Being not a former champion or finalist, and with names like actresses and Olympians around, she was sort of an underdog but former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Melissa Rycroft and her dance partner Tony Dovolani walked away with the Mirror Ball Trophy on Tuesday night.
Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani won "Dancing With The Stars: All-Stars" title, beating former champions. Shawn Johnson and Derek Hough were placed second, and Kelly Monaco and Val Chmerkovskiy came in the third place.
Host Tom Bergeron declared the winner chosen by the fans through voting system after the contestants went through instant dance for judges' points from which Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani earned 28.5 from their "Life Is a Highway" performance - taking the total point to 88.5, Kelly Monaco and Val Chmerkovskiy earned 28.5 from their "Cat & Mouse" moves - taking the total point to 90, and Shawn Johnson and Derek Hough scored a perfect 30 with their "Respect" performance, taking the total point to 87.
"You have been my greatest pleasure to watch," said head judge Len Goodman after watching Melissa's final performance. "You have shown us nothing but artistry,'' added judge Carrie Ann Inaba.
"AAAHHHHHH!!!!! OH MY MERCY!!! You guys did it!!! You gave this to us!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! Ahhhhhh!!" tweeted Melissa after winning the title.
"I didn't give myself enough credit coming into this. I've surprised myself and I think I've surprised a lot of people," CBS News quoted Melissa Rycroft as saying before the results were announced.
