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 Garth, who played Kelly Taylor on "Beverly Hills, 90210" from 1990 to 2000, was eliminated from ABC's No. 1-rated show Tuesday night. A breakthrough performance the night before, which earned her and professional partner Derek Hough their first perfect judges score of 30, wasn't enough.
Dancing in next week's final will be two-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves, Melanie "Scary Spice" Brown, and singer/performer Marie Osmond.
Skill was never an issue for Garth -- it was self-confidence that dogged her throughout the series, though you wouldn't know it from the couple's dazzling cha-cha-cha on Monday, which prompted judge Bruno Tonioli to emphatically score them: "Finally: 10!"
"I have self-confidence ... my issue is performing in front of people, and Derek brought that out in me," Garth said, moments after her elimination was announced. "I had such a great time."
The oldest and perhaps most well-known of the remaining contestants, Osmond might be the biggest surprise in the final
-- or is she?
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 Osmond and partner Jonathan Roberts were the first couple announced as "safe," despite that their judges' score was a show-low 56 out of 60. A cheeky quickstep fell one judge's "9" short of a perfect score; and the mambo that followed, while supremely entertaining, was flawed, earning a 27 out of 30.
The showbiz icon has clearly been riding a wave of popularity with voters. The Osmond name has made headlines throughout the show's stretch run, from the moment Marie Osmond fainted after a performance, to the day she missed an elimination show following the death of her elderly father, and the revelation last week that her 16-year-old son had entered rehab.
Next week's final dance-off airs Monday at 8 p.m. EST on ABC, with the winner announced Tuesday night.
[Associated
Press; By JOSH L. DICKEY]
Copyright 2007 The Associated
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