High energy, but low marks for Lysacek in 'DWTS' finals

This isn't good.

They didn't fall, trip or even stumble, and their routine drew praise for its high energy, but Naperville's Evan Lysacek and partner Anna Trebunskaya flamed out in the eyes of the judges on ABC-TV's "Dancing With The Stars" finals Monday night. The pair drew three "8s" from the judges for their freestyle ­- considered by some the most important dance of the competition.

They danced to "Footloose," which prompted judge Bruno Tonioli to wisecrack "I don't know if I was watching Footloose or screw loose ... you looked like you were bitten by a tarantula."

Judge Carrie Ann Inaba called the performance "odd."

"When you do side-by-side dancing, you have to match your lines. You guys were, like, dancing two completely separate, different dances," she said, but praised them for their "great energy."

Lysacek, the ice skating gold medalist in the Vancouver Olympics, and Trebunskaya had a rocky week of practice, with the pair disagreeing on how to approach the dance. A tearful Trebunskaya admitted, "I'm a little freaked out" before the competition, because the winners of the freestyle often win the competition. They brought in a choreographer to try to settle their differences. It apparently didn't work.

The pair chose "the path of least resistance," judge Len Goodman said. "I don't think this is what you wanted to do, Evan. I don't think it was what you wanted to do, Anna. And it certainly wasn't what I wanted to see."

Overall, Lysacek fell to last place for the evening, with a combined 52 out of 60 possible points. He collected 28 out of 30 points for their waltz earlier in the evening. Despite the harsh criticism after weeks of great performances, the ever-graceful Lysacek said he was happy with his scores.

"We gave it 100 percent," he said. "That's all we could ask for."

Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger and a surprisingly strong ESPN sports reporter Erin Andrews were in first place, tied with 55 points.

Two more dances remain tonight. After the first, one couple will be eliminated, then the remaining two dance for the Mirror Ball trophy.

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