mirror Ball trophy on Tuesday night? It’s anybody’s guess following the ABC competition’s final performance show of the season.

All three finalists — Welsh opera singer Katherine Jenkins, NFL star Donald Driver, and telenovela actor William Levy — brought their “A” game on Monday night. While Jenkins earned a perfect overall score for her two dances, her male counterparts were only one point off the lead.

Each celebrity danced twice, performing a style chosen by the judges as well as a freestyle routine. Here’s a rundown of the individual performances:

— Levy and his partner, Cheryl Burke, did the cha cha cha to the Pink hit “Raise Your Glass.” The routine ended with the couple at a bar-type setting and Levy literally raising a martini glass.

Len Goodman declared it was as good a cha cha cha as he’s seen during his 14 seasons on the show. Bruno Tonioli called it “intoxicating,” adding that Levy’s hip action left him green with envy. Total score for first dance: 30 out of a possible 30.

For their freestyle, the duo performed a fast-paced dance that involved several theatrics, including Burke jumping on Levy’s back.

Goodman dismissed it as being too predictable, accusing Levy of simply shaking his butt just so he could get the female audience members to scream for him. Carrie Ann Inaba flashed a wide smile and disagreed with Goodman, saying it was everything that a freestyle should be. Total score for second dance: 29/30. Overall score: 59/60.

— Jenkins and her partner, Mark Ballas, donned Spanish outfits for their paso doble. Jenkins showed no ill-effects from the lower back ailment she suffered last week.

Inaba complimented Jenkins by calling her a “prima diva” for her graceful movements. Goodman said the dance was “full of tasty tidbits to tickle your taste buds.” Total score for first dance: 30/30.

Jenkins dressed as a mid-20th-century singer — she even sang a little — and joined Ballas for an energetic dance to Benny Goodman’s “Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing).”

Tonioli said it was a tour de force through all of the ages of swing music. Inaba described it as a dance worthy of a champion. Total score for second dance: 30/30. Overall score: 60/60.

— Driver tackled the Argentine tango with his partner, Peta Murgatroyd, as the band played the Jem song “They.”

Goodman, who prior to Monday had never given Driver a perfect score, denied him again for this dance, and said the routine was too careful for his liking. Tonioli said it was intimate yet also intense. Total score for first dance: 29/30.

Driver and Murgatroyd adopted a cowboy theme for their freestyle, which featured a football field graphic superimposed on top of the dance floor.

Inaba stood up and yelled that it was by far her favorite dance of the night. Amazingly, Goodman didn’t find fault with it, saying it was fantastic and giving it a “10.” Tonioli referred to it as a “triumph.” Total score for the second dance: 30/30. Overall score: 59/60.

The couples will dance a third time on Tuesday night. Their overall score for their three dances, combined with the viewers’ votes, will determine the new champions.

The two-hour results show, featuring musical performances by Kelly Clarkson and Dancing with the Stars contestant Gladys Knight, will begin on ABC at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

SUBMIT A CORRECTION