When they announced the paso as the final dance-off, I just knew the deck was stacked in Gilles' favor (not by much, as there are only a couple points separating the top and bottom, but still). Would it have killed them to pick a ballroom dance? It might not be as exciting but it could still be awesome.

Freestyle round goes to Shawn and Mark, hands down. I noticed a brief moment of panic on Shawn's face at the beginning of the routine when she couldn't get her mask and coveralls off as quickly as she'd like but luckily there was plenty of time.

Tony can't choreograph a freestyle for shit and Gilles's routine was boring as all get out. With the judges inevitably handing out perfect scores for all the repeat dances tomorrow night, it really comes down to fanbase. As a result, I think Shawn might pull this one out.

I'm giving all my votes to Shawn just for getting Apolo to show up again. Love him!

For as much as I usually don't like Mark's dancing style, I liked Shawn and his the best. Gilles and Melissa disappointed me.

Ack. I got so nervous when Shawn struggled with the outfit at the beginning of her routine.

Tony's freestyle choreography was underwhelming. He didn't do much to redeem himself after the Stacy fiasco IMO.

Wonder of wonders, I agreed with the judges re: Gilles' freestyle. I didn't really like it, it seemed like he was basically posturing (and being sexy) and lifting Cheryl.

The freestyle round goes to Shawn. The paso dance-off goes to Gilles. I thought Melissa was overscored for the paso.

I predict that the top two will be Shawn and Gilles.

ETA: Also, Gilles freestyle costume was the worst outfit of the night. Ripped clothes? I get it was a shoutout to the 80s or whatever, but...no. Prior to that, I was goggling at Shawn and Mark's Jabberwockeez outfit, and then the color combination for her paso. Although Gilles' paso outfit was worse.

The group paso did one thing; it told me who I want to win-Gilles. Shawn and Melissa still can’t act to save their lives. Shawn got the ‘stern’ face but it looked stiff and awkward and never changed. I thought Melissa was getting it occasionally but I think she really benefited from some awesome make-up. Gilles really the only one who can connect with the dance and still keep his technique. I know athletes have lots of advantages in this competition, but the performers can really capitalize on the performance aspect.

Also, apparently Mark and Cheryl share a brain. When I saw the tops of those two sets of costumes I thought that Randall had just given them group costumes until I saw Melissa and Tony. Also, Free Your Mind much Tony?

Tony is still the person most excited about winning this competition.

I liked Shawn and Mark’s freestyle. I thought it was really cute. Glad they didn’t do hip-hop and I thought Mark really incorporated the gymnastics in cool ways without turning it into a floor routine. Also I appreciated that they actually danced for a good deal of the time, shows that you don’t have to turn it into 90 seconds of lifts to make a good freestyle.

Melissa-Why is Tony wearing that shirt? Why is Tony wearing that shirt? Sorry, I think their routine is okay, though it seemed to lose a little steam at the end, but the only thing I can see is Tony’s shirt.

Gilles- Well, I knew it was going to be that once I saw those costumes. It felt a bit low in energy to me. I agree with Bruno and Carrie Ann about the lack of dancing, scary thought.

My eyes! Ye gads, they really didn't need to start out the show by displaying a nearly naked Bruno to us, did they? ::shaking it off 'cause I've got dancing to watch::

You know, I just noticed for the first time (I'm slow.) that Holly's and Melissa's names are out of alphabetical order in the opening credits. They're where Jewel's and Nancy O'Dell's would've been. You mean to say, with all you have at your disposal, you didn't have the wherewithal or the bit of time needed to reorder the credits, show? Really, show?

My take is that Shawn has earned third place in the competition. She moves well enough, but, over the course of the season, she's never gained on expression in her dances, she's still got the gymnast's arms thing going on, and nuance... Oh, how I'd love to see some nuance in her dancing. But, I'm biased, as I far prefer the subtle touches in dance to the flashy lifts and jumps. Their freestyle was exactly what I was expecting, and... Okay, but not my thing.

Melissa and Tony... Well, I was hoping to be spared hip hop this season, because I hate hip hop (and it's one reason I don't watch SYTYCD). I guess... that freestyle was hip hop inspired. Blah, but extra points for Tony's shirt!

Why why why is ballroom not good enough for the freestyles? Yeah, and I agree with Bruno's final comment: More dancing.

