Dancing with the Stars Winner 2008: Brooke Burke Wins Season 7 Fi nale (Full Details)

This season on Dancing with the Stars had a little bit for everyone and now the finale is in the books. The winner for Dancing with the Stars season 7 is mother of four Brooke Burke and she had one of the great performances on the show in history on Monday night when she nailed the freestyle and she certainly deserves the win.

Dancing with the Stars Winner 2008 is Brooke Burke

Congratulations to Brooke and her partner Derek Hough who said earlier that his sister had won on the show as had his best friend and he believed that this year was a good time to break into the winner's circle and he certainly had an outstanding partner in Brooke as she was almost flawless at times and may have saved the show this season.

***

Second place goes to Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson. They were a blast to watch this season though it was a shock that the former noseguard from the NFL edged out Lance Bass as he showed a ton of talent on the dance floor with his very capable and lovely dance partner Lacey Schwimmer.


This season was just good enough and it certainly helped that all three of the final couples were so capable and likable. Sapp was the fan favorite by far (what is it with these former NFL stars) as he really should have come in third. Still, it was a very successful season and most fans will be right back in front of their television screens for the next round. I know I will.


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The inevitable finally became reality last night: Brooke Burke won the seventh season of "Dancing With the Stars" confirming the judges' opinions, if not necessarily the fans'.

Dialidol.com, a scarily accurate Web site that predicts winners for TV's mega-reality shows based on phone calls, actually had Warren Sapp well ahead yesterday. But that failed to take into account the slyly clever way "Dancing With the Stars" appoints winners - a combination of judge votes and fan votes. And guess what? The opinions of the three judges - who have heavily favored Burke all season - are essentially equal to the opinions of millions of viewers. That makes "DWTS" more of a talent contest than a popularity one (and come on! Let's admit that Burke was arguably the better dancer this season.)

But it also hardly helps this show overcome what some believe to be a basic flaw in ABC's single most important cash cow: That viewers tend to vote for men, but not women. Thus, the judges are the equalizers who trump viewers (who vote for their favorite - typically men.)

Did Burke deserve to win? Not according to fans of Lance Bass, who got better and better as the season progressed. Not according to fans of Sapp, who was one of the most charismatic performers in the history of "DWTS." But the onetime E! host and pro partner Derek Hough scored a perfect 30 judge score last night - enough to overcome a less robust turnout from viewers.


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As co-host Tom Bergeron’s booming voice will undoubtedly tell us when the results show opens at 8/7 Central, it all comes down to tonight on “Dancing With the Stars.” We will at last crown the winner of Season 7, by which I mean that someone will take home the mirror-ball trophy. I always imagine -– no matter who wins it -– that the trophy will someday undergo an adventure like the crystal egg in “Risky Business.” Maybe looking into the fate of the various trophies can be part of a future series on VH1: "After the Sequins."
So let’s look back at the extremes of Season 7. I’m doing this by memory and by looking at my old Show Tracker posts, so I’m hoping that you will all weigh in with your own categories, reminiscences and winners.

