Will Kristi Yamaguchi Take Home Win In “Dancing With The Stars”?
The best and most talented dancer on “Dancing With The Stars” is Kristi Yamaguchi. With the season finale this week many viewers are crossing their fingers and hoping that her talent will be enough to win her the trophy. If she does she will be one of the first women to win on the show.
Men have won the trophy over the past four seasons that the show has begun. The only other woman to win was Kelly Monaco in the first season. However, this season is up for grabs. The fact that 75% of viewers are women could pose a problem for Yamaguchi. What with Jason Taylor flashing his handsome grin and bare skin all over the screen.
“You obviously have to get the technique, but (also) compete with the personalities that all the boys have,” Yamaguchi told The Associated Press after Monday’s performances. “I think their smiles and their personalities melt hearts across the country.”
Figure-skating champ Yamaguchi got a perfect score of 60 on Monday’s show, and has regularly topped the judges’ scoreboard throughout the sixth season of the ABC dance-off. But viewer votes count just as much, and the combination is what determines the winner. Spice Girl Melanie Brown learned that fact the hard way last season, when the inferior dancer, race-car driver Helio Castroneves, collected more votes and took the title.
“I don’t know if it’s that women don’t vote for women,” Brown said Monday. “It’s a very strange situation … But at the end of the day, (Yamaguchi) is a brilliant dancer and so is (her partner), so I think if she doesn’t win, that would be really sad.”
Judge Carrie Ann Inaba acknowledged Monday that men have fared better on the show. “The men are more easy,” she said while judging one of Yamaguchi’s dances. “They have a natural tendency to be more crowd-pleasers. And it’s very difficult to keep up with that. But not tonight, girl!”
Still, with history on their side, Taylor and de la Fuente are holding out hope for victory. “It’s not only technique. It’s not only being perfect. It’s everything,” said de la Fuente, who finished with 52 points. “It’s having fun. It’s enjoying it. You know, we worked hard and hopefully people will appreciate that.”