Oh, well, I'm usually underwhelmed by the freestyle round of competition - Too much emphasis on freakin' lifts! - and this year is no different. So, based on cumulative efforts, I'll be happy with either Gilles or Melissa winning with the other coming in second. The judges have pretty much taken themselves out of the equation, per usual, so I guess it's up to the audience to decide. As usual.

Before tonight, I really thought it was down to Melissa/Tony and Gilles/Cheryl. But I was right with the judges on their freestyles: Both were disappointing.

Melissa and Tony could've done such a nice ballroom-style dance that played to her ballet strengths. Why hip-hop?

And Cheryl, why did you make yourself the focus of the final dance? That wasn't a good call.

In the end, I went to the ABC site and voted twice for Shawn/Mark, twice for Gilles/Cheryl and once for Melissa/Tony. I won't be surprised if Shawn ends up winning and if she does, tonight she showed she could do so credibly.

ETA: Paso doble to "So What?" Really?

There was a storm in my area, stupid satellite had no signal. Can anyone tell me what the scores were? I had no signal after the GlittaWockeeZ performance.

My goodness, those freestyles were underwhelming.

Although I, once again, had to wonder what dance the judges had watched when they scored Shawn, because it sure wasn't what I saw (judging from posts here so far, I must be alone in my opinion). And the same in reverse with Gilles' dance (I liked it more than the judges did). Of course, the judges had to set things up for the final.

I can't remember, do the results from tonight (judge + fan vote) carry over to the final? If so, then I think Shawn just won. This is a bad thing, IMO, because it would mean the best/most consistent dancer didn't win.

(edited to explain: I am one of those who think Shawn has a huge fan base that no amount of judicial tinkering can overcome; assuming Shawn and Gilles are the final 2, and with tied judge scores from tonight, if the fan vote carries over to tomorrow then Shawn will probably win)

I am not a fan of the freestyle in general but I liked Shawn's the most. Melissa's dance was lackluster but I did enjoy Gilles. Shawns was fast and youthful and fun to watch. Melissa's song made it difficult to choreograph because its not the most fluid melody. The choreography was sup par as well as the execution. I think she and Tony are adorable, but I wanted more from them. I really like Gilles' song so that might be a source of bias but I enjoyed the routine overall.

The paso dance off bored me a little TBH; probably because its not a dance I generally enjoy.

I like all of the top 3 but I'd love to see Shawn take it all.

The Good:
Len dancing during the Gilles visit. More of that, please!
Gilles and Cheryl's paso. Fantastic.
Shawn and Mark's freestyle (when I saw the outfits, I thought it would be horrible, but it was way better than expected).

The Bad:
CAI visiting Tony and Melissa after a season of hating on them.
Melissa's paso (I thought she looked really confused during that dance).
The unnecessary yards of fabric used for Shawn's paso dress. That frock was just overwhelming on her.
Tony Dovolani dancing hip-hop. Somehow that didn't work.
Gilles and Cheryl's way-too-Cheryl-focused freestyle. That was an error in judgement. Way too light on the dance content for him, and too heavy on the Cheryl-Gilles lust.

The Ugly:
Melissa's PVC dominatrix paso getup, bejeweled freestyle bra, and lower-back tattoo. Just. Way. Too. Much.

IMO, Melissa doesn't stand a chance. It's between Gilles and Shawn for the trophy.

Too much lifting and not enough dancing in the freestyle for all the couples, and I hated the music for the Paso. By default, I think that Giles takes the contest.

I think this is a tie between Shawn and Gilles while Melissa goes out third, and that's why they were tied. I didn't think in any way either of the girls earned a ten in the paso. Shawn had unconvincing leg action - it wasn't just performance, it was how not clear it was. Hit and Miss. Melissa was a little plastic in her affect but I think more consistent in her paso performance mode, even though there were some blunders and yet what do you know, two tens.

Pretty sure the shoulder accounts for the freestyle.

I'm very disappointed with both Melissa and Gilles. I was expecting a lot more from them. Based on tonight's performance, I am now hoping that Team Shark wins the DWTS Trophy.

All three pasos were pretty good but agree that Melissa's wasn't up to where Gilles or Shawn's were.

Freestyle: embarrassing all around. 80's Night!

Shawn & Mark - Mark's gawping really took me out of it, plus it looked like it was from some kid's show. I know Shawn's 17, but still.

Melissa and Tony - so want Tony to win, but not Melissa. Why did they do hip hop? Len hate's hip hop more than anything in the world and they weren't together and it was just embarrassing.

Gilles and Cheryl - wasn't great but it was better than Melissa and Tony's. Funny to see Bruno covering his eyes as though he was having acid flashbacks of his own career!!! It was quite juvenile and expect more from both!

