I hope this is OK to create, but I didn't see one posted already.

So what did you guys think?

Thanks Sumi! I was just wondering where one was.

LOVED Brooke's freestyle. I really really liked Warren's. Hated Lance's. I didn't think Warren's samba deserved a 7 either. An 8, maybe.

I hope Lance goes out third. I'd be happy with either Brooke or Warren winning.

I liked the samba dance off and lo and behold actually thought that Lancey was the best of the three. I also thought Warren and Kym had the best freestyle. Brooke/Derek seemed to have a lot a tricks with jumping around in between. That being said, I actually voted for Brooke for the first time because I think for body of work over the season she deserves the trophy. Lance is doing very well now but he peaked late. Warren is always entertaining but does not deserve to win.

Does anybody remember the phone numbers? Tried one and got a crazy busy signal so not sure I have the right digits. Thanks!

I thought Brooke/Derek's dance had the best combination of actual dancing and tricks. While Warren/Kym were enjoyable to watch their dance was mostly tricks. Lance/Lacey's hip hop couldn't hold a candle to Julianne/Apolo's hip hop.

I was glad to see the judges give out a variety of scores. In the past it's been 10's all across the boards, so that their input didn't really amount to anything. It was all on the voters.

I tried to vote both on my land line and cell, but got cut off before I got all my votes in. I hate when that happens!

I am really surprised that Lance and Lacey, coming off such a strong week, basically thumbed their noses to the judges, audience and public with such a weak dance. Warmed-over hip-hop. Ugh.

I'd take Brooke or Warren over that. I think Brooke really does deserve the trophy with the degree of difficulty in her freestyle, but I wouldn't be surprised if public support for Warren gives him the edge. He didn't do a bad job in his freestyle, so I wouldn't be tremendously upset if he won.

Speaking of disappointed, though, I really thought Mitchell and Maria (the middle couple) should have won the kids' competition.

Hmmmmm....

The samba smackdown was more like the samba snooze-fest. It was ok, but it didn't make me stand up and cheer or anything. In fact, this whole night was kind of like that for me.

I *totally* didn't get the judges' joygasms over B&D's freestyle. It was good, yes. They had lots of little tricks, sure. But "best freestyle ever"? I guess in my mind that's a title reserved for Mark & Kristi, Drew & Cheryl, and Apolo & Julianne (yeah, three way tie). I do, however, think Brooke deserves an award for the flatness of her stomach in those little pink capris. Seriously.

Lance & Lacey's (I refuse to call them Lancey. *gag*) freestyle left me absolutely cold, and after their showing last week, I was really expecting a show stopping number. I guess I thought they'd incorporate some of Lacey's WCS background or something...I don't know.

*shrugs* Brooke & Derek for the win, I guess.

Brooke and Derek were the best tonight. I ADORED their freestyle. Warren and Kym did a nice job. Lance and Lacey's freestyle was boring as shit.

Brooke and Derek had the best freestyle; however, I am so sick of the couples using the judges' table as a prop -- that goes for Lance and Lacey too! Why can't we go one night now without at least one of the couples pandering to the judges like that? But aside from that, the choreography for Brooke and Derek's dance was great (even though they seemed to go overboard on the tricks -- but at least the tricks themselves were cool, and they were well incorporated into the routine). I also loved the song, so that colored my view.

I know that Warren and Kym's dance didn't have as much content as Brooke and Derek (or Lance and Lacey, for that matter) -- Kym was doing most of the dancing. However, Len was right IMO when he said that this show is also about entertaining, and that no one can touch Warren in that regard. Warren and Kym's freestyle made me smile the most out of anyone's. Maybe it was the song choice too -- I always associate it with Sister Act 2.

I thought that Lance and Lacey had the dullest freestyle, actually. I'm sorry, but if you're going to do a full-out hip hop routine, it'd better be hip hop on the level of the Step Up movies, or else I'm not going to be impressed. Those movies have completely spoiled me, lol. Yeah, the acting and storyline and dialogue and everything else sucks, but the dancing! Is awesome. Ahem. So I was pretty bored by the Lancey freestyle.

