He may have come just short of the Super Bowl championship earlier this year, but Hines Ward didn’t leave the dance floor empty-handed Tuesday night.

The Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver had fans cheering and black-and-gold towels waving as he samba-ed his way to a victory as the season 12 winner of “Dancing with the Stars” ahead of fellow finalists Kirstie Alley and Chelsea Kane.

“Starting this competition, I never thought I’d make it to the finals,” the always-humble NFL player said upon being named winner. “I owe it all to Kym, who’s the most amazing teacher.”

Ward, who originally performed the high-energy samba during “personal story” week, dedicated his dance to his mother, who sat front-row in the audience during the finale dances.

“Mr. Irresistible” ran up to give his proud mom a peck on the cheek, which she brushed away, to the glee of the football star and the crowd.

“Hines, in all honestly, you’re the MVP of ‘Dancing with the Stars,’” judge Carrie Ann gushed. “You’re nothing but consistency and focus … you really dance with heart.”

Outspoken Bruno appeared equally smitten by Ward’s charms on the dance floor.

“You’re a killer when you play your sport, and a charming dazzler on the dance floor,” he said earnestly. “We all fall in love.”

Ward and Johnson, who wowed the judges consistently throughout the season with their infectious energy and noticeable chemistry, were favorites going into the finals, though they faced stiff competition from Alley and Kane.

“Kirstie, you’re like a phoenix,” Bruno said of the actress’ physical and technical transformation throughout the season. “You cheating girl, you saved the best for last!”

Even the usually stoic Len admitted that runner-up Kirstie had “overcome setbacks, improved weaknesses” and ultimately “produced [her] best dance yet.”

Disney star Kane, who took home third place, was visibly upset by her early ouster, but the judges remained big fans of the bubbly actress.

“A lot of people may not have known who you are,” Carrie Ann began, “but performances like this are why everyone will know who you are now. You’re a very talented, artistic, beautiful, graceful woman.”

“We really are all under your spell,” Bruno said in reference to Kane’s “Harry Potter”-inspired Viennese waltz. “You are so constant and never put a foot in the wrong place.”

At the end of the night, however, it was Ward’s footwork and “secret weapon smile” that ultimately won America over, and the newly crowned “twinkle toe champion” got his victory at last.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2011/05/24/2011-05-24_dancing_with_the_stars_winner_hines_ward_takes_home_mirror_ball_trophy_in_starst.html#ixzz1NKjgZBGI

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When Kirstie first started out with the dance, I thought they were going to go for something slow. Then, she shed that dress and really killed it!

It wasn’t the same Kirstie that we all know and love. It was a new Kirstie – a more fierce Kirstie and she did moves that I didn’t think were possible. I was saying out loud, “You go girl!”

Check out the video:

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It may not have looked like a massive tumble, but Maksim Chmerkovskiy clearly injured something rather painfully toward the beginning of his Rumba with Kirstie Alley on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ (Mon., 8PM ET on ABC) this week. According to Chmerkovskiy, his “thigh just gave out.”

Source: http://www.tvsquad.com/2011/04/05/kirstie-alley-and-maks-fall-dancing-with-the-stars-video/

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Source: http://www.collegenews.com/index.php?/article/dancing_with_the_stars_12232/

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Tune into ABC at 8/7c for this extravaganza! This is a LIVE 2 Hour show and it will please everyone. You will be able to vote at the end of the show so make sure to jot down those phone numbers and start texting at 10pm!

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The 50-year-old actress, whose performances were almost always flawless during the season, beat out last-place finisher Palin Tuesday on the hit ABC show and actor Kyle Massey, who came in second.

Grey and professional partner Derek Hough earned a string of perfect scores on their way to the mirrorball trophy. The couple consistently topped the judges’ leaderboard throughout the season, but Palin’s cadre of voter support led to some surprising upsets, including Brandy’s elimination after earning a perfect score last week.

Palin’s improbable run to the finals had been championed by some conservative bloggers running get-out-the-vote campaigns. She came into the season finale in last place and said she was leaving her fate to the voters.

“Going out there and winning this would mean a lot. It would be like a big middle finger to all the people out there that hate my mom and hate me,” Sarah Palin’s daughter said during Tuesday’s show, which featured a reunion of the season’s cast members and performances from Christina Aguilera.

Grey went into Tuesday’s telecast in first place and effortlessly remained there.

Palin made it to the finals despite mediocre and at times poor performances. She said it was challenging to overcome the flurry of media coverage that erupted when she was voted in over Brandy — who had received a perfect score for her tango — on the hit show, prompting some viewers to question the veracity of the “Dancing” voting system.

“Dancing” producers said Tuesday that “a record amount of activity” overloaded its online and telephone voting systems after Monday’s episode.

“Some viewers reported experiencing difficulties registering their votes for the ‘Dancing With the Stars’ finale, which affected each finalist equally,” show producers said in a statement. “The issue was promptly addressed” and voting times were not extended.

The judges had the final say Tuesday, when each of the three finalists performed two last dances for judges’ scores. Viewer votes counted for half of each competitor’s overall total.

The season’s contestants got to perform one last number, with Brandy receiving a standing ovation for her two-step.

