Well the time has come to give away that really ugly mirror ball trophy.  Will Lance better his bandmate Joey Fatone’s finish?  Will Warren become the second football player and 4th athlete in a row to take the title?  Or will Brooke be the 2nd woman in a row to win?  Will rookie Lacey, veteran Kym or Julianne’s brother Derek win his or her first trophy?  It’s sure to be exciting!

The first half hour is a recap of the finalists best ballroom and Latin dances.

Next up, it’s the kid dancer champions.

The first dance tonight is the Group Samba number.  This was a fantastic number and it shows how much all three of these couples deserve to be in the finals.  Very evenly matched, but Warren was outdanced.  Brooke was my favorite, but Lance was close behind.  And the ending was awesome!

Len thought Warren’s had more content, he loved Lance’s energy and Brooke is still the one to beat. Bruno said Brooke is dazzling, Lance is tight and clean and Warren is irresistible.  Carrie Ann said Lance has the momentum, Warren is the most improved and Brooke brings the technical nuances to each dance.

Brooke & Derek’s scores:  9 + 9 + 10 = 28  (I’d give them a 9, too.)

Lance & Lacey’s scores:  9 + 8 + 9 = 26 (I’d probably give them a 9 as well.)

Warren & Kym’s scores:  9 + 7 + 9 = 25 (I’d give them an 8.)

Time for the Freestyle round!

Brooke Burke & Derek Hough

Dance:  Freestyle
Wardrobe:  I was worried until Brooke ripped off that dress!
Music:  Loved it!

Performance:  Those were ambitious, scary and AWESOME lifts.  And although people say that Brooke is not entertaining enough, I think this dance was a blast.  Very entertaining, very ambitious, and done beautifully.

Judges:  Bruno said she is the one that they all want and that in her lifts she ended up in positions that he has only seen in the Kama Sutra - one of the best freestyles he’s ever seen.  Carrie Ann said they brought it (about a million times).  Len said he got all hot under the collar and it was the best freestyle he’s ever seen.

Judges scores:  10 + 10 + 10 = 30

My score:  10!

Lance Bass and Lacey Schwimmer

Dance:  Freestyle
Wardrobe:  Appropriate for the dance I guess.
Music:  Meh

Performance:  They danced well enough, but this dance just really didn’t do anything for me at all.  He’s a good performer and they were mostly entertaining, but it just wasn’t as dynamic and they didn’t really take any risks at all with it other than the style.

Judges:  Carrie Ann said one part didn’t work for her.  Len liked the fun and he was pleased.  Bruno said it was youthful, vibrant and exciting.  But they didn’t seem nearly as excited about this dance as they were about Brooke’s.  We’ll see if that shows in the scores.

Judges scores:  9 + 9 + 9 = 27

My score:  8

Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson

Dance:  Freestyle
Wardrobe:  Started out a little strange - ended up great.
Music:  Loved it!

Performance:  I still think Brooke was the best tonight, but this was a very close 2nd.  There were some death-defying lifts, and a lot of personality.  Great freestyle!  (Not as good as Brooke’s though!)

Judges:  Len said as an entertainer he has no one that touches him.  Bruno said all resistance is futile. Carrie Ann said that one was her favorite.

Judges scores:  9 + 10 + 9 = 28

My score:  9

Judges Ranking

Brooke and Derek:  28 + 30 = 58

Lance and Lacey:  26 + 27 = 53

Warren and Kym:  25 + 28 = 53

My Ranking

Brooke and Derek:  9 + 10 = 19

Warren and Kym:  8 + 9 = 17

Lance and Lacey:  9 + 8 = 17

I think Brooke is on her way to a mirror ball trophy, but you never know and you have to vote.  All my votes went to her tonight.  Lance and Lacey’s freestyle disappointed me and I think Brooke and Derek were better than Warren and Kym.  It’s obvious that the judges are behind Brooke, and are leaving it up to the viewers to choose between Lance and Warren.  But, you never know what happens on the finale, so we’ll see who gets to dance again tomorrow on part 2 of the finale.