I'm actually a bit disappointed. I thought Gilles was a better dancer and entertainer than Shawn. I enjoyed watching him a lot more. Ah well... at least I was interested enough in the winner to sit through an entire hour of fluff just to get to the finale hour.

Congrats to Shawn for winning the Battle of the Fan Bases.

Gilles wuz ROBBED!!!

What a dissappointing end to one of the best seasons. Nothing against Shawn but Gilles should have won that trophy. If not Gilles then I wanted Melissa to have it. Oh well, what can you do...

Talk about a filler show, it took them a whole hour just to get the finale dances and I could have done without Lady Gaga.

Congrats Anna, will look forwards to seeing her on the show next season.

On to SYTYCD!!

Less than 1% seperated top two? That is what they said, right? It's the outcome I expected, so there was no real shock there. If anything I was shocked that Gilles was so close behind.

Ah, but once again the Hough/Ballas clan hoist each other up in the air before bothering with their celebs. Nice to see some things haven't changed.

As much as an hour of filler is annoying, I do like them not eliminating the third placer early on like they have in the past. This way at least Melissa got more of her due instead of being cast aside at the half hour mark.

Fuck, fuck, and fuck. I have no words.

Fuck.

I don't get Lady Gaga...at all. Who is she?

Too bad Gilles came second, but not really surprising.

Yay for Shawn. :) Even though I don't think she was necessarily the absolute best dancer I am happy with her win. (Emmitt Smith wasn't the best dancer either, but hell if I didn't prefer him over Mario L.)

This time I see it was Derek's turn to rush over and grab Mark on to his shoulders (guess he wanted to return last season's gesture). Poor Shawn was neglected for a while! Oh well. Next season I won't be too sad if Mark, Derek, and Julianne (plus Cheryl) all take a break. Doubt we'd lose all three (four) of them at once, though.

Next season, can they please rope off the judges' area? Pretty please? Or at least make it an automatic point deduction?

Disappointed. Gilles was so consistently better all along. Sigh....

Aw, I'm so disappointed. I really thought Gilles deserved the trophy much more than Shawn. I'm glad they announced it was close, but disappointed that someone who looked to me like a squat wooden doll won over someone who looked to me to be a beautiful lyrical (in the poetry-sense) expressive dancer.

Everybody seemed to up their game tonight (except Lawrence the Jerk Taylor) which was nice. I appreciate the effort.

I'm afraid I love Lady Gaga.

Glad they chose to have Anna reprise her dance with Maks - good choice.

Gilles was utterly, unfathomably robbed.

I suppose it was better than Melissa coming in second...again. But Sheesh! did people who voted for Shawn SEE Gilles dance? W. T. F.!!!!!!!

I said when her name was announced that I thought Shawn would win; her fanbase is just huge. Nice that Gilles made it so close though. And she did have the best freestyle plus I loved her re-done cha cha.

I still wish Gilles would have won though. I think he was by far the best dancer. Melissa always looked a little too cheerleader for me and Shawn showed emotion in the dances maybe three times all season. Two winners in a row now who scare me with their dead eyes when they dance.

The 'reprise' dance has totally become the "Don't Fuck This Up Dance" as in, if you don't actually fall over the judges will give you a 30. I did like that Shawn and Mark chose to perfect their break-out dance instead of re-doing the AT; I think re-doing 30 dances is a mistake, there is no where to go but down.

Shawn on Chuck's shoulders at the end was too cute.



I saw that but for some reason it didn't bother me that much. I think I'm getting use to the Hough/Ballas OTTness and Mark is generally the one who bugs me most of all. I can understand them being excited for one another; the pros pretty much give up their lives for several months to totally structure themselves around their celeb and are expected to do so much (dancing, teaching, counseling, choreography, costuming). It did make me laugh that Mark being on Derek's shoulders took him out of the celebrations for a minute; the camera focused in tight on Shawn and her trophy and she was getting absolutely mobbed by everyone else, including Chuck and Julianne. And I noticed that Lil'Kim got a big hug with her other "Little."

What a rip. Twice now the best dancer - and my favorite - has been blatantly robbed. First Mel B, then Gilles.

Ah well, with any luck, this will land him more TV and movie roles.

But seriously, Shawn? No offense, but she was the third-best dancer out of the field. If not Gilles, then Melissa. WTF!

Congrats Shawn. Wrong person won, but good for her. Gilles was better throughout the season and deserved the win based on that.

It was also good to see that it was All. About. Mark. Shawn was just left standing there being happy by herself. Ugh. Hate.

