Season 9 of 'Dancing With the Stars' cha chas to an end
Photo credit: ABC/Adam Larkey | DANCING WITH THE STARS - "Episode 906" - It was a night of Waltz, Jitterbug and the first competition Mambo group routine, on "Dancing with the Stars," MONDAY, OCTOBER 26 (8:00-10:02 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/ADAM LARKEY)
Galleries
'Dancing With the Stars' Season 9
THE SHOW "Dancing With the Stars"
WHEN | WHERE Monday night at 8 and Tuesday night night at 9 on ABC/7
REASON TO WATCH Season 9 bumps and grinds to an end.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR Tonight, Mya and Dmitry Chaplin will perform a tango, paso doble and freestyle; Kelly Osbourne and Louis Van Amstel will perform a tango, waltz and freestyle; and Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson will dance a tango, cha cha and freestyle.
>> PHOTOS: See the contestants on "Dancing With the Stars"
>> VOTE: Who will win season 9 of 'DWTS'?
Meanwhile, the finalists will, as usual, have one last dance Tuesday before the winner is announced. All 16 performers, including Tom DeLay, are returning. Whitney Houston - who was also on last night's ABC telecast of the American Music Awards - will perform.
We handicap them:
Kelly, Kelly, Kelly.
What can we say here that the judges haven't already? Your heart is on your sleeve and, occasionally, your tears, too. KO's run and success have been unexpected to everyone, perhaps, but her. However, she will not win and may not even come in second. Guts, desire and stamina count for a lot in this show, but so does natural-born talent. Everyone knows who's ahead in that department.
DONNY OSMOND
Here you have the standout of the season. Osmond is all personality - a guileless smile machine who chats and raps with the judges, dances with considerable skill and otherwise devours the audience's attention. When (if) anyone thinks back on the ninth season, I suspect they'll think of him. Why should we be surprised? He's spent a lifetime doing this. My hunch is he'll come in second.
MYA
Her victory will be big. Her three-judge score last week was big. She scored a total of six 10s - six! - and no one else could scratch out even one. Her salsa, danced to "La Isla Bonita," was "sen-say-shun-alll," said (yelled? screamed? bellowed?) Bruno Tonioli. He was absolutely right. She's the best, maybe even good enough to go pro. She's your ninth-season winner, and it won't - or shouldn't - even be close Tuesday night.
MY TAKE
This season has been a disappointment and I'm hard-pressed to say exactly why. The formula is intact. Everything that made "DWTS" one of TV's dominant forces is intact. Reason is most probably casting; with the exception of Osmond, this has been a lackluster crew. They were all work, little play. Plus, the key gimmick - Tom DeLay - was just simply strange. "DWTS" needs to regroup.
SEASON GRADE C
>> PHOTOS: See the contestants on "Dancing With the Stars"
>> VOTE: Who will win season 9 of 'DWTS'?
