We're already half-way through season 7 of Dancing with the Stars. Since the very beginning of the competition, Brooke Burke has proven herself to be a hot chick who can really dance. She got the highest score in the first night of competition and has been at the top of the leaderboard ever since. (Well, technically, she was tied for first place with Lance Bass this week.)

Brooke's performance thus far reminds me of Kristi Yamaguchi's amazing streak last season on Dancing with the Stars. Kristi immediately proved herself to be a champion right from the get-go, with a foxtrot that blew everyone away. Of course, Kristi went on to win the mirror ball trophy, and the question right now is: will Brooke Burke do the same?

Brooke has only had five performances so far, but it's interesting to take a look at her scores side by side with Kristi's.



There were only three performances in which Kristi Yamaguchi did not get first place or tied for first place in season 6: she got a 26 for the Viennese waltz, a 26 for the samba and a 28 for the jive. Brooke hasn't performed a jive yet, but you can see from the table above that the Viennese waltz and the samba were two of Brooke's strongest performances. So, although Brooke's scores are generally lower overall than Kristi's were, I contend that if Brooke and Kristi were going head-to-head, Brooke would almost assuredly be able to hold her own against the Olympic figure skater.

One thing that is different between the two, however, is that, in retrospect, Kristi didn't have anyone competing against her who was really at her level. Her two main competitors were Jason Taylor and Cristian de la Fuente, and, while they both became great dancers, they never quite achieved Kristi's level of technical perfection. Brooke, however, has to watch out for Lance Bass, especially now that he and Lacey Schwimmer have finally figured out how to strike the right balance between retaining traditional ballroom elements in their routines and adding their own personal flair. If they can keep this up, they might be able to overtake Brooke and end her reign of dominance.

Of course, there's the added twist that next week: four new styles never before seen on Dancing with the Stars will be added to the mix. This might be just the wrench needed to blow the competition wide open.



-Debbie Chang, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of ABC)