What was up with Mark tonight? Most of the time he was on camera, he looked really pissed off, and was shaking at times. Is he on something?

And with such a small margin of victory, Cheryl must be kicking herself for designing such a crappy freestyle.

While I am dissapointed that Gilles didn't win, he has every reason to be proud of himself - anyways congrats Shawn!

Kudos to Chuck to lifting Shawn in the air. At least someone connected to the Family of Rudeness was smart enough to lift the winner.

Giles was totally robbed, but it just goes to show you how much that Freestyle counts. He was the stronger dancer all season, but the second Cheryl makes it all about herself, he loses. Sucks.

No, no, no, no! In my world, Gilles won. :)

Nice to see Mark and his brother-by-a-blonder-mother Derek got to celebrate with humility. [/sarcasm]

Some of those moments with returning contestants were...awkward. Belinda talking about how she'd tell her grandkids about the nausea? Did you see Jonathan's face? I love Jonathan.

Why did DAG and Kym have a much shorter dance time than everyone else? Was he still too pissed off to commit to the full time? He was going for sarcasm even when he had a chance to be more gracious.

That weird tension between Lawrence and Edyta was still there. She seemed very uncomfortable and confused by his comments, and I didn't understand most of what he meant.

The roast wasn't as bad as I thought it might be (his comments to Melissa were funny), but there was such awkward silence when he kept saying there were no stars in the finale. Did anyone else think Shawn looked kind of ticked off during the roast? Maybe she was nervous.

Lil Kim and Derek were off the charts tonight! I didn't miss them until tonight.

And of course one last performance from Ty and Chelsie, with one of my favorite dances from them, their lindy hop, also known as the dance where Ty's nice butt is given good airtime.

Who was that blonde from a previous season, she had on a red or pink dress? They interviewed her when the former contestants were talking about who they were rooting for. I didn't remember her.

So not happy with that result. Gilles was consistently the best dancer and yes, I voted every time. I'm just wondering why Carrie Ann didn't dock Shawn a point for the lift in her dance?

My sentiments exactly. Wow, so close - 1% difference. Shawn's monster fanbase did it. But Gilles should have won; he was so much better. <sigh>

Anyway, I thought Jeff Ross was good. :)

DAG . . .interesting comments. hmm.

Enjoyed seeing some of the others come back - esp Dmitry and Maks. :)

Ah, what a satisfying ending. So excited for Shawn and Gilles is a class act through and through.

I thought the roast was much better than last season's, so yay for Jeff Ross. Worst part of the evening was hands down Samantha. They let her talk a LOT tonight. Bad move, ABC. She hit bottom when she was interviewing Chuck after his dance. Gosh, that was uncomfortable. And who knew she could sing and act? Broadway? Should be interesting.

Hooray for Shawn and Mark. Not surprised how close it was in the end. And again, boo on Derek for lifting up Mark first but my man Chuck saved the day by putting Shawn up on his shoulders. Yay!

I'm not upset with Shawn winning... I was pulling for Gilles, but I'm okay with Shawn. But what really bugged? 10! 10! 10! Ad nauseum. You know what? Don't make a final dance that only the judges will score if they only give perfect scores!

Mark has struck me as off all season, but I'd just attributed it to his new look that he's going for.

I never thought I'd say it, but I have to agree with the kudos to Chuck. At least he hoisted Shawn, you know the winning celeb, in the air.

Gilles was a class act. Good on him. Hopefully his new fame will bring him many a career opportunities (besides his upcoming role on Brothers and Sisters).

After the judges totally glowing praise of Gilles, I actually believed for a moment he would win. Those Olympic medalists with America for a fanbase are hard to beat. Although Shawn was no Kristi Y., she really stepped up her dancing in the end. And she won the Freestyle. Still, in my eyes it should have been Gilles because he was undeniably the most consistent and exciting dancer all season.

I was so fine with Melissa coming in last.

Interesting group in camera shot surrounding Mark at the end. Very obnoxious.

Jeff Ross's roast? Why was that necessary? I hated it so much that I muted the tv rather than listen. Terribly uncomfortable making. Smokin, Croakin and Flaming? That was funny? So crude it was painful.

I really thought that Shawn did not improve her cha-cha at all. Melissa clearly improved her dance and I'd have to watch Gilles' again to make a decision.

I thought that Shawn was being attacked by the woman in yellow(hence the shriek of terror) and that's why she and Mark were separated ...... Chuck got her up oh his shoulders pretty quickly.

