Underdogs spin to victory on ‘Dancing’

When Kelly and Alec stepped out for their freestyle number, Kelly was showing about 80 percent of the skin she possesses, meaning she had learned a little about at least one of her strengths. Their routine incorporated a few lifts and spins that were fairly impressive, though Kelly looked tentative on several and may have tripped at the very end. Nevertheless, the judges rewarded Alec and Kelly with three tens. Three tens! A perfect score, and a head-scratcher indeed. The final dance of the series had brought the most surprising outcome yet. Yet due to the vaguely explained rank of audience votes, it wasn't yet clear who had won.

The obligatory filler between the performances and the final reveal of the winner was provided by a sequence in which previously eliminated contestants — Trista Sutter, Evander Holyfield, Rachel Hunter, and Joey McIntire — returned with their partners to remind us of… well, mostly of the reasons they were eliminated. Evander, in particular, looked even more uncomfortable than he did when he was getting regular practice, and it still appeared as if his enormous stomping feet might be a threat to nearby villages. Trista still looked like even touching the hand of a man not her husband made her feel guilty. Perhaps she would have been more comfortable if she had performed while encased entirely in plastic wrap.

And then, it was time for the big announcement. And the winners were… Kelly and Alec. A triumph of the underdog, a story of working hard to overcome great odds, and a fittingly silly ending for a show that managed to become a hit in spite of never really finding a consistent tone. It didn't seem to be a real dancing contest, as the judges hardly ever talked about technique; they talked about attitude and whether things were "hot" and who was the "king" and who was the "team to beat." They never really did, for instance, explain the rumba or whether "Endless Love" was an appropriate choice for one. At least on "American Idol," they sometimes talk about the singing — you know, the high notes, the low notes, the ever-present inability to remain on pitch.

"Dancing With The Stars," probably because it involved celebrities who aren't there to be entirely humiliated, often seemed to be more about storytelling than dancing. John was the elegant old hand with the wife-like partner nagging him to lose a few pounds. Trista was the earnest but ultimately reluctant young bride, Evander was the determined but hopeless galoot, and Joey brashly took the lead with his sweet, shy partner.

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And Kelly Monaco? Well, she was the dark horse. She was the one who didn't stand a chance, who found herself laughed at and counted out, but who managed to survive week after week, enduring even hilarious technical difficulties on her way to unlikely success. Her story was the only one that needed to end in victory, and end in victory it did.

Just as "American Idol" has a tendency to become a popularity contest based on who has the most compelling personality, "Dancing With The Stars" was a six-week tour of likable celebrities playing themselves in a reality show about their dancing experiences. Those perfect scores Kelly and Alec pulled for their final dance were patently silly, but their tale certainly earned high marks. They came, they stunk, they improved, they won. Not great dancing, but a great story indeed.

Linda Holmes is a writer in Bloomington, Minn.

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