I call shenanigans on the judges - I can't remember the last time a female dancer has worn FLATS and not gotten bitched out for it. To me, it really stood out and overshadowed the quality of the dance... Plus I reaaalllly can't stand the overdone Grease song... it just makes me think of the Grease: YTOTIW (blech)...

Also, while I was rooting for Lance/Lacey out of a sense of Nsync Loyalty... Was there any actual *dancing?* in that? I just seemed so void of actual content, I was really underwhelmed.

Warren doesn't have the technique, but he's much more fun to watch than either of the other two. Overall, I've swung from Lance to Warren tonight, I think... not that I vote, but I'm silently rooting for Warren, anyway :D

I thought Brooke was overscored and that her freestyle was not the best ever. I don't know what they're comparing her to but I saw a lot of stiff legs and she looked like a mannequin to me. I just do not see her own personality in any of her dances. Technique, yes, it's good.

Also, the 7 I felt was un-"warren"ted. Talk about uneven judging.

I loved Warren and Kym's freestyle. For me, it's their dynamic and they are the only ones I am really interested in watching.

But you've got to admit, kattybiz, (mediocre as it was) it was probably the best freestyle hip hop DWTS has ever seen.

I thought that Brooke was overscored in both the Samba and the freestyle. I thought that straight 9s were due. There were quite a few stiff moments and bent legs. But they didn't call her on it and I didn't expect them to. I've thought from the first part of the season that it was all about getting the last wonder triplet the trophy since Julianne was leaving. Sort of a last hurrah. I still believe that.

I thought that Lance and Lacey were scored just about right. I liked their freestyle but I didn't love it. The reason I didn't love it is because, Lance couldn't even bring it home in the style that he's supposed to do well in. Lacey clearly outdanced him. Pretty sad. I did think that their 8 from Len in the Samba should have been a 9 but whatever.

Warren, i'm so tired of him and the judges reactions to him. It's not fair to everyone else to hear "Well your technique sucks and you're not dancing well, but damn your entertaining, here's a 10!". It's utterly ridiculous. I really hope that he goes out in third.

I thought that tonight proved that Len is full of crap. He's always harping on correct dancing and technique etc for those dancers he does not like. But woah boy, put Warren out there and he gives him a 10? Whatever.

Surprisingly, I liked the samba showdown and I thought all of them did a great job. It was hard to pick one, but I also thought Lance/Lacey did the best of the three. I was really disappointed with their hip-hop. That was it?

I thought Brooke/Derek did a great job with the freestyle, but it wasn't the best I've seen throughout DWTS - these judges exaggerate so much. Overall, I thought Brooke/Derek did the best. I was a little troubled with Brooke's body though - did she have a lot of plastic surgery going on?

I thought Kym/Warren's freestyle was very short. I was hoping for more actually. I thought her freestyle with Joey was better than Warren's.

The finale could have been just for one hour instead of two.

I loved the concept of a Samba Smackdown. Unfortunately, I couldn't enjoy Brooke's dance because her hair and costume were so distracting. The costume looked like someone put it on a hangar, and it stretched. Terribly unflattering. And the hair? What's up with that? This is a gorgeous woman, and I didn't think it was possible to ruin her.

I was disappointed in Lance/Lacey's freestyle. They really had so much more to offer, it seemed pretty basic to me. I liked Derek's and Brooke's, but don't understand the ''best freestyle ever" comment at all. Much as I can't stand Warren (because he ruined Jerry Rice's career - I know, I know, let it go...), I really enjoyed their freestyle a lot. And you have to hand it to Kym. Those really were some death defying lifts, and she went for it.

The best hip hop freestyle goes to Apolo and Julianne. They were amazing. Lance and Lacey were horrible.

Didn't Kristi where flat, sneaker-type shoes during her freestyle? No comment on that either.

