Las Vegas Weekly

May 26, 2010 · 8:19 AM

DWTS photos: It’s coast-to-coast appearances for new champions

By Robin Leach

Derek Hough and Nicole Scherzinger were crowned the champions on ABC's Dancing With the Stars Season 10 finale on May 25, 2010.

Photo: Kelsey McNeal/ABC TV

It’s a continuing whirlwind few hours for ABC’s Dancing With the Stars new champions Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger and her Las Vegas pro dance partner Derek Hough. No sooner had they posed for their official victory photo with the prized mirror disco-ball trophy in Hollywood than they were raced to Jimmy Kimmel’s ABC studio for their first TV appearance as victors.

Then it was an overnight private jet to New York along with their fellow finalists Olympic figure skating champion Evan Lysacek and ESPN host Erin Andrews with their respective partners Anna Trebunskaya and our Le Reve choreographer Maksim Chmerkovskiy for appearances early today on ABC’s Good Morning America. The trio sat in the New York City studio for interviews and went outside on the Manhattan streets for a dance demo that brought traffic to a standstill.

They all agreed that Season 10 was one of the strongest. “We felt the energy from the first week,” said our hometown hero Derek, who won for the second time (he won Season 7 with now DWTS co-host Brooke Burke). “There was something amazing about it, and it truly was a phenomenal season.”

Nicole, who has appeared here in concert at the Palms and at the Pussycat Doll Pit & Lounge in Caesars Palace, told the GMA hosts that despite consistently earning strong scores, her win came as a shock. “I was genuinely surprised. I had the most amazing people I was up against. It was so awesome; it's still surreal.”

Evan, who began competing on the show right after his Vancouver Olympics victory, said the experience was “so much more than I could have anticipated. The most surprising thing to me is the bond that we all shared as a cast. … We all left with a new family, and we walked out of that building hand in hand.”

Erin, who was eliminated halfway through last night’s two-hour finale, agreed: “It was an amazing experience. It’s really a family. It’s very exciting. This experience has meant everything to me. I came here under really crummy circumstances,” she said, referencing her recent experience with a stalker and being unknowingly videotaped in the nude, “and I just wanted to get my life back together and my smile back, and I just wanted to be myself again.”

“Season 10 will forever stand out," her partner Maks said. “Any other season, we might have made a run for it.” It was the third time the Ukraine native made it into the final show -- he finished third with Laila Ali in Season 4 and second with Mel B in Season 5.

On the finale as we reported here last night, judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli congratulated the three final couples, saying it had been the toughest voting challenge for them of all 10 seasons and the highest standard of dancing on the best season of DWTS to date.

“It’s been such a blast,” Evan added after Nicole was announced as the winner. “We were totally satisfied with everything we gave in the last few weeks, and we are so proud of Nicole and Derek. They deserve it, and they’ve worked so hard, and they've inspired all the rest of the couples in the competition.”

The grand finale also brought former contestants actresses Pamela Anderson and Niecy Nash, The Bachelor star Jake Pavelka, legendary astronaut Buzz Aldrin and reality TV star Kate Gosselin back onto the floor for command performances. Chad Ochocinco also was supposed to dance, but the Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver was sidelined by an injury.

Niecy and Pamela reached the top five this season. Pamela, who married for a third time here in Las Vegas between shows, received a standing ovation as she took her final spin around the ballroom. She said: “Appearing on the show was a dream job. After being approached many times before, I just decided to do it this time around because it was good timing with my kids.”

Kate, who returned last night with a ceiling-high “lift” over the dance floor, said she was upset but not surprised to be sent home after six weeks, and that participating in the show during a custody battle for her children was “emotionally very hard, very draining, very scary.” “That’s why you saw me the way you saw me,” Kate said on GMA. “My kids come first, and their future is uncertain right now.

“Dancing feels and it was just, it had to be second place at that time. It was a great ride, a great adventure. It was exciting, and contrary to popular belief, I really enjoyed my time on Dancing With the Stars. We laughed a lot of times until we cried, and I would roll on the floor laughing.”

My good friend Buzz, who has his Zero Gravity flights at our McCarran Airport again this Memorial Day weekend, was the second star to be eliminated this season.

“I’m very proud to have had the opportunity to inspire a number of us who are trying to keep very active,” Buzz said on GMA. “I did this show for the fighter pilots out there, the military people and the elder geezers like me who would just like to see an elder come back week after week.”

Now we await news of Season 11’s cast of ABC’s top-rated show, which overtook Fox’s American Idol for the first time this season. Will former Las Vegas Academy student, country singer and actress Julianne Hough return as one of the dance pros? Will controversial current headliner Sarah Ferguson, the duchess of York, get to fulfill her dream of dancing the tango? Will Luxor headliner Carrot Top finally get his shot at dance stardom?

Just as an FYI: This Memorial Day weekend, there will be separate appearances at Tao in The Venetian of Dancing With the Stars pros Cheryl Burke and Mark Ballas -- the two-time DWTS champions both are celebrating their birthdays!

Vegas DeLuxe will continue to keep you posted on all the news while Dancing With the Stars takes its well-deserved summer break. Meantime, we’ll continue to add photos to our gallery as they become available this morning.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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