She has been directing song-and-dance sequences for films for almost four decades, but if given a choice, Bollywood's ace choreographer Saroj Khan says she will never direct a movie on dance.

The lady, who has been taking Bollywood dancing global, also feels the industry scenario has gone for a toss. "I don't think I would ever direct a film focusing on dance. And I also feel that choreography has changed over the years in the industry. It has gone for the worst as (one needs to understand that) dance is not only about moving your body, but also understanding rhythm," Saroj told IANS in an e-mail interaction.

After two successful seasons of Imagine TV's "Nachle Ve", the 63-year-old has returned to small screen for the third season of the show, through which she helps take Bollywood dancing to every household in India and abroad. The show, "Nachle Ve 3", went on air Monday.

Talking about this season's highlights, Khan said: "I will try my best to teach something different to my fans. Particularly with lot of people getting ready for the wedding season, I plan to ensure that everyone can shake a leg without hesitation."

She admits Bollywood dancing is a hit in the West and websites like Youtube.com have helped in popularising the dance form. "With Bollywood having fans not just in India, but also in other countries, many people who cannot come to India follow my show on internet. After both my seasons got over, I used to get mails from a lot of housewives asking me to come back with another season at the earliest as that was the only source of entertainment for them," she said.

Khan, who is behind some memorable dance numbers like "Ek do teen", "Mera piya ghar aaya" and "Dola re dola", has just finished working on songs for films like "Rowdy Rathore", "Agent Vinod" and " Agneepath".

Now since some of her favourite dancers from Bollywood like Madhuri Dixit, Sridevi, Karisma Kapoor are set for their second innings in the industry, the choreographer admits she really missed their magic, and says she would love to work with them again.

"I can't really foresee future. However, I would admit that I really miss them. And if they come to me, then I would welcome them with open arms and teach them with the same enthusiasm," she said.

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6.42pm: Good Evening and welcome to tonight's Strictly Come Dancing liveblog. Heidi Stephens is off having some super-spangly pre-Christmas fun, so it's me in the liveblog chair tonight groaning at Bruce's jokes, "enjoying" the new and inventive renditions of tunes we all once loved, and goggling at the sheer number of sequins in evidence on the dance floor.

I'm rather sad that Russell Grant won't be with us tonight. His departure last week really did seem to come as something of a surprise – and not just to me, he's featuring on the front of the Radio Times this week despite not even being in the show any more – and it will be interesting to see how much he's missed during tonight's show. I know he wasn't the best dancer, but he certainly was the best entertainment.

But there are some great dancers left. Hopefully we'll see them pulling out the stops tonight. Join me from 7pm!

7.00pm: I had forgotten that each dancer performed twice tonight. The way the voiceover man said it, it did rather have the ring of a threat. As an aside: if you haven't watched the Frozen Planet stone-stealing penguin in its full glory yet, it's a real treat

7.02pm: Camilla really does get about. First the Archers cameo, now checking up on the Strictly cast. (Although thank god she's not taking to the floor). So, this week is a Strictly swingathon. Let's all boggle together at the possibilities of that title shall we?

7.08pm: I'm going to give Tess's dress a tenatative thumbs up. A nice bit of colourblocking and no unnecessary extra bits where you don't expect them. Does look slighty like she's lost half her hair though.

First up is Anita and Brendan. What? Oh Robin has an injury so Brendan is stepping in again. Notice that I haven't made a looooong torturous joke out of that Bruce - mainly because it is not at all complicated.

7.09pm: If all these clips involve Camilla and shouty bits about "playing" Wembley I can't be responsible for my actions later in the blog

So: they're dancing to Uptown Girl. Anita has a lovely frock, which might admittedly be improved if it wasn't the colour of American tan tights, but still. Her footwork is clean and lovely as always, but it doesn't feel like there's a great deal of joy in that dance. Or is that just me?

7.18pm: Len says the Cha-cha is a difficult dance, but Anita did well. Alicia says it was a bit messy in places and she is dancing with her face more than her body - which frankly sounds impossible. But it was "pleasant" - which is not the most flattering. Bruno says there is plenty of content, and Len says: "it lacks pressure on the balls to the floor" and "there was no true dynamic to it".