MuppetCoat


Do you mean Brooke's shoes in the freestyle? IIRC, Julianne wore tennis shoes to freestyle with Apolo, and Kristi wore tennis shoes last year to freestyle w/ Mark, and neither one of them got called out. (Of course, if you're not referring to Brooke's shoes during the FS, then...well...never mind LOL)

And a big word to GoldenWoman

One thing I wanted to add about the freestyle, I thought that Lacey made a mistake in taking Lance's input. All season she has gotten smacked at for making the choreography more about her etc., but for the most part it's worked and she's been pretty creative/innovative. I could see CLEAR differences in what they were practicing at first and what they were doing after she told Lance to add his stuff. I saw some moves in practice that looked really damn good but they never made it to the floor. Lance had way to much input into that routine and it showed, and the dance suffered because of it.

I am actually surprised that I enjoyed Brooke and Derek’s freestyle. It could be because I just can’t help but bop around to the song, but I would put their’s as my favorite of the three. She was way too hesitant in the Samba Smackdown though, so I thought we’d see more of the same in her freestyle, so good for her. Couldn’t enjoy Warren and Kym’s freestyle that much even though I like that song – mostly because I kept thinking Kym was going to have the mother of all wardrobe malfunctions. And was their song especially short? Dislike Warren’s sense of entitlement, which is sad as I adore Kym. And I’m surprised that I had high hopes for Lance and Lacey’s freestyle and I wasn’t as entertained as I thought I’d be. Uh…I did really like Lacey’s Samba dress, oddly.

Tom Bergeron is a hosting god. “You know, on Edyta, this is an entire costume.” I love him.

I also flove Len, for his “It’s TRICKY!” He’s a boob for giving that 10 to Warren and Kym, even for entertainment factor. Unless he was expecting that mother of all wardrobe malfunctions too.

Pure hip hop? Maybe. I'd need to rewatch Apolo and Julianne to remember if they were better. I know I like Apolo more than Lance, so that might color my opinion!

Also, was it me, or did Lance and Lacey have bitchfaces on when they were all standing around at the end?

I guess my memory sucks then... haha. I think I'm recalling Laila Ali maybe? I know I've seen women get called out for wearing flats before.

I just know the sneakers were distracting to me, it made me feel like she was flatfooted & less *something* - lithe maybe?

I thought Derek was smart to go with the Grease bit for the freestyle. It's obviously a popular touchstone for home viewers, but it's not been ovedone on DWTS (i.e. weak hip hop). Plus it works on Brooke. I don't think Brooke gave the greatest performance during her routine, but I'm not going to begrudge her since I'm sure all the lifts were hard to pull off.

Though no matter what Len says, that was not the best freestyle ever. It was good and enjoyable, as was Warren's, but I still enjoyed Save a Horse and even Joey Fatone's more.

Lancey just lost it for themselves IMO. The freestyle wasn't horrible and I thought the beginning was cute, but you could tell the audience wasn't as into it as the other two. As sloppy as lifts can be if not done properly, you kind of need them for the wow factor. Plus the overdone hip hop.

Loved the Samba Showdown....I really liked Brooke/Derek's freestyle but not as much as Mark/Kristi's. Warren/Kym were better than expected; previously, I thought that Warren just moved his body around. Could not stand Lance/Lacey's hip hop freestyle. Throughout that dance, I kept thinking "Len is going to hate this" and was shocked when he didn't.

Pulling for Brooke to win it all, followed by Warren. If Warren edges Lance for second place, I think that will be a big upset.

Also about Warren, I really, really hope that he goes out in third. I just don't feel like he's done anything all season to warrant being here. Being entertaining is the same thing Cloris had. Why should Warren get patted on the back for it and Cloris get roundly despised for it. Blech.

Count me as one who doesn't get all the B/D hype about the "best freestyle ever." Don't get me wrong, I thought theirs was good -- I thought all of the dances were good tonight -- but I didn't think it was the best ever. The judges are so pushing for Brooke to win.

