Hot Momma Gossip

Race-car driver Helio Castroneves squeeked by favorite Mel B, to take home the mirrorball trophy last night. 

As a pure dancer, Spice Girl Melanie Brown was probably the most polished finalist, consistently demonstrating versatility and flair. She and her partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, were the highest-scoring couple throughout the hit show’s fifth season.  And when Mel B and Max put a perfect score together in their final dance it looked like the trophy might be theirs.

But on Tuesday night, viewers gave the mirrorball trophy to race-car driver Helio Castroneves. The fourth consecutive man to win the contest.  The only female winner has been Kelly Monaco, who took the crown during the first season in 2005. Castroneves’ personality, enthusiasm and flashing smile combined with an effortless quickstep on his final performance clearly resonated more with voters.

“It’s not only about dancing, you know? It’s about popularity,” Castroneves said after the show. “That’s what I’m actually very happy about.”

His partner, Julianne Hough, also had won last season’s competition, with speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno. “She has an incredible fan base,” Castroneves said.

Give credit to Helio and Julianne though who danced second and had all the pressure to respond to Mel B and Max’s perfect score with one of their own.  That is really a credit to them.

Earlier Tuesday, Marie Osmond was the first finalist to be eliminated. She probably deserved it after a doll-inspired freestyle dance that was panned by judges and bloggers alike. Osmond came into the finale in third place. Castroneves was in second, just one point behind Brown.