SCORES: 7 8 7 8

7.21pm: Next are Holly and Artem. Holly has stolen a rich old woman's hairstyle for the occasion and a dress that looks like it once belonged to Nancy Dell'Olio - although she rather sensibly abandons the boa before she gets near the floor. They are foxtrotting to some screeching from David Arch's orchestra and it doesn't quite work from my sofa.

7.23pm: Alicia says she wasn't sure if the dance would work with music but it did. (I would disagree). Bruno says Holly was like Gypsy Rose Lee - although I couldn't quite work out why that was important. Craig was concerned it wasn't going to be a foxtrot, but in fact it was fan-tast-ic, which only goes to show what I know. Although Len agrees with me. Not sure that is a good thing, to be honest.

7.29pm: Alex and James are dancing a Charleston, for which Alex is wearing a dress that you could almost wear out in public. I've always quite liked a Charleston. Top hats and pretend swimming – what's not to like about that? I think they lost time at one point, but that was a jolly and funny and quite charming.

7.32pm: Bruno says it was funny, although there were a few timing issues, and Len agrees. Craig says they've taken a step backwards because it wasn't extreme enough - which makes him sound rather like a sulky teenager

7.36pm: Was that an almost nice VT from Robbie and Ola? Strictly is full of surprises. They're doing a samba, that is short on the groin thrusts, but apparently big on Robbie grabbing his own buttocks. AND TAKING OFF HIS TROUSERS.

7.40pm: Robbie had an over-exaggerated bounce and his fingers were bad in the running promenade, says Craig. I can't work out whether he's cross that Robbie took his trousers off, or that he was wearing his football shorts beneath them. Len thinks Robbie needs to stop doing the tricks and just do the dancing.

Alesha says it's great the Robbie is relaxed and having fun and his dancing is entertaining. Quite broad then … Bruno says Robbie was like a kangaroo with lead feet, and includes some extremely unnecessary information on his pant choices.

7.48pm: On to Chelsee and Pasha via a joke about Bruce being passionate. Ho hum. They are doing the Argentine Tango. It requires tango but Chelsee things "it's quite cheeeesy and not quite me!". Perhaps that's why she was practicing in wellington boots.

Chelsee is wearing a purple poloneck dress dusted with crystal dandruff for her performance. It all looks tricky from where I'm sitting and technically impressive.

Len says course it was good, but Chelsee needs to act the dance more - but there was no intensity about it. He does so in the crossest manner ever. Seriously Len, get some sleep before next week's show. Bruno is a big fan of the technical precision, but says she needs to feel it more. Craig is complementary, and says it is fabulous

Well done Chelsee. She's a sweetie isn't she?

7.55pm: Next up, doing the Charleston are Jason and Kristina. Oh Strictly! With all these Charlestons you really are spoiling us! Although I could do without the ever-more surreal VTs we get with them. I immediately want to give Jason top marks for his correspondent shoes which are very snazzy indeed.

This looks technically more difficult than Alex and James' dance, and Jason's facial expressions are something to behold. He could be a Wallace and Grommit character.

Bruno says it had high energy and great expressions, Craig says it wasn't perfect but it was a proper Charleston. Len calls it fabulous, while Alesha slightly pours cold water on proceedings by telling Jason he is "a hard worker". Doesn't that just mean tries hard but doesn't quite get there?

8.03pm: Harry and Aliona are dancing a quickstep together - number two on my list of faintly ludicrous but quite jolly-looking dances. Harry is in proper tie and tails looking very handsome indeed, and they gallop round the floor at a cracking pace. It looked super-fast and super-difficult.

Craig, however, thinks that Harry has a lazy left foot which is oddly sickled and pigeon-toed, but that it is all he can find wrong with it. Len says Harry has a lovely sway, while Alesha thinks it was outstanding. Bruno is beside himself with excitement. superb!

Harry is king of the leaderboard. If he doesn't win this I will be astounded.

8.05pm: This is where we would normally say goodbye - but this week there's a Swingathon as a kind of Strictly Come Dancing pudding course. (No, I don't think that sentence quite worked either). "The rules? There are no rules!" says Len, making things sound possibly more exciting than they're actually going to be. But still: good frocks!

8.10pm: Right. If it's as exciting as promised, this Swingathon is going to make my night. Let's see …

First to go: Robbie and Olla
Second: Anita and Brendan
Third: Holly and Artem (who to be fair, did look a bit like kids messing about in the playground)
Fourth: Jason and Kristina, possibly for crimes against shorts suits Fifth: Alex and James Sixth: Chelsee and Pascha, which is a shame because Chelsee looked adorable in that spotty dress.