Best Co-Host
I’ve watched only the past two seasons of “DWTS,” but I suspect that Tom Bergeron is on a streak of winning this title. Tom brings welcome wryness, intermittent heckles and an ability to ad-lib to the show. I haven’t been keeping track of all of his off-the-cuff witticisms over the season, but last night had a good example: After Kym shed a s**** of sequins from her costume, Tom held it up and said, “On Edyta, this would be an entire costume.”
Worst Co-Host
When I give Samantha Harris this award, it is not from the perspective that I could do it better. Oh, no –- I certainly could not. I’m no good at improv, and even if I spent my days walking on my hands, my shoulders would never look so toned. And I certainly don’t blame her for the recent hairstyling malfunctions that have transpired. But really, what does she add to the show? Couldn’t those post-dance interviews have a bit more content? That was one thing Cloris Leachman really brought to “DWTS”: the possibility that something interesting might occur in the red room.
Most Dramatic Injury
No surprise here: Misty May-Treanor looked at Cristian de la Fuente’s ruptured bicep from last season and decided to totally outdo him by rupturing her Achilles. That seems like a million years ago, doesn’t it? Who knows what might have been if she’d remained in the competition? I bet she would have outlasted Susan Lucci at least.
Least Dramatic Injury
I suppose this would have to be Jeffrey Ross’ scratched cornea back in Week 1. Now, I don’t doubt that a scratched cornea is debilitating and painful, but what a way to go out –- wearing an eyepatch.
Most Noticeable Improvement
My gut is to say that Lance Bass is the winner here, but I think part of it is really improved choreography –- namely, that Lacey figured out how to showcase her and Lance’s strengths while also playing to the judges’ requirements. But Lance did at least stop talking about his tortured past as the worst dancer in NSYNC, and I consider that a big improvement.
Improbable Lack of Improvement
This award has to go to Lucci, who struck me as genuinely eager to improve and yet totally failed to do so. Sure, the judges sometimes applauded her for showing more tiger in her performances, but, really, she remained so careful, restrained and nonrhythmic that her final week wasn’t really much better than, say, Week 2.
Most Surprising Elimination
The obvious answer here is Toni Braxton, who possessed the technical s**** to go much further in the competition but who was eliminated before Cloris. This did not totally defy explanation, however, since she and Alec did seem to have a hard time really pulling it all together -– technique, charisma, choreography –- into a judge- and crowd-pleasing spectacle.
Least Surprising Elimination
The week Misty had to withdraw, we learned that Rocco DiSpirito would have been axed if Misty had stayed on to compete. So it was hardly shocking when Rocco went home the following week.
Most Clever Results-Show Filler
I liked the fake political advertisements about each contestant just before the election. In particular, the anti-Cloris ad stood out: “Hasn’t Cloris Leachman cost this production enough?”
Most Tired Results-Show Filler
Do we really need to have so many trash-talking clip sequences that take place in underground, industrial, steam-filled settings? Maybe if the writers of “The Daily Show” were making up the lines, it would be worth it. Otherwise, I beseech the producers and writers of “DWTS” to come up with something different for next season.
Most Ingenious Casting Decision
Based on the media coverage and on the feistiness of the comments on this and other blogs, the casting of Cloris brought new life –- and peril -– to each episode in which she remained in contention.
Most Reckless Casting Decision
If some comments are to be believed, the casting of Cloris may have driven longtime viewers away from the show since she stayed on well past the point where her technical s****s merited it. Of course, as other commenters have pointed out, this isn’t the first time that someone has remained in contention based on personality and fan base rather than dancing abilities.
Best Dance(s)
OK, this was prompted by Monday night’s look back at each finalist’s best performances, but that was helpful. Brooke’s paso doble to the diamond-commercial music was indeed breathtaking, and, as I’ve mentioned, I really liked Lance’s tango. The best of all dances may have been Julianne and Derek’s jive –- designed by the viewers –- which made me feel a bit woozy with exhaustion just by watching it.
Worst Dance(s)
I suppose she just knew it was time to go, but Cloris’ final dance, the cha-cha, seemed like a rather weak effort for someone who had stayed in for more than half of the season. And Susan’s performance in the group hip-hop routine -– yikes. These stood out as worse than some of the merely inept dances by those who were eliminated earlier.
Most Welcome Innovation
I thought that the introduction of several group and team dances –- performed for judges’ scores, viewers’ votes, or both –- was a good call. It was interesting to see which stars could perform well as part of a team. I’m not talking so much about who’s a good team player as who could manage to dance well in unison, which seems like a s**** that’s relevant to choosing a winner. And these group numbers just provided nice energy and broke up what can get to be a very rote structure as the season wears on.
Less Successful Innovation
I don’t think this move was totally unsuccessful, but I had mixed feelings about the four new dances introduced: the West Coast swing, the hustle, the salsa and the jitterbug. In short, I thought the West Coast swing was kind of a dud –- it fell into the rumba and Viennese waltz category of snoozers. If they do these dances again, I think that the producers got something right on the second go last week -– namely, to have pros show us what the dances should look like before we see the competing couples perform them.
So that’s my take, fans. What do you think? What were the highlights and lowlights for you? What did I forget?