I'm voting for Gilles. Would like to vote for Shawn, but just don't want Mark to win!

Is it me, or did everyone's scores end up the same at the end of the night? There was no recap at the end, but I'm pretty sure they all equaled 58. Am I wrong?

I enjoyed Shawn and Mark's freestyle the most. It was a lot of fun and they were hilariously excited about how it turned out afterwards!

Best line of the night was Tony quoting Ty in the clip before the freestyle. "I've learned that without risk there can be no reward." Made me laugh out loud.

I thought Shawn had a great freestyle and I enjoyed watching it. I loved seeing Apollo support his fellow Olympian. I bet Shawn really appreciated him coming to see her, especially since he was her favorite dancer on the show!

I thought Gilles had the best paso though, but I agree that the freestyle was underwhelming. I was expecting a lot from Cheryl, especially since her freestyles with Drew and Emmitt were better choreographed.

This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I liked Melissa's freestyle. I thought it was fun, even if it wasn't as good as it could have been. I just thought Gilles, and especially, Shawn had better dances.

Shawn and Mark's freestyle was SO AWESOMMMMMEEEEEE! It was fun, energetic - bit of dancing, bit of stunting. Just fabulous.

As I was watching Melissa and Tony's freestyle I was screeching at the TV because the judges have ALWAYS!! had bad things to say about hip hop freestyle routines. Tony went from one extreme with Stacy Keebler to the other extreme with Melissa. Oh, it was good but just didn't have IT.

I had the same opinion as the judges before they gave their opinion. Why oh why were they dancing to a song that totally focuses on Cheryl?? Weird!

I don't really care who wins to be honest. It's just been a fun season.

Gilles won the paso dance off, hands down IMO. I thought Shawn and Melissa were more than one or two points worse than Gilles. Shawn's gymnastics arms returned and Melissa had a stumble.

Shawn's freestyle was like a Kristi redux down to the costumes for me. I thought Mark choreographed something interesting with channeling Jabbawocky at the start. I was disappointed there. I give Shawn credit for dancing well but Mark's overdancing made her look a bit out of sync, IMO. I admire Kristi more now for how she kept up with him. It was fun but been there, done that. Overall, the freestyles were underwhelming.

I've decided if you go 2nd in the finals, you will most likely finish third. I expect Melissa to be third tomorrow.

No surprise the judges tied Gilles and Shawn. I think Shawn is winning the fan vote and will win tomorrow. Loving her will offset another Ballas win with a popular Olympian.

Highlight? Seeing so many DWTS alums in the audience. Warren, Emmitt, Apolo (even if in just a clip), Brooke, Monique, Jane, Marissa and Holly.

Paso was all Cheryl and Gilles for me.

Freestyle... Shawn looked heavy on her feet, Melissa just meh, and I loved the Flashdance routine.

I'm a sucker for Flashdance and love Cheryl and whoever her partner is, particularly when he's as hot as Gilles.

I wonder this at the end of every season. So much missed opportunity.

I wanted Melissa and Tony to shine tonight, and with a ballroom or latin number perhaps they would have. But I'll be giving my votes to Gilles and Cheryl based on the season as a whole. Shawn and Mark's dancing just never touched me emotionally.

The finals have underwhelmed me yet again.

As for the Paso-dance off, Giles/Cheryl were the best as expected. I thought Melissa/Tony did well too but I was surprised to see the Mel/Maks costumes being recycled. Where's the originality? And Mark...what the heck did you design for Shawn? She's not matronly. It's the paso doble for goodness sake!

As for the freestyle, I thought Shawn/Mark did the best out of the three despite my hate for the music. Can this band get any worse? I was expecting more from Cheryl/Giles, but seriously, "What a Feelin" as a freestyle? Why?

And like others, what the heck is Tony wearing?

The highlight...seeing Apolo again! Oh how I miss seeing him in DWTS.

A near nekkid Bruno--EW!--but seeing Apolo totally wiped that from my brain and made up for it.

I enjoyed the paso dance off, but was completely underwhelmed by all the freestyles. If I had to pick one that I like most, I'd say Shawn and Mark's because it had the most energy, but I honestly don't think it was 30-worthy.

I think the final two will be Gilles and Shawn.

Cheryl took the potted plant approach for that bore of a freestyle. Could have cost them the trophy.

Shawn's paso costume made her look so matronly. And those bejeweled masks were freaky. But that last move they did in their freestyle was pretty cool. Can't wait to watch it again.