I was disappointed in Lancey's hiphop though. It was OK, but it was just meh. I don't know if I agree with their decision not to include lifts. It's a freestyle for goodness sake! This was the time! Then again my expectations for their hip hop were high.



WORD. Sure, Warren may have the weakest technique of the three, but I loved his and Kym's lifts. Len, why give a 10 and qualify it with "for performance only"?

ITA though that everyone's sambas were better than earlier in the season and I loved the end with all the couples.

Tom was awesome, as usual.

I liked Brooke's freestyle and Warren impressed me with his freestyle as well. I was underwhelmed and flat out bored by Lance and Lacey. That's how they bring it in a hip hop performance? Wha? I thought they were going to come out a lot stronger after last week. Hmmm

That being said, Lance and Lacey were the best part of the Samba.

ETA: Forgot to mention I shuddered at the beginning of Brooke's Frestyle when I saw her dress. A Pavlovian reaction that took me back to season 5 and the Dreaded Doll Dance, I'm sure, but... yikes.

I am surprised she made it through the season without a major injury with the way Warren slings her around. I can't believe she didn't crack a few ribs tonight.

I liked Warren's freestyle the best but I won't mind if Brooke wins. She really was the best dancer this season.

Lacy should have stolen some hip hop moves from SYTYCD. What she and Lance did tonight was just plain boring.

I really enjoyed Brooke and Warren's freestyles. Lance's was surprisingly bad. Hiphop has been done to death on DWTS, so I don't understand their doing a really boring and unentertaining hip hop freestyle. Kym did a great job with the music and choreo - I wish Warren had a bit more going on technically, but it was really fun.

I didn't like any of the freestyles. I really really wanted to like Warren's but they suffered in the comparison to every performance I've ever seen of that song where Tina is dancing her butt off. The comparison made Warren seem flat to me. I had the same problem with Lancey.


I thought one of the girls from the Kids Competition had gotten on the floor. Congratulations Costume Department: You've managed to make a playmate/bikini model look like an pre-pubescent eight year old playing dress up.

I totally agree GoldenWoman. Apolo/Julianne's hip hop freestyle was WAY better than Lance/Lacey. I was disappointed.

As for the freestyles - I agree with the posters above that mention how other freestyles were better including Cheryl/Drew, Apolo/Julianne, and Kristi/Mark. Even Joey/Kym were really good.

By the way, wasn't Derek in Grease in England? If so, I thought he did a good job with the choreography for it. I also agree with the poster who said that Brooke's legs were locked...she didn't even bend them at all.

I got nothing but busy signals dialing for Lance and Lacey.

I thought they were the best part of the samba and I noticed that Brooke was standing there at the samba beginning w/ arm outstretched , waiting for Derek who missed her hand. And the best free style ever still belongs to Cheryl and Drew.

I really liked Lance and Lacey's hip hop. Would have liked to see a little more spinning, but the Latin interlude really worked for me.

Warren was better than he's been, but really-the final should be Lance and Brooke.

I don't think the judges have ever called out someone's shoes in the freestyle. Since the freestyle isn't necessarily ballroom, I don't think the judges care.

I was completely underwhelmed. Lance and Lacey owned the group samba, but their freestyle was awful. Completely all about Lacey. Derek and Brooke got the judges' tonguebath for the night. I love Derek; he's one of my favorites; but Brooke leaves me cold. Warren's freestyle had no actual content for Warren, just Kym dancing around him and him tossing her around.

The judges certainly do want Brooke to win.

Haven't they danced 3 dances in the finals in past years?

No kidding. She looked pretty scared in the rehearsal clip practicing that lift.

Forgot to mention that I though Lance was so cute at the end of the Smackdown with how excited he was by the dancing, and I also really like when they were showing the clips of everyone's favorite ballroom and latin dances they showed the moments just before they got into position/character, as they were preparing. I find them to be very real moments and something I'd much rather watch than the producer manipulated scripts and filler bits. I've been reading through some other discussions and in one there is mention of an outtake portion to the Season 5 finale results show, I wish I could find it on YouTube. That's the kind of thing I'd like to see here. Honest interaction between the celebrities and their pros, together and with the other competitors.

