Dancing With the Stars Recap: Who Deserves to Win Tomorrow?!

William Levy, Katherine Jenkins and Donald Driver do two more routines in search of the coveted mirror-ball trophy

By Natalie Finn May 22, 2012 1:35 AMTags
KATHERINE JENKINS, MARK BALLAS, DWTSABC/ADAM TAYLOR

Heading into tonight's performance finale on Dancing With the Stars, it was anybody's game.

And heading into tomorrow's season ender...it's still anybody's game.

Sure, the more-hyped-than-ever finalists didn't all tie for first place, but Maria Menounos was booted last week despite being in first place!

Head judge Len Goodman said that William Levy's show-opening cha-cha was as good as any he has seen in 14 seasons, while Bruno Tonioli called it an "intoxicating, Cuban cocktail of natural flowing moves," and all three judges combined to give him a perfect score.

There was no less love for Katherine Jenkins' paso doble, which Len said was "full of tasty tidbits to tickle your taste buds." Translation: "the 10 from Len," resulting in the classical singer's first 30. (As well it should have. Round one was judge's pick.)

Alas, perfection still alluded Donald Driver, who once again could only scrape together 10s from Bruno and Carrie Ann Inaba, who picked the Argentine tango for the powerful football player.

But then it was onto the lift-happy freestyle round, always a favorite, where the scores tend to soar (or plummet, depending on how adventurous the pro choreographers are feeling). 

"I liked it," Len said of William and Cheryl Burke's tango-samba-salsa mashup—but, case in point, he called it "predictable."

Carrie Ann and Bruno immediately shot that interpretation down, but Len insisted, "I didn't want a salsa with lifts!"

But while Cheryl was happy to escape with a 9 from Len, Mark Ballas hit the jackpot with the swing routine he crafted for Katherine.

"That was a fast and flamboyant tour de force through all the ages of swing!" raved Bruno. "If I'm asleep and dreaming, don't wake me up. This is a freestyle," Len said, satisfied.

Peta Murgatroyd was the one, however, who bled for her freestyle. She got knocked in the face by her beefy partner during rehearsal, but their "country-inspired triumph" won raves and Carrie Ann deemed it her favorite dance of the night.

Result: Donald and Peta's first 30 of the season—which may have been especially sweet for Peta, who was first out last season.

The finalists will dance for points one more time tomorrow, but here's how the leaderboard shaped up at night's end:

Katherine Jenkins & Mark Ballas (30+30) 60
William Levy & Cheryl Burke (30+29) 59
Donald Driver & Peta Murgatroyd (29+30) 59

Kelly Clarkson and Gladys Knight will also perform on Tuesday's finale.

Who do you want to see holding that mirror-ball trophy?!

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