Unless Melissa has a huge fanbase, I say she goes out third.

Can someone refresh my memory: Do all three couples dance tomorrow for scores or just the top two?

Actually, CAI has never hated on Melissa & Tony. She has given them high praise and overscored them consistently.

I don't remember if it's been this way for all seasons, but in season 6 only the top two danced the next day for actual scores.

I know, I was really disappointed. Even if Gilles' arm was bothering him (which...well...he was able to do all those lifts, so I doubt that was the reason), he should have danced a bit more than what I saw. Then again, the high expectations may have worked against Cheryl, since she's so widely acclaimed for her freestyle with Drew.

I wasn't moved by any of the freestyles tonight, but I think Shawn's was the best, even though I was hoping they'd keep on the original costumes. Something seemed off about Melissa's and I definitely would put Gilles ahead of her. I think Gilles' routine was closer to being an overall audience pleaser but I agree with CA and Bruno about the lack of dancing. Very gracious man, though. Love him. Enjoyed the paso, but all in all, I would have preferred seeing last year's Grease number again to any of tonight's freestyles.

Once again Cheryl rips off an old dance routine for the freestyle. That was boring.

I liked Melissa & Tony, but I think hip hop has been done to death.

Shawn & Mark won the night. I would like to see them take it. I have to disagree with Shawn. She didn't get in trouble for putting gymnastics in her routine. She got in trouble because it was mostly gymnastics & very little dancing.

I will not presume anything, but based on the freestyle alone I know who SHOULD win. Shawn, and that's because in the past, normally the winner is determined by the freestyle. It is pretty much what everyone remembers and everyone looks at to judge the best dancer of the night. Gilles was also great though.

That was a whole lot of choreography fail in one night. Cheryl made Gilles's freestyle dance all about herself. Tony proves once again that he cannot choreograph an energetic, balanced freestyle. Mark always has good "show" choreography, so I'm not surprised Shawn and him took the freestyle round. However, I thought their paso section was awful. Perhaps it was the horrendously ugly costumes, but it just felt very heavy. Mark didn't completely out dance her, though. I'll give it that. Melissa had a couple of bobbles in her routine, but she was noticeably more engaged and performance oriented. Gilles was great, but again I thought Cheryl's choreography for him was kinda... sparse.

Looks like Tony and Melissa eliminated themselves. C'mon Gilles!

I agree. I wish just once one of these pros would choreograph a graceful ballroom or something along the lines of a pas de deux like Dimitry and Chelsie performed in the opening results show. I'd kill for music during the finale that had a little less frenetic pace.

Tony I love you dearly but you went too far the other way from Season 2 with your choreo. I knew when they were talking about all the tricks they had planned that they wouldn't make it through with as much oomph as they started out. I also think a different style would have suited them better. Hip Hop has been done to death.

Much as it pains me to say it because I'm not a fan of Cheryl or Mark one of them is going repeat. It's too bad because I really like Tony this year and I enjoy Tony and Melissa as a partnership. But they didn't have it tonight.

I know I'm supposed to like Gilles and want him to take it home but I just don't. I blame Cheryl.

Shawn/Mark will win much as I am not a fan of Mark or that pairing. I also thought they were overscored in the freestyle.

Gilles' Paso was clearly the best, much better than the few points difference between the scores indicated.

As the season progresses my Mark hate grows. He was mugging again and it completely took me out of the freestyle.

edited to add that that Paso song sucked monkey balls.

Seeing Apolo was a bigger highlight than seeing all the other returning celebs. Second is Emmitt. I want to see him dance again.

humdrum, I agree. I like Shawn and the freestyle was fun, and best of the night but 30? Maybe if it did not remind me so much of Kristi's freestyle, I'd appreciate it more. Seeing another Hough/Ballas celebration tomorrow is going to be annoying.

I hope it did not happen because I do think Gilles deserves it, but I could see this happening. I think she is the smartest of the remaining pros, but I felt she made a mistake tonight. I think Shawn's winning because though Gilles was much better than Shawn or Melissa in the paso, the freestyle is the last impression and Shawn left the most positive one.

I was rooting for Tony but that freestyle was lost on me as soon as I heard the song. I think it was the wrong song and dance for Melissa. But it was better than Stacy's freestyle but that doesn't say much.

I think the pros really let their partners down tonight, in terms of choreography. What a shame, and so disappointing to watch.

Gilles Paso was amazing, and Shawn had the best freestyle.

