advertisement

Lysacek, Scherzinger practically perfect

Talk about coming down to the wire.

Naperville Olympic hero Evan Lysacek was almost dead perfect. But so was Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger. Both scored 59 out of a possible 60 points in the semifinals Monday night of ABC-TV's "Dancing With The Stars."

For weeks, the Vancouver ice skating gold medalist has battled for first place with Scherzinger.

Not terribly far behind are ESPN sportscaster Erin Andrews, with 56 points, and NFL star Chad Ochocinco, who compiled 52 points. One couple will be eliminated tonight, leaving three couples competing for the championship in next week's four-dance season finale.

But viewer votes count, too, and host Tom Bergeron noted that each of the celebrities has been at the top of the viewer voting during the past several weeks.

Lysacek and partner Anna Trebunskaya scored a perfect 30 for their pasodoble.

Judge Bruno Tonioli praised Lysacek for showing "the best elevation we've seen" in the dance.

Occasionally contrarian judge Len Goodman noted that the pasodoble is a "man's dance ... the man should dominate, and it's so difficult for a celebrity guy to dominate the professionals. You did it!"

And Carrie Ann Inaba called Lysacek's performance "guttural and powerful."

In their first dance, a fox trot, Trebunskaya encouraged Lysacek to think of something that makes him happy. So he drew inspiration from his young nephew.

It worked.

"We saw a completely different side, the happy-go-lucky fun side," Goodman said, even though he kept Lysacek from a perfect score for the evening by giving the performance a "9."

Tonioli praised Lysacek's "vivacity and vitality. I haven't seen anything like that since Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney."

Added Inaba: " I completely felt connected to you tonight; you were completely dancing for us."

Oh, yeah. In the brief bios the show did on the four remaining celebrities, Chicago got more airtime than Naperville during Lysacek's piece.

Give that about a "5."

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.