I am also someone who disagrees with Len's "best freestyle ever statement". For me that goes to Drew/Cheryls freestyle with Apolo/Julianne coming in a close second.

I enjoyed all the variations of the samba. I liked Brooke and Lance's the best, but Warren wasn't far behind.

It's interesting that the hip-hop was the weakest of the free-styles. I'm not sure what happened to Lancey, but parts of the dance tanked the others. I thought Brooke's and Derek's was awesome. I cannot believe that upside down lift move. But, as above, I wouldn't say it was the best ever. One of the best, I'd agree. Personally, I will probably think Save a Cowboy was the most innovative. (I didn't see that season, but have watched it on line. I like Warren and Kym's song. It was a bit heavy handed trick wise, but Warren was really moving wickedly fast and keeping up with Kym. His technique has flaws (sometimes flatfooted), but he nails moves and footwork that are amazing to me considering he is such a big guy.

I think Brooke has this aced with a score differential that rivals Kristi. I'd really be okay whoever wins. This is a first for me in the 3 seasons I've watched. So everyone can be happy there's a woman winner again, and people won't harp on women being unable to win.

I got the same for Warren and Kym. I can't log into the website at all.

My rating for the night was Brooke 2nd in Samba and 1st in freestyle. Lance 1st in Samba and 2nd in freestyle. Warren 3rd in both. I don't care how entertaining Warren's music was, he did nothing more than stand there, shake a little and be a prop for Kym. Fantastic!

While I really want Lance and Lacey to take it (mainly for Lacey, I don't really care about Lance), I would be fine with Brooke taking the win IF Lance is 2nd. If Warren takes 1st or 2nd, screw it. They may as well forget dancing and bring in a lot of "personality". After all he's been told all season that his dancing sucks but it's a'ok because by golly he sure is fun to watch.

That was really bad and very cringeworthy. The shirts? This isn't SYTYCD and it shoes!


That bothered me as well since they really stood out. You'd think they'd be able to get some LaDucas for her so she didn't look so flat footed in those Keds. They didn't work with either the pink dress or the hot pink outfit.


Nothing will ever be as bad as that.

I found all three couples to be close in quality so I can't object to any of them winning. Brooke, though, has been the best all year so maybe that should count for something. I thought samba went: Lance, Brooke, Warren and freestyle went Warren, Brooke, Lance. So really, I got nothing.

I think there's still some suspense. Brooke got a 58, five points higher than Lance or Warren (who are tied at 53). Kristi got a 60, while Jason and Cristian got 51 and 52 respectively. I think that Lance and Warren can very conceivably make up that difference in the fan vote, whereas Jason and Cristian had nary a prayer, especially considering Kristi's own sizable fan base.

ITA. I really loved their freestyle and it was smart strategy by Derek. The song appeals to all ages and it works to Brooke's strength and does not make her seem just as a fluid dancer. Drew/Cheryl remain my favorites but this freestyle actually is up there with Apolianne and Joey/Kym for me.

I liked the idea of the samba showdown and thought everyone did well. I give Brooke the win just on content alone. But kudos for that ending. That ending topped last season's cha cha dance off.

So disappointed by Lance/Lacey's freestyle. Aside from being a blah (Apolo/Julianne and Mario/Karina were better), I hated that they brought up the shoe and the judges paddles. It was cute, but it just made me think Lance is bringing Len again.

That said, it is wide open. Warren was a definite crowd pleaser. I thought Warren and Brooke had a huge response for their freestyle, but Lance has a bigger fan base than Brooke. For Brooke though, I am pulling for her to win, but if she is runner up to Warren or Lance, it is not for a lack of trying.

sussudio-Derek starred in Footloose in London.

How does the scoring work? I mean is judges score a certain % and then viewer votes is another %? Because I really don't think Brooke has a chance on fanbase. If it comes down mainly to fan vote, I'm thinking that Warren takes it. In fact in a scenario where fan vote is weighted more, I think that Brooke would go out in 3rd.