I actually voted for Shawn tonight, for the first time.


edited to include my squealing over Apollo.

Shawn's paso outfit was lovely and flattering. I thought she looked cute in the lime freestyle number. Her and Mark definitely had the best freestyle. Despite a fair amount of lifts and tricks, they had more dancing than the other two. I liked that Tom called them "Las Vegas bank robbers. Wasn't real sure about the need for the first costume.

Melissa was as underwhelming as she always is to me. The Paso was the worst, and she did look frightened and was helped by great makeup. Not sure how she got anything beyond 9's. Although parts of the freestyle were catchy, it was most cheerleading tricks and lifts (what a stretch for her). Tony's choreography was Stacyesque, and it will probably put them in 3rd place.

Gilles and Cheryl ruled the paso. They deserved a perfect score. I really expected more of Cheryl than lifts, tricks, and sexual innuendos. Len hates props, and the chair was totally unnecessay. Her choreography has been so much better in past finals. I'm afraid the freestyle may cost Gilles the trophy and first place to Shawn.

Gilles for the win!

and Tia...

I have to watch Gilles' freestyle again but thought Melissa and Tony's definitely lost steam in many places. I agreed that she should have gone with elegant.

Hated the pasos. The music was just so wrong because its aggression was all in the words rather than the music which was pop-py and uninspiring. Gilles won it, but I didn't enjoy him winning it, because their costumes sucked (as did Mark and Shawn's) and the music blew.

Shawn's freestyle was okay, but really, considering that's the best top three dancers in the history of the show, very underwhelming overall.

Loved Gilles in the first round tonight and voted (for the first time) for him. He's just been the best all season, IMO and it would be a shame for him to lose. Such a natural talent. I liked but did not love his freestyle dance. I wished there had been more "dancing" but it's nice to see him (and Shawn and Melissa) having some fun -- and I thought they all looked like they enjoyed their dances.*

Shawn has danced a few good dances and her freestyle had energy, but I would be disappointed if she won. To me, there is just something lacking. I felt that way with her freestyle tonight -- it was fun and cute and high-energy, but .... I really didn't believe it should have scored a 30! She and Mark didn't seem to be together and he was outdancing her several times.


*ETA: at least compared to some of the other weeks I've seen. This is the first season that I've watched most of the show.

That was all so disappointing - didn't like any of it. Don't know if I'll even bother to watch tomorrow.
Stupid paso dance off - horrible music - not one good freestyle. boo!

Shawn and Mark - 28 + 30 = 58
Melissa and Tony - 29 + 27 = 56
Gilles and Cheryl - 30 + 28 = 58

I don't know if it was the crappy music, but none of the pasos did anything for me. And I can't believe that I actually agree with the judges on the freestyles - at least on the critiques. After Shawn and Mark danced I'm thinking...I enjoyed it, but don't know that it's a 30. Then I saw the other 2 couples and I'm thinking...awkward. Not enough dancing, just going from trick to trick to trick without any smooth transitions. Overall, totally underwhelmed tonight.

It's funny. Right after Shawn completed her freestyle, I thought to myself "there is no way she is going to win with that routine." IMO, the song choice and choreography were lackluster. Then I saw Melissa and Giles' routine and now it looks that Shawn might actually win. Too bad. I think overall Melissa and Giles were the stronger dancers.

Did not like the music for the group paso, would have preferred more traditional music.

I found all the free styles underwhelming but give it to Shawn, that being said, she does not deserve to win. Over the course of the show I would give it to Gilles.

I wish they would do more ballroom freestyles too. As much as I didn't like Joey Fatone I did like he and Kym's freestyle which blended nice ballroom styles.

I still voted for Melissa, despite the underwhelming freestyle. Gilles' wasn't any better, imo, and I've preferred Melissa's dances to Shawn's all season. But most of all, I want Tony to win over Cheryl and Mark...that's the real reason I threw my votes that way.

That said, this is the first season where I really don't mind who wins 'cause they all deserve it.

I know Mark wanted to choreograph a costume change, but the Jabbawocky mask was gimmicky and it seemed out of place from the rest of the dance. Eh, at least it was at the start. Though if we are stuck with Macy's Stars of Dance, Jabbawocky would have a fun performance. For the closest and best final 3 ever, ITA. I do wish they did more freestyles like Joey F. in incorporating lifts and dance.

