Jennifer Grey Captures Season 11 of 'Dancing with the Stars' - Kyle Massey 2nd, Bristol Palin 3rd

On the first night of the two-night finals on November 22, Bristol Palin turned in some of her best scores of the season bringing her scores in line with the other two finalists, Jennifer Grey and Kyle Massey. Because some viewers were still irate that Bristol Palin went to the finals after Brandy was eliminated, Tom Bergeron took time out to explain that at the end of the night last night, there was only a 5% difference between Jennifer Grey's score and Bristol Palin's, illustrating how close the competition really has been. The controversy has only brought higher ratings to "Dancing with the Stars," with 70 million viewers turning in this season to see who will end up with what Bergeron called "television's shiniest prize."

Dancing with the Stars Season 11 - Finals Performers:
The 3 "Dancing with the Stars" performers remaining for the Season 11 Week 10 finals were as follows:

Jennifer Grey - Actress ("Dirty Dancing")
Kyle Massey - Disney Actor
Bristol Palin - Teen activist, daughter of Sarah Palin

Return of the "Dancing with the Stars" Season 11 Contestants

The November 23 program began with a dance extravaganza number which brought back all the Season 11 contestants except for Michael Bolten and Audrina Patridge. Brandy, Margaret Cho, Rick Fox, David Hasselhoff, Florence Henderson, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and Kurt Warner also prepared dances for the finals. My favorites were David Hasselhoff doing a cute "Baywatch" song and dance routine, and athletes Kurt Warner and Rick Fox dancing a duel in sparkly sports costumes.

The three remaining contestants had the opportunity to show what the past 14 weeks had taught them with their final two dances out of four dances they prepared for the finals. Bristol Palin was happy with her scores for last night's redemption dance, noting "We got three 9s, so we are keeping up with the pack." With the slightly lower score for her free style, she philosophically said, "I had fun, regardless."

Bristol Palin - Rock Tango

For Part 2 of the Finals, Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas wanted to do a fun dance so they chose their Rock Tango from Week 6, and once again made the decision to break hold for Palin's air guitar, even though it would mean the loss of a point. As Palin pointed out, "What have we got to lose?" Wearing the same purple costume as in Week 6, Palin and Ballas sallied forth to conquer the Tango.

Bruno Tonioli told Palin, "You have earned your place here. Your performance level started to pick up with your Tango and it is still there to see."
Carrie Ann Inaba said, "There is something about this dance that showcases your strengths."
Len Goodman commented, "You and Kyle are two sides of the same coin. He's got the wow and you've got the how."
Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli gave Palin 8s while Len Goodman awarded her a 9 for a score of 25.

Bristol Palin - Instant Cha Cha

The fourth dance of the Finals and 2nd dance of the night was a Cha Cha, and the couples only discovered at the last minute what their music would be. The last time Palin dance an Instant Dance, she had trouble learning the music so quickly, so viewers wondered if she would fare better tonight.

All three finalists participated in the Instant Cha Cha, so Palin had to strut her stuff with Jennifer Grey and Kyle Massey where all three could be compared together. Palin proved she had earned the right to be there, scoring a 27 to Jennifer and Kyle's 28s.

Len Goodman told Palin, "You came out on fire!"
Bruno Tonioli stated, "You really saved the best for last. It was the best you have done, and you really kept up with the other two."
Carrie Ann Inaba said, "Bristol and Mark, you inspire hope."

Palin earned straight 9s from the judges for her Instant Cha Cha for a 27.

Bristol Palin Takes Third place on "Dancing with the Stars"

Tom Bergeron noted that the Season 11 Finals had received more viewer votes than ever before on November 22, crashing the website several times. When the final judges votes were tallied, Jennifer Grey had captured the trophy while the third place prize went to Bristol Palin and and Mark Ballas.

Bruno Tonioli said that Bristol's appeal to the viewers and the reason for her popularity was "She is the girl next door." Carrie Ann Inaba explained it this way. "She progressed because of viewer votes and then at just the right moment, she impressed the judges." Bristol Palin commented about her time on "Dancing with the Stars," saying, "I have so many good memories of this experience, so many good experiences. I was blessed to be here."

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'Dancing with the Stars' Season 11 - Week 10: Finals Recap with Bristol Palin
Bristol Palin on 'Dancing with the Stars' Season 11 Finals - Week 10: part 1
Brandy Leaves 'Dancing With the Stars' Semi-Finals Week 9 Results Show; Bristol Palin Heads to Finals
'Dancing with the Stars' Season 11 - Week 9: Semi-Finals Recap with Bristol Palin
Kirstie Alley: Profile of an Unlikely Dancing Queen