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They did the tango, the samba and the quickstep, and when the music stopped Brooke Burke and Derek Hough won U.S. television contest "Dancing With the Stars," waltzing away with the coveted mirror ball trophy.
Their victory on Tuesday night capped a stunning season for Burke, the 37-year-old former host of E! television show "Wild On," and her professional dancing partner Hough.
The pair came in first place in eight episodes of the show and topped the season of one of U.S. TV's most popular shows with a perfect score of 30 on the final night and 88 points out of 90 for their last three dances.
Dancing a Viennese waltz, Burke and Hough beat former 'NSync singer Lance Bass, 29, and his dancing pro Lacey Schwimmer, as well as one-time professional football player Warren Sapp, 35, and his partner Kym Johnson.
"Unbelievable," was all that Burke could utter upon finally winning the program.
Hough, who suffered from a sore back in a season filled with injuries to other competitors, also seemed overwhelmed.
"The journey's been so long. It's been tough. It's been wonderful. It's been everything I could ever hope for," Hough said.
Sapp, who finished No. 2, had become an audience favorite for his showmanship, but his lack of s****ed footwork hurt his chances with the show's judges. He and Johnson did the hustle in their last dance on Tuesday and earned a total 80 out of 90 in the final round of dances.
Finishing third was Bass who struggled early in the season but improved throughout. He had gained momentum going into Tuesday's finale by becoming the only contestant to beat Burke. But a final jitterbug earned Bass a total 81 of 90 for the last three dances and was not enough to top Burke.
Winners are decided by a combination of judges' scores and audience voting.
"Dancing with the Stars," on the ABC broadcast network, is among the most popular U.S. TV shows and while ratings slipped slightly in its seventh season, the program still drew around 20 million viewers a week.
Along with the dancing, Tuesday's finale was filled with appearances from singers Alicia Keys and Miley Cyrus and former contestants such as 82 year-old Cloris Leachman, who delighted audiences this season with her sense of humor.
Other former contestants who danced in the finale included actor Cody Linley, daytime TV star Susan Lucci and comedian Jeffrey Ross.
ABC is a unit of The Walt Disney Co..

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In contrast to Season 6, it really seemed to me that any of the Season 7 finalists could win, depending on how the audience voted and how the mysterious “Dancing With the Stars” vote weighting worked.
Each finalist brought specific strengths to the competition. Brooke Burke was technically strong and very consistent, and her and Derek’s routines were often more ambitious than those of the other contestants. Lance Bass and Lacey exhibited a great deal of stage presence and solid technical s****s; over time, too, their choreography managed to hit the right balance of personality and adherence to the rules. Warren Sapp and Kym consistently wowed the live audience with their exuberance, and Warren got high marks for degree of personal difficulty, given that he’s a 300-pound ex-NFL player.
In the end, though, Brooke’s s****s won out, with Warren coming in second, and Lance –- surprisingly (to me, at least ) –- landing in third.
Tonight, all of the stars from Season 7 were back ...