I did love her squeely scream when she realized she won … Gilles was pure class in his defeat, lovely comments to Shawn, Cheryl, his family, and the fan base.

Congrats to Shawn for winning.

That said, that was a predictable finale and I wish Gilles had won. I was rooting for Shawn to make it to the finals, but I thought Gilles was the better performer and dancer and I voted for him. I liked how he was consistent throughout the entire competition.

Yeah, that annoyed me too. Gah.

However, I did like how Lil Kim and Melissa ran up to Shawn and were hugging her. And good for Chuck for putting Shawn on his shoulders. At least he's not freaking Corky.

In the words of the great Stephen Fry, Buttery Fuck.

Congrats Shawn! Totally deserved. Shawn was my favorite from day one. She was the only who I looked forward to, and it was great watching her come out of her shell.

And I thought Mark looked shocked. He obviously knew how big her fan base was, but the standard school of thought is that a good looking guy will beat the girl. But I thought Mark handled winning very well. He gave Shawn the trophy, and only took it when she handed it to him.

Gilles is a very good dancer. But DWTS is not just about that. Never has been, never will be. And I for one am thankful for that.

Really, once Melissa was announced as being 3rd, I was OK with whatever happened.

I didn't care which of the three won but Shawn was my favorite. Gilles is no Mel B so his loss doesn't bother me. At all. If it's anyone's fault blame Cheryl for that freestyle. Honestly, this was his final to win. Or do I want to say lose? Either way he had it in the bag and Cheryl disappointed me.

So, is this 3/3 for the Olympians? 3/4 if you count Misty.

Heh, I know, right? I think the freestyle really did ultimately cost Gilles the trophy, because it made him lose a certain amount of momentum. While we hardcore TWOP viewers may have already had our favorites, I don't know how much that holds true for the casual voter/viewer.

Anyway, I don't think he was OMG TEH AWESOME and I loved Shawn so I'm not unhappy. Bummed on Tony's behalf though. I bet next season he gets another Jane Seymour type and I'll be back to hating him.

Perhaps it was Shandi...not sure about her last name, but she used to be the co-host of Lingo on GSN.

Also, I would have much rather seen full dances from all the celebs, instead of from Woz and LT. Denise Richards looked even worse than before, but I thought Steve-O looked magnificent.

LT sucks. Way to half-ass your dance, jerk.

And I like Lady GaGa, but she has the most unfortunate face. Sorry, but she does!

I love Shawn Johnson and thought she had it in the bag after yesterday's freestyle. That said, after Gilles did his tango, I though, "Dang, he really does deserve that trophy" - and I was actually disappointed he didn't win.

It all came down to the freestyle.

Way to go, Shawn!! She won it with her freestyle, and there's nothing wrong withthe trophy going to those who finish strong. I disagree Gilles was the best overall dancer, but he was obviously good, as was Melissa.
I'd like to think it was a one vote margin, and that one vote was Drew Lachey, who vowed to vote for Shawn. That would be too cool.

Except Mario L. was a smug, a-hole...but Gilles was one of the nicest guys ever on the show and this is why for me personally, this leaves such a bad taste in my mouth. I like Shawn and think she was cute but honestly I feel like she was the third consistent performer on the show so this win seems really unfair.

Plus, it REALLY, REALLY sticks in my craw that one of the annoying three won again. I think I may have to take a break from this show. Honestly, I knew Shawn had it the moment Tom stressed how close the vote was and not for nothing but Tom's face almost looked like he wasn't happy with the decision.

I think the same thing that did Mel B. in also did Gilles in --- a completely underwhelming free dance. While we’d like to think that fans vote on a contestant’s body of work, leaving a good lasting impression is just as important (for that casual voter) as having a large fan base.

What a horribly disappointing outcome. This is the worst decision since Marion Lopez outdanced everyone the whole season and lost in the final. Gilles was hands-down the best dancer all season long and then it comes down to this.

Every season the judges subtly let America know who their choice of winner is. They rig the points intentionally so that the slimmest of margins separates the top three, so it comes down to the vote, then tonight everyone wastes their time on a final dance that 'conveniently' garner perfect scores and has absolutely no bearing on the final outcome.

I'm sure Shawn is a nice girl and all that, but I think the voters were blinded by the Chunky Monkey's Olympic gold and the fact that she was the youngest dancer ever to be on the show.

Gilles was robbed.

Well I saw a whole group of people swarm Shawn, so I'm not sure I'd say she was neglected. I think they may have even tried to lift her. I was pretty impressed by the way Chuck hoisted up on his shoulders. I know she probably weighs nothing, but still.

