Judges favor Yamaguchi in 'Dancing'

It’s all up to the viewers now, as the finals competition for season six of “Dancing with the Stars” came to a close tonight. And if the judges scores are any indication, Kristi Yamaguchi will be the belle of the ballroom on Tuesday night

It ain’t over till it’s over, and season six of “Dancing with the Stars” is pretty much over, and it looks like Kristi Yamaguchi will become the first female celebrity to win the show’s coveted mirror-ball trophy in five seasons.

It was a night of suprises and let-downs, starting with a newfangled finals dance — a single cha-cha comprised of three 60-second segments, one per each finalist couple. Cristian de la Fuente led off with a fairly fiery routine, followed by Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska who made some serious footwork missteps in the final moments of their 60 seconds. But it was Yamaguchi who danced clean-up and blew away the rest with a flashy and perfect routine.

The second part of the finals dancing was the freestyle round. Yamaguchi and partner Mark Ballas sparkled from the tips of the toes to the tops of their heads, right down to their spangly costumes in a routine that incorporated mambo and hip-hop landing them a perfect 30. Taylor just couldn’t compete even though his funk-infused routine earned a solid 27 points. The injured De la Fuente unfortunately couldn’t make use of jaw-dropping lifts during his sizzling Latin routine, and scored only 26 points.

If fate does not step in, it’s pretty much a given that Olympic skating champ Yamaguchi will take home the “Dancing” gold tonight.

Best costume of the night: Cheryl Burke’s positively gorgeous green and gold frilly little thing. Stunning.

Best quip of the night: “You’ve got all the gear in the rear.” Judge Len Goodman commenting to Cristian about his ability to shake his booty like nobody’s business.

Samantha Harris stupid moment: Luckily, she had little or no time to speak,so we were spared.

Prediction: I’d love to see Jason or Cristian walk away with this one, but honestly, Kristi has just been way too powerful a competitor. She should be the last one standing on Tuesday night).