... in the ballroom, and Alicia Keys and Miley Cyrus were the musical guests.
I’m always struck by how beautiful Alicia Keys is, but the dancing in her number looked to be out of a workout video, and not a particularly vigorous one at that. It would be a workout video with a marketing slogan like: “Lose weight just by walking with a bit of a shimmy!”
And, hey, Miley Cyrus sure is young. Didn’t she promise to be in the audience to watch her “Hannah Montana” colleague Cody Linley perform? I guess that promise was conditional: Only if he made it to the finals would she watch him perform. Anyway, I’ll admit that her song was catchy.
I’d forgotten that we got to see all of the stars perform again –- in order of elimination –- and although this seems like fairly flagrant filler, it was interesting to watch the contestants improve as the weeks wore on.
Jeffrey Ross and Edyta performed the quickstep; if memory serves, this version was more nimble. Ted McGinley and Inna were back with the foxtrot, and it was nice to see Ted’s deep tan, crisp part and sparkling white grin again. Next up were Kim Kardashian and Mark with a mambo, and I’m sorry to report that Kim still hasn’t learned how to move her hips. The footwork was also shoddy. You really get spoiled by the quality of the dances later in the season, don’t you?
The returning stars and pros must also feel so out of shape compared with those who remained until the end. Even though they couldn’t dance, Misty May-Treanor and Maks were back. Misty got cleared to walk a few days ago, and she expressed eagerness to get back on the dance floor after her injury. Rocco DiSpirito and Karina danced their best number by far, the mambo, but it wasn’t quite as sharp this time around. Toni Braxton and Alec couldn’t dance tonight because of some “recent, minor, successful surgery” that Toni had, but she will be on the upcoming “DWTS” tour.
Cloris Leachman and Corky danced their tango, which was as dramatic as I remembered it being the first time. And you can bet that Cloris was excited to be back on stage, reveling in another standing ovation from the audience. Our co-hosts asked about Cloris’s rumored Broadway plans, but, whoops, it turns out that 75% (according to Cloris) of Broadway is closing in early January because, you know, people don’t go to shows during the economic apocalypse. Don’t they realize that Barack Obama is going to solve everything? You mark my words: Those shows will be back on as of Jan. 21, the day after Inauguration Day, which also happens to be the date that “Lost” returns and the day I am supposed to have my second child. An auspicious date indeed.
Susan Lucci and Tony reprised their paso doble, and something seemed terribly off about Susan’s hair. But the dance itself was well-executed. Maurice Greene and Cheryl danced the salsa, which had received accolades from the judges, including a hug from Carrie Ann. Maurice seemed to be having a great time, even more so than when they performed the dance for scores. There must be something so liberating about being eliminated. Just look at Al Gore. Cody and Julianne returned with their slap-sticky jitterbug, though they retained their blond hair for this version. And with that, Julianne left to focus on her music career, which, if the comments on this blog are any indication, may not be the best idea. I’m sure “DWTS” would have her back, however, if things don’t work out in Nashville; her energy and choreography add a great deal to the show.
You knew they’d get a lot of mileage out of Cloris in this finale, right? In filler, one bit found her looking disheveled in her last cha-cha costume, living in a box beside the others’ trailers. She then took to the streets to ask people whom they would be voting for. In another bit, a fake movie promo for “Dirty Dancing: The Senior Years,” we saw what was essentially a highlight reel of Cloris’ most outrageous moments.
Having been eliminated before he could further his career, comedian Jeffrey Ross was on hand to deliver a roast of the other competitors. The format of “DWTS” doesn’t really lend itself to roasting –- for instance, there doesn’t seem to be any drinking allowed in the ballroom -- so I’ll just report a couple of Jeff’s good lines. “What can you say about Lance Bass that hasn’t already been said about Clay Aiken?” and “Warren, you’re an inspiration. How can you dance eight hours a day every day for three months and stay so out of shape?”
Finally, we were on to our finalists’ last competitive dances. First on the dance floor were Warren and Kym, reprising their super-fun hustle, which was a best-of amalgamation of disco moves. Len said that Warren might not be the judges’ champion, but he is the people’s champion. Bruno, wearing a jacket that was even whiter than Ted McGinley’s teeth, said something about Warren’s craftiness, which seemed to be a compliment. Carrie Ann said that Warren makes everyone want to dance, which is actually kind of true. Score: 27/30, for a total of 80/90 from the three dances over two nights.
Next up were Lance and Lacey, who wisely did their nifty jitterbug from last week again. Although I wouldn’t have thought it possible, the dance actually seemed to have more energy than it did the first time. No shoes were shed this time, however. Bruno said Lance has become a great showman. Carrie Ann cited them for struggling with one lift, which even I noticed. She applauded them for never taking the safe road, however. Len expressed surprise that Lance had made it all the way to the finals but said he deserved it and had “sparkled” in the last few weeks. Score: 28/30, for a total of 81/90 for the three dances over two nights.
Dancing last were Brooke and Derek, who chose to do their Viennese waltz again. I felt this was a questionable decision, since the Viennese waltz is so blah compared to the alternatives. It did, however, showcase Brooke’s excellent form, fluidity and grace, and the classicism of the dance seemed to please the judges. There was one obvious little stumble, I thought, but the judges didn’t mention it. Carrie Ann, seemingly on the verge of tears, called Brooke a true star. Len said it was still the dance of the season. And Bruno called it –- or Brooke -– “bellissima.” Score: 30/30, for a remarkable total of 88/90 for the three dances over two nights.
After these final dances, we found out who landed in third place: Lance and Lacey. I found this shocking –- I’d have thought it would be Warren and Kym. And Joey Fatone –- who finished second in Season 4 -– will have something to lord over Lance forever. The 'N Sync dynamics may never fade, it seems, despite Lance’s progress in getting over the “worst dancer in the group” scarlet letter he was fated to wear.
And then it was on to the big reveal: the champions were Brooke and Derek, and Warren and Kym the runners-up. Brooke’s fiancé -- who has a very broad forehead and gives off the impression of wearing an ascot, even when he isn't -- beamed with pride.
So, fans, now that Season 7 has wrapped up, what do you think of the results? Of the show? Were you heartened? Disillusioned? Where should “DWTS” go next, directionally? If you could pick any lineup of stars to compete, who would they be? Which Season 7 star most successfully furthered his or her own career and why? As always, I very much look forward to hearing your comments, corrections and insights.