DwtS 6, Week 9: Results

After nine weeks of dancing, we finally have our Dancing with the Stars 6 finalists.

A recap of this week's Performance Show included Cheryl bragging to Tom in the hallway after the show, "Two 10s and a 9, Tom. What can you say about that?" Tom turned to Cristian and said, "Congratulations. I thought you really carried her."

The judges awarded the encore to Kristi & Mark for their Tango.

Then, it was time for the final round of the Ballroom Kids competition. 9-and-under champs Aaron & Rashell got a special visit during rehearsal from Kym Johnson. Aaron put the whole experience in perspective: "No matter if we lose or win, we were still on TV."

The pair performed a Cha Cha Cha that prompted Len to remark, "Your little bums were flying everywhere."



Following the performance, Samantha chatted with the celebs backstage, teasing Jason about his "budding romance" with Cristian.

Then it was time for a tribute to Michael Jackson, choreographed by Travis Payne and sung by Omarion. It was okay, but a bit anticlimactic.



Back to the dance floor for a performance by the 10-and-under champs, Jaryd & Cara. Maksim Chmerkovskiy stopped by their rehearsal, making Cara swoon, "He's so cute." The duo performed Samba to the They Might Be Giants arrangement of "Istanbul, Not Constantinople." Len said, "Don't tell them people backstage there, but I'd rather watch you two than those big ones."



13-and-under champs Brandon & Brittany were up next. Their former dance teacher, Ashly DelGrosso, helped them with their Paso Doble. After their impressive performance, Tom said to the judges, "I've rarely seen all three of your jaws hit the desk at the same time."



Samantha then chatted with the ballroom kids. Cara was diplomatic enough to say, "All of the [DwtS] pros are really, really good. Better than all of us." When asked which celebrity he'd like to dance with if he were a DwtS pro, Brandon said, "Any of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders."

Samantha informed the three pairs of kids that they'd all won trips to Disneyland. She threw the hosting duties back to Tom, who quipped, "Why do I think Brandon would rather go to Dallas?"

Viewers can vote for the couple they found most entertaining at ABC's website, and the winners will be announced next Tuesday. My vote went to Jaryd & Cara, because Cara cracks me up.

In order to keep from revealing the results until the last possible second, the stars talked about how badly they want to make the finals in a pretaped segment.

Finally, after 51 minutes, the first safe couple was announced: Kristi & Mark.

Jason & Edyta were next to learn they were safe, leaving Cristian & Cheryl and Marissa & Tony waiting to learn their fates.

Marissa & Tony were told that they were out, and they didn't look surprised. That helped the two of them stay upbeat as they watched a video montage of their highlights from the show. They danced their final dance to Frank Sinatra's "The Best Is Yet to Come."