I was rooting for Shawn. I really liked her freestyle. I liked Melissa & would have been happy if she had won for Tony's sake. Gilles' free dance probably cost him the title & I think Cheryl is to be blamed for that. It's as if she was resting on her laurels.

Congrats Shawn. I'm shocked, I had no idea she had such strong support. Once again I found myself annoyed that Lady Derek and his ladyhair rushed over to lift MARK, not Shawn.

Me too! Love her music and love her weirdness and her performances. However, what was supposed to be a "disco stick" unfortunately looked to me like a toilet bowl brush.

For someone who didn't have much of a fan base in the beginning, Gilles should be proud of himself. He's the winner for me!

Should have been Gilles.

I actually thought the roast was funny except for the Steve W. part. That was just uncomfortable.

Gilles was nice, but I personally was over his whole sexy Frenchman "look at me, I love and adore women and set them swooning" persona, so in terms of personality I still preferred Shawn. Of course she had the "she's only 17!" shtick going for her, which was also annoying...but better than feeling like I was being told to love and swoon over Gilles.

I really was expecting that Gilles was still going to pull out the win, but I am thrilled for Shawn! Her reaction was adorable. She really did up her game these past few weeks and as long as it was either her or Gilles who won, I'm happy.

What a waste of time. I'm sorry Gilles, you deserved that trophy. I can't feel the love for an athlete who wins a dance competition.

the most unfortunate face! May I steal this?

I love tonight's decision. People say that Gilles has been better all season-and that might be true- but doing better all season has never determined the winner on this show. Drew Lachey won season 2, despite the wrestler girl being the front runner the entire season every week. Ditto Emmitt Smith vs Mario Lopez, and Helio vs. Mel. The winners have always been the ones who had the best FREESTYLE dance, and I said this last night in last night's thread. So, based on that, Shawn earned her win. Also, even if Gilles was better, at least he didn't lose to someone far behind him. Shawn was extremely talented and pretty much at his level at the end. Congrats, Shawn!!!

I knew Shawn was going to win and all, but...

FUCK!

Gilles, you were the winner in my book.

Awww hell no!!!!!!!!!!! Gilles was the best dancer the entire effin' season. Hands down. In my mind the order should've been 1) Gilles, 2) Melissa and 3) Shawn.

I'm tired of the Hough/Ballas domination on this show. Shawn reached a plateau in her dancing a few weeks ago, IMHO. I don't ever want to hear anything anymore about how Sabrina and Mark were robbed a couple of seasons ago because tonight more than makes up for it. I'm so pissed right now, I'm not sure I'm going to watch this crap anymore unless they make some major changes with the judges and pro dancers.

Absolutely shocked the show even revealed that. Gilles, be proud. To come finish that close against Shawn Johnson is quite impressive, IMO. The gap being that small was the biggest surprise.

ToothbrushFence, I also noticed the pissed off and shaking at times. It added to my annoyance. But I agree with spanana it all seems to be part of Mark's new look. I had no issue with the whole celebration at the end as much they all congratulated Shawn. I thought the whole falling on the floor during the judges' comments was obnoxious and was annoying after they were announced the winners. Also, "I brought Shawn to the finals". Really? Not that enormously large fan base of Shawn. Kudos as her pro but way to make it about you, right when I started to tolerate you for some weeks this season. I'll miss Julianne and Derek if they took a season off (mileage varies) but if that's what it takes to see the Hough/Ballas win ending, it would be nice. Mark can take a season off or two if he wants to fulfill his singing career. Especially when they have another popular Olympian so he doesn't get another guaranteed ticket to the finals and win.

That said, I am happy and proud for Shawn. She genuinely looked happy and not over the top in her celebration. At the end it did come down to the fan bases. Julianne quickly gave her hug and Derek's attempt to hug while trying to hoist Mark, much as he did for Mark in season 6, at the same time was amusing to me. But her long hug with Lil Kim was sweet. Really unlikely friendships. I noticed Steve-O was the first to get up to give Gilles his standing ovation.

Lady Gaga is no Adele but much better than Miley Cyrus as the final performer.

The ending was predictable and I expected the outcome so I found other entertaining moments. Emmitt and Warren's response to LT's dance was the highlight for me.

Too much Samantha tonight. Way too much. I felt she did too much of the interviewing tonight.

Loved seeing Ty and Lil Kim. Those two were not the best dancers but amusing and I enjoyed watching those two dance more than the freestyles last night.