Tom, love you but stop reminding me of the DDD (dreaded doll dance).

loveisthedrug, Last season, they had all three finalists dance another dance before they announced the eliminated celeb. Prior to that, all the previous seasons of course only had the final 2 dance. I think since Jeffrey Ross is doing a roast again, all three will dance a repeat dance before the final 2 is announced. Since in the previous seasons, the first elimination is done right away, I figure they are holding the elimination off until the roast.

I was all about Tony winning this season but I cannot in good conscience vote for him after that god-awful freestyle. And those costumes. That shirt needs to be destroyed.

ETA: thanks for the reminder, harvestbasket. :)

I think I am the only one who actually liked Melissa and Tony's dance. I liked it far better than Mario Lopez and Apolo's hip hop freestyles. Melissa actually looked cool instead of cutesy.

I thought Gilles looked uncomfortably, ahem, "feminine" in his dance. Also, Bruno was absolutely right that he did not dance enough. My husband, a Cheryl lover, thought it was hot. Maybe they were trying to expand their fanbase to include some men.

I was happier with the freestyles tonight than I usually am.

I was shocked when the show ended in an hour. It hasn't been that short before has it? I guess they want to get the Bachelorette off to a good start.

I think Melissa will be 3rd, Gilles will be 2nd, and Shawn will be 1st.

Amen, that shirt was just all kinds of wrong.

I think that Shawn's freestyle had plenty of dancing, especially compared to Melissa and Gilles' routine. Not sure if it was 30-worthy in and of itself, but compared to the latter two...

Gilles might join the camp of those stars who were potentially screwed out of a trophy because of a disappointing freestyle (hey, Mel B!). Tonight was perhaps the most inopportune time ever for Cheryl to have a brain fart with her choreography. Tony, too, but at least from him I (to some degree) expected it.

No wonder the wonder triplets keep winning...at least they know how to choreograph good freestyles. It might not be fair that in the end the show seems to come down the freestyle, but you'd think they (the pros) would know the name of the game by now.

ETA: I feel bummed that it looks like Melissa and Tony will be going out third. Never been a huge Tony fan, but it would have been nice to see him take his first trophy, especially since I'm finding him more likable this season.

Can we say "score manipulation?"

Sure we can!

I don't have a huge problem with the Paso scores. But a 30 for Shawn's freestyle? A 27 would have been adequate for both hers and Melissa's. That said, I thought Gilles was doomed in the freestyle round the minute I heard they'd picked "What a Feeling" as the song. I enjoyed watching it, but it didn't have the "OH MY GOD" factor of the freestyles Cheryl designed for Drew or for Emmit. Cheryl, Cheryl. Just when Gilles really needed you to go into dominatrix mode, you cave on song choice. Much as I wanted Gilles to get a 30 for his freestyle, I have to agree with his getting a 28.

On the plus side, it did take me nearly a half hour during the show to register my five votes by phone for Gilles. So that's something.

So, for the paso doble, Gilles was wearing my grandmother’s table cloth, and Shawn her curtains.

Len cracked my shit up during his DANCMSTR segment: Yes please! Yes please!

Paso doble, from best to worst:

Gilles - don’t like that arm styling move that Cheryl put in both of his pasos (the Yes please! move) – his hands just look weird, and…well, it’s off. Everything else was pretty good.

Melissa – her performance and facial expressions were fierce! She was a little bit wobbly again with the choreo, but much better than last time.

Shawn – no improvement. Still dead in the eyes, and her chin was lowered so far she was practically gazing into her own belly button.

The singers – dear Lord in Heaven, that was bad.

Freestyles:

Shawn/Mark – how in the hell did Shawn manage the best freestyle of the night? Despite the creepy-ass glittery face mask with black jumpsuit and totally recycled Kristi freestyle choreography, she had the most energy and fun I think I’ve seen from her. I saw blank/dead eyes only once or so. Not 30-worthy, but still pretty fun.

Melissa/Tony – well, it was better than his Stacy freestyle. I think Melissa could have punched it more, but it wasn’t horrible.

Gilles/Cheryl – not impressed. He did do a lot of following Cheryl around. She should have totally choreographed an ending where he had water dumped on him, that would be a guaranteed thirty in my book :) I still want to give him a totally non-sexual hug, because he’s so grateful and endearing.

I don’t think the freestyles were a representation of who the truly best dancers were throughout the season (Gilles and Melissa), but I do think they show who is going to win. And I sadly think it’s Shawn. Not that I don’t think she’s totally adorable and sweet and well-poised and I want to pinch her cute little cheeks, but she is definitely 3rd best of the dancers.