AND THE WINNERS ARE: Harry and Aliona. Shall we just skip to the final at this point do you think?

Craig said they had stamina and athelticism, and there was a body ripple in the middle. Basically they are both amazingly fit.

8.12pm: And so to the leaderboard. Harry and Aliona, rather unsurprisingly are in the lead, with Chelsee and Pasha following, and Jason and Kristina in third place. In the bottom two are Anita and Brendan and Robbie and Ola.

I feel slightly let-down that we haven't had the marvellous Russell tonight, even if we did have a slight surfeit of Charlsetons. Who will go? I'll be back for the results show tomorrow tonight which apparently has Cee-Lo Green on it. Let's hope he's not wearing that odd leather suit he wore for X Factor. Have a good evening! Don't be scarred by the BBC One Christmas trail! See you then

SUNDAY NIGHT RESULTS SHOW
Evening all. I have spent most of the afternoon sitting mournfully by my broken down campervan wondering why its engine won't work. So it is a joy to be at home, in the warm, watching Strictly. Not even Lens Lens seens too bad in that context

7.30pm: And to the strains of badly-sung Adele I fund myself wondering: why don't they re-edit the titles of Strictly as it progresses? If M&S can do it, surely the BBC can.

We open with dancers in see through skirts and Tess in a spangly minidress and very long earrings that don't quite go. Claudia is, as always, in black and lots of eyemake-up. Huzzah. And … now onto the recap.

7.35pm: Crikey, it's the results: Harry and Aliona are (unsurprisingly) safe, along with Chelsee and Pasha (ditto). Jason and Kristina are also through while Holly and Artem are in the bottom two

7.40pm: Oh Clauds has a nice red skirt on. Lovely. I must say I find the entire concept of dancing in a tie, like Harry, a very odd one. Surely you're being energetic? Chelsee is being cute and not understanding the concept of Shrek. "She's still a princess though?' she asks like a five year old.

Cee-Lo Green has swapped his X Factor leather tracksuit for a peach satin version with a spotty lining. The effect is 1980s teenage girl bedroom. All he needs is a bit of lace festooning and he'd have the full look.

7.47pm: It's time for, oh dear, Len's Lens. In brief: Harry was brilliant. Holly was brilliant. Chelsee was brilliant. Alex was not quite as brilliant. Ola was furious.

Next week is movie week. I think Strictly needs to stop doing themes X Factor has already done to be honest. Unless someone is actually going to do the Ghostbusters theme. That would be OK.

7.50pm: More results: Alex and James are through to next week, and Robbie and Ola. Which leaves Anita and Brendan in the bottom two.

7.55pm: Anthon and Erin are dancing together, although Erin seems to have been dressed as a Barbie princess which is a bit odd (although presumably Chelsee would approve).

Holly and Anita are both being really generous and sweet. Anita most of all of course, because she's the nicest woman on earth

7.56pm: And the couple leaving are Anita and Brendan. BOOOOOOOOO! Lovely Anita. She's been a treat.

7.59pm:
That's all for tonight. Thanks very much for your comments as always. Next week Heidi will be back on the liveblog sofa. See you then. And don't forget the X Factor results liveblog now

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Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, has given Strictly Come Dancing the royal seal of approval by visiting the show today. Prince Charles' wife was at BBC TV Centre in west London this morning after being invited by judge Craig Revel Horwood to watch the final rehearsals for this weekend's shows.

A show source said: “The visit was top secret but Craig thought it would give the remaining contestants and the crew a real boost if Camilla came down to watch them in action. “The Duchess is a big fan of the series and watches the show with Prince Charles so she was very knowledgeable when she was watching the run through. “None of the contestants could believe it when she walked in, but it certainly made them concentrate even more in the rehearsals and a few of the dancers seemed a bit starstruck.”

Robbie Savage tweeted this afternoon: "Just had the pleasure of meeting camilla the duchess of Cornwall what a lovely lady she said I had wonderful teeth and hair!"Speaking after the visit, Craig Revel Horwood, said; “I’m delighted to have welcomed The Duchess to Strictly Come Dancing. Having got to know