‘Dancing With the Stars’: Cody Linley not saved by teenage girls

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This has been a dramatic week for “Dancing With the Stars” celebrities past and present: Cloris Leachman reportedly came down with pneumonia (or at least a bad cough); the SEC charged Mark Cuban with some mavericky insider trading; Brooke Burke performed poorly for the first time; and, as of tonight, squealing teenage girls failed to save Cody Linley from elimination. I wonder: if Cody retains his celebrity over time, would he be allowed back in a future season to compete again? I bet he’d be a real contender in a few years. In any case, next week will bring not just Thanksgiving but also the “DWTS” finals, and the lineup will be Lance Bass, Brooke Burke and Warren Sapp.

In tonight’s special two-hour results show, after watching 40 minutes of recaps, the Ballroom Kids finalists performed. (As an aside, I should note that the recap showed me that only one shoe was lost in Lance and Lacey’s jitterbug last night: I guess I wasn’t kidding when I said the jitterbug was too fast for my mind to absorb. In addition, I discovered that during Brooke’s salsa, her underpants -- minimal though they may have been -- were showing.) Anyway, first up among the kids were Kirill and Hanna, whose Staten Island school gave them a pep rally. Pro Tony was assigned to train them; Tony’s good cheer made him a nice fit for coaching kids. They danced the cha-cha, and Kirill’s hips were really liquid; Kim Kardashian could have used some pointers from him. Len admired their crisp footwork; Bruno cited the precision of their arm placement; and Carrie Ann applauded their confidence, leg action and hip action.

Up next were Mitchell and Maria, who were cheered on by the firefighters, police and EMTs back in Philadelphia. You’d think that in a big city like Philadelphia such people would be too busy to cheer on some dancing adolescents, but “DWTS” has a special allure. Julianne was their assigned coach, causing Mitchell to swoon. Their samba exuded the Brazilian party spirit that was lacking in so many of the stars’ sambas this season. Bruno liked their sharp movements. Carrie Ann said the samba was “poetry in motion” and sophisticated. Len said that Mitchell and Maria were better than Julianne and Mark at their age. Whoa!

Craig and Samantha were the last couple to perform. They also received a pep rally, complete with cheerleaders. Maks was their assigned coach, and he did a better job with the young people than I might have expected. They danced the jive, which was a nice fit with their cuteness. The synchronization in their side-by-side dancing was excellent. Carrie Ann thought they were fantastic and animated. Len was knocked out by their performance. Bruno called it energetic, accurate and light (in a good way). It’s time for you to vote, fans. The winner of the Ballroom Kids competition will be revealed next week, but you can at least rest easy in the knowledge that all six kids get a trip to Disneyland. Or Walt Disney World.

In the “real” results portion of the evening, co-host Samantha Harris’ hair was again appropriately styled, to my relief. The musical guests in tonight’s “most performance-packed results show ever!” were Julianne Hough, John Legend, Leona Lewis and Aretha Franklin, who was looking majestic in a silken muumuu or caftan or dishdasha. Basically, it was a big, forgiving piece of fabric. Last season’s champion Kristi Yamaguchi and partner Mark were back for a performance during Aretha Franklin’s second number, “Respect.” Kristi was still looking fit, elegant and sharp. Their synchronization -– so excellent all last season -– was perhaps slightly off, but that’s to be expected when you’re no longer practicing eight hours a day. In other filler, we heard from the semifinalists’ family members. In short, they’re supportive. And they vote. We also got the obligatory trash-talking sequence, this one staged in some smoke-machined industrial setting.

So who will take home the mirror-ball trophy next week? Lance is surging at exactly the right time. Brooke brings her technical precision, consistency and I-can’t-believe-she-has-four-children hotness. And Warren, of course, is a winsome crowd pleaser. I think it’ll be an interesting final –- more interesting than I might have suspected earlier in the season. Your comments, analysis and predictions are welcomed.

-- Sarah Rogers