Dancing With The Stars: Week 9 results

(S05E18) The roster for the Dancing With The Stars finale is set! I think that very few people would have expected the Final Three to include these particular couples, but the unpredictable nature of the show is part of what makes it entertaining. At the very least, we know that the finals won't be boring! Still, I was glad that Sabrina turned up to show the remaining competitors a thing or two.

Gallery: Dancing With The Stars: Week 9

Tom started things off with a review of how each of the four stars answered the judges' challenge. Marie's Quickstep was almost perfect, earning her a 29. In her interview, Marie made sure to give Bruno a little grief for his 9. Jennie was ecstatic after receiving her first 30 of the competition. Mel's twin 30's made her sing with joy. Helio was impressed with the progress that he had made over the nine weeks, and thanked Julianne for her help.

Before he announced the encore, Len mentioned that this week's semifinal was the best he'd ever seen in any season of the show. I'm still not sure that this season is my favorite, but it's definitely been one of the most exciting. Jennie's breakthrough performance, her Cha Cha Cha, was chosen for the encore. Jennie beamed throughout the entire dance, and I still think her journey on the show has been the funnest to watch.

For her first performance, Avril Lavigne sang "Hot," from her "Best Damn Thing" album. I'm always a little bored with the dance-free numbers, but I enjoyed the song. Backstage, Samantha interviewed the four remaining celebrities. This week's hard-hitting question: How would it feel to be sent home this week? That writers' strike needs to end soon, and no foolin'. Naturally, no one wanted to be eliminated, and each of the stars felt like they had become close with one another.

The audience had their usual chance to weigh in on the performances. Aside from one woman who wanted Bruno to go home, there were no clear audience favorites. Phase One of the elimination followed that segment, and the first safe couple was Marie and Jonathan. At this point, I was pretty sure that Jennie would be eliminated. I'm surprised that the suspense wasn't dragged out longer. There was no way to either Mel or Helio would be sent home.

Backstage, a speechless Marie found the words to thank her fans for keeping her in the competition. Next, Kenny Mayne brought us a special investigative report on dance rehab. This segment was actually pretty cute. It was cool to see some of the former contestants having fun with their images. I loved all the eye shadow and glitter worn by "recovering addicts" Harry Hamlin, Laila Ali, Tucker Carlson, and Lisa Rinna. In the therapy scene, Harry Hamlin did his best to imitate the famous Nick Nolte mug shot, complete with messy hair and a dazed expression on his face.

The final Stars of Dance installment featured a performance by Michael Flatley, who has a new dance show coming out. The routine was excellent, and the dancers received a standing ovation. The media spotlight segment that followed was less entertaining, but we're at the point where the results shows are loaded with filler. I agree with Mark McGrath's comment that Tom Bergeron is the best live host on TV right now. Without him, the results shows would be one long hour of Samantha Harris' flubs.

Avril Lavigne's second performance ("Complicated") included a special dance from Sabrina Bryan and Mark Ballas. I like the idea of bringing back popular contestants who were eliminated early. It would make the results shows far more entertaining if they added performances like these. Once again, Sabrina rocked, and reminded everyone that she truly belonged in the finals. How awesome would a Sabrina-Mel-Helio final have been?

In the last interview segment of the night, each of the stars got to discuss what they bring to the competition. Jennie believed that she represented the real people, and that her development on the show was easy to relate to. Marie was proud of her wisdom, personality, and work ethic. Mel said that she brought an element of fun to the show, and Maks added that Mel was the most natural dancer of all the competitors. Finally, Helio felt that his energy and his partner were major advantages.

In the final phase of elimination, Melanie and Maksim were put on the safe list. This left Jennie and Helio, which made it even more obvious that Jennie would be going home. As many of you suspected, Jennie's ability and progress were no match for Marie's entertaining routines and her considerable fan base. I thought that I would be OK if either Marie or Jennie made it to the finals, but I'm sad to see Jennie go. She left on the highest note possible, though, and she seemed genuinely happy with her experience on the show.

Brett will be back next week for the final round of competition. Until then, check out AOL's extensive Dancing With The Stars coverage, which includes photo galleries, a live chat (Mondays & Tuesdays, 7:30pm ET), and the chance to support your favorite couple by voting in AOL's poll!