We're just a couple of days shy of the Season 8 finale of
Dancing with the Stars, but it's never too late to jump into the festivities. As reported previously,
the show is down to its final three contenders, Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson, French actor Gilles Marini and
The Bachelor star Melissa Rycroft, and all three have something unique to offer to the dance floor.
But for those who haven't exactly been avidly following
Dancing with the Stars since season 8 premiered in March and would just like to dive in the last minute, here's a brief refresher on the remaining celebrity dancers.
Professional Dance Partner: Tony Dovolani (came in third place with Stacy Keibler in season 2)
What she's famous for: Melissa catapulted to stardom as one of the contestants of the 13th season of ABC's
The Bachelor, where she was chosen and later dumped by Jason Mesnick on national TV for runner-up Molly Malaney. She was also included in People magazine's list of World's Most Beautiful People 2009 and was named number 99 on this year's Maxim's list of Hot 100.
Best Dance: Foxtrot, Argentine Tango and Samba
Strengths: Charming personality and graceful dance execution. She's also very good with smooth progressive routines characterized by long, continuous flowing movements across the dance floor. Oh and she also has a lot of supporters.
Weakness: Her "balletic" footwork.
Average Dancing Score: 26.5
Perfect Score: Once - during week nine's Samba performance
Shawn Johnson
Professional Dance Partner: Mark Ballas (season 6 champ with Olympic Gold Medal-winning figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi)
What she's famous for: She is the 2008 Olympic women's balance beam gold medalist, the individual all-around silver medalist, the 2007 all-around World Champion, and the 2007 and 2008 U.S. all-around champion. She was also recently awarded the prestigious AAU James E. Sullivan Award, which honors the USA athlete who best represents "the qualities of leadership, character, sportsmanship, and the ideals of amateurism."
Best Dance: Foxtrot, Argentine Tango
Strengths: Delightful to watch on and off the dance floor. She may be young and small but she's a force to be reckoned with. And since she's an athlete, you can expect her performance to be flawless and precise.
Weakness: Due to her youthful and amiable personality, she struggles to capture the essence of some the sensual and more serious dances. She also feels too much pressure whenever she's about to learn a new routine.
Average Dancing Score: 26.4
Perfect Score: Once - during week 10's Argentine Tango performance
Gilles Marini
Professional Dance Partner: Cheryl Burke (season 2 champ with Drew Lachey, and season 3 champ with retired football star Emmitt Smith)
What he's famous for: Aside from being the naked guy from the
Sex and the City movie, he is also credited for his roles on
Ugly Betty, Dirty Sexy Money, Criminal Minds and
Passions. Best Dance: Argentine Tango, Waltz and Salsa
Strengths: He's hot and can effortlessly dance any type of routine. He might as well be a professional dancer.
Weakness: His posture is a bit off sometimes but other than that, he's a fantastic dancer. I'm just not sure if he has enough fans to earn the mirror ball trophy.
Average Dancing Score: 27.8
Perfect Score: Thrice - during week four's Argentine Tango, and week 10's Waltz and Salsa
Who has what it takes to win
Dancing with the Stars? Find out next week on ABC.
-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist(Image courtesy of ABC)