Source: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/7309161.html

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Jennifer Grey emerged from the finale performance show with perfect 10s across the board for both of her dances. Her paso doble was so good Bruno Tonioli said he wished he could give her an 11, not just a 10. Obviously, she is in the lead with a score of 60.

In 2nd: Kyle Massey. His freestyle hip hop dance landed him a 29. “I dub you the Fresh Prince of Dancing With The Stars,” stated Carrie Ann Inaba.

And coming in last place: Bristol Palin, with 52. She started off her free style dance in a cage, which impressed Carrie Ann, but not enough to boost her scores. In a taped rehearsal segment, we saw Bristol tell her pro partner Mark Ballas: “I already feel defeated.” Why? “There’s lots of haters out there just waiting for me to fail.”

So what do you think will happen? Will voters lift Bristol once again over her low scores?

Go Vote now! http://cdn.abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/vote

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Jimmy Kimmel was also shocked by Brandy’s Dancing with the Stars elmination, describing Bristol Palin’s move to the finals as “Hurricane Bristol.”

Jimmy Kimmel said “This was an outrage…true?” Adding that Brandy had a perfect score on one of her Dancing With the Stars semi-finals and that Brandy and Maks couldn’t have been expecting elimination.

Brandy is gracious, saying, “I hoped for the best and had no regrets,” noting that her confidence is back again.

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“This is such a shock!” Brooke said, throwing it to Bruno.

“I’m shocked,” judge Bruno Tonioli said. “I want to stress it’s very important for everybody to vote. It’s so close, every vote counts. I’m so disappointed!” Bruno emoted, asking Brandy if she’d come back and dance on next Monday’s performance show anyway.

“Will you come and do it for me, for us? Come on!”

Asked by Burke how she felt, Brandy responded:

“I don’t know how to feel right now. This hasn’t processed right now for me,” a surprised Brandy said.

Bergeron stepped up and hugged Brandy as she began to tear up.

Jennifer and Kyle had gone into Tuesday night’s results show with the most points from the three pros after performing two dances apiece on Monday. Jennifer got a perfect score of 60 for her two dances, while Kyle snagged 58 points. Brandy was right behind him at 57 points, and Bristol brought up the rear with 53 points from the judges, though that was her personal best on the show to date.

But that was business as usual for this edition of “Dancing.” Bristol, who went into the competition with no dance and no performance background, has consistently wound up at the bottom of the point heap. But, week after week, people — some who have watched the show and, if tweets, blog accounts and message boards are to be believed, some who have not — have been keeping her in the competition.

Who survives each week on this show is determined by a formula of judges’ points and people’s votes.

After the announcement, Bergeron asked Brandy’s dance partner Maks Chmerkovskiy: “This season struck me as the most surprising in that couples who would get their highest score on Monday night were often the ones who left on Tuesday night. What do you think has been different this season?”

Maks, with uncharacteristic restraint, responded that one thing he loves about the fact that his parents came to this country is “the fact that people vote and their voices count and I love the fact that the show represents that. And it represents the people’s choice.”

Tuesday morning, the Web site Jezebel linked to comments on conservative Web site HillBuzz, in which people discussed having figured out a way to game ABC’s email-voting feature, due to a technical glitch on the site.

“Here’s a hint: They don’t have to be VALID email addresses to register them with ABC.com, there is apparently no validation process,” said one commenter. “They just have to be formatted like a valid email address, and you must use a valid zip code and a birthdate that makes you old enough to vote. No, it doesn’t have to be a valid email address – I had one of my anonymous ones XXX@yahoo.com that I used, and then just did the sign-up process all over again with XXX1@yahoo.com and it worked.”

“Lord have mercy, I voted for 3 hours online! I got 300 in,” said another commenter.

After Tuesday’s results show, Hillbuzz posted a screen shot of Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough’s reaction to Bergeron’s announcement that Bristol, not Brandy, was the third dancer making it through to next week:

“Thank you all for helping Bristol Palin…just look at Jennifer Grey’s face… Says it all. Our Bristol is in the finale. The woman impersonating Jennifer Grey looked pissed. [Brandy] is eliminated and hopefully not allowed to drive herself home. How do we win this for Bristol?”

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It was a whole new Grey this week. Gone was the complaining about pains in her neck or anywhere else. Instead, she said, “I’m feeling so revved up about the next two weeks. Bring. It. On.” And she danced like she meant it. She’s at the top with a score of 60.

Kyle Massey charmed and shimmied his way through his two dances to take second place with 58. Said judge Len Goodman after his samba: “You’ve got a bionic bum!” And he dubbed him “Mr. Charisma.”

Brandy is right behind Kyle with a 57, after her Argentine tango earned her a perfect 30. Unfortunately for her, her first dance – a pirate-themed paso doble – only earned her 27.

And in last place: Bristol Palin with a 53. She has been in the bottom two six times this season. Her first dance, a paso doble,was highly-praised and earned her a 27. The second one didn’t go over as well and she scored a 26. Now the question is: Will Bristol Palin be in the finals?

Source: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2010/11/dancing-with-the-stars-semi-finals-jennifers-up-bristols-down—again/1

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