At the beginning, I agree, but I was actually impressed by how he was almost keeping up with Kym when they were dancing side by side. They were both doing that Tina Turner shimmy, and even if they're no Tina, they were both lots of fun. I also don't think it's hypocritical for Len to give them a 10 on entertainment even though he didn't do the same for Cloris, because the freestyle is supposed to be all about entertainment. Now if only that band hadn't ruined "Proud Mary".

Is it me or were Brooke and Derek not in sync for most of their dance? There were also some very strong desperation moments I could have done without, like her groping him underneath his T-shirt, and her gyrating on the judges' table. It's too bad about that, and the problems with synchronization, because otherwise I thought this was one of the first times Brooke showed personality and enjoyed her dance. I didn't think this was the best freestyle ever, and not even the best of the night, but I thought it was better than most freestyles from previous seasons, outside of a few with Cheryl.

Was there another couple on the show tonight?

As much as I love Lance and want him to win, I really, really, really did NOT like the freestyle. At all. I just kept thinking, "It's Mel and Maks all over again". It was just so underwhelming. No lifts? That was freestyle suicide right there. UGH. I was just so disappointed, except for the beginning. Lance looks cute in a sweater. I'm easy, what can I say?

I have to give the freestyle round to Brooke. It was fantastic. Probably the best dance she's done all season.

But Lance and Lacey totally ruled the Samba Smackdown. I floved them in that. They completely outshone Brooke and Warren and I hate to use such a dramatic word, but it's a travesty they got 27's for their performance.



I called during the show. Never call at the end, they give you some crap that you've used up all your votes even if you didn't.

I placed all my votes (for Brooke) at the start of the show and had no problem. Yeah, I know, I should watch the dances first, but I never do. Anyway, in reference to all the busy signals, DialIdol is predicting Warren to win! (votenumber1 says Brooke) Hmmm. I still fear Lance has this locked up but he and Lacey sure were lackluster tonight -- like they'd been given bad news or some kind of warning or something before the show started. Weird. You'd think they'd be floating on top of the world! Wait -- maybe they've been getting flak for something behind the scenes -- if he really said that they'd give Brooke 10s for pissing on the stage then Lance DESERVES a lot of flak. I'm still fuming about it! And so, I pray those prediction sites are right on! I wouldn't mind seeing Warren win -- Kym's been through a lot on this show and is the most deserving pro of the three, imo.

But everybody seemed a bit down or lackluster -- or maybe just exhausted. And show, please don't ever start with a three night opener. I think we never recovered from week 1 overkill. And I also think we'd all be more enthusiastic if there was only one season per year. Whew. At least there's only one night left. Whoever wins, I'll be relieved it's over. But GO BROOKE, anyway. It's been a trial by ordeal, with all her injuries and Derek's bullying and three young kids and a new baby... I'm tired just thinking about what it must have been like for her. I also think she's the best, this season, but I disagree with Len that the best three made the final - Toni should have been there.

Tonight was definetly a good night to play the Shannons head is exploding game.

Actually, I thought Brooke and Derek were very much in sync during their freestyle which added more to the fun I saw in the dance. Very Sandy from Grease to me. I enjoyed this dance and I was worried at first because they danced first. Those lifts were spectacular but not too many which can be jarring at times.

They really did leave it close enough for anyone to win tomorrow since fan base is the biggest factor.

Tom was at his best tonight and loved his Edyta comment at the end.

Not sure if this will be EW's hidden gem, but when Brooke and Derek were on the judges' table, you see Bruno mugging for the camera and singing along. Hilarious!

Thank you harvestbasket for clarifying that it was Footloose instead of Grease.

Regarding Shannon's head: that's right! It was a little weird seeing Brooke/Derek dancing in the pool. Seriously, how many rehearsal packages do we need to see of the swimming pool? I wonder what Shannon is thinking about all of this.