14 DAY TRIAL // After a tense but very entertaining three months, judges crowned the winners for the tenth season of ABC’s immensely popular dance competition, Dancing With the Stars. The winning star was Pussycat Dolls star Nicole Scherzinger, with partner dance pro Derek Hough, who thus marked his seventh win since he’s been on the show, USA Today informs.
Tuesday night was a very emotional one as the three finalist pairs faced the judges to hear the verdict. ESPN reporter Erin Andrews with Maksim Chermkovksiy came in third, with Andrews being labeled the celebrity who made the most spectacular progress throughout the entire season. Runner-up was Olympic gold medalist Evan Lysacek with partner Anna Trebunskaya, who thus became a finalist for the first time on the show. Thanks to Scherzinger’s technique and visible progress, she’s been named the best celebrity dancer on the show.
“‘I still can’t believe it,’ Scherzinger told USA Today early Wednesday. ‘It’s slowly sinking in.’ Scherzinger, 31, partnered with dance pro Derek Hough, scored perfect 10s from show judges after Tuesday’s tango and a jive, performed to John Fogerty’s Proud Mary. ‘After the tango, Derek and I started crying backstage – it felt so good, and we knew we were going to be OK,’ Scherzinger said. Carrie Ann Inaba, a professional dancer and choreographer, summed up the judges’ sentiment during Tuesday’s show, calling Scherzinger the best celebrity competitor in the show’s history. ‘You were truly artistry in motion,’ Inaba said,” USA Today writes of the season finale.
“Schrezinger told USA Today she and Hough worked hard from the outset, ‘taking nothing for granted.’ Singer Prince, a mentor and friend, encouraged her to join the show. The experience ‘has made me a stronger person,’ Scherzinger said. ‘I’ve learned I can’t control everything. I’ve learned to let go. It’s been enlightening.’ Hough was a seventh season winner with actress and TV personality Brooke Burke, now the show’s co-host,” the same publication further says.
Scherzinger occasionally showed poor confidence in herself this season, mostly because she’s a perfectionist to the letter and could often not bring herself to just “let go.” Being on DWTS has also helped her deal with this problem, teaching her that some things are indeed easier and much more fun if you just lighten up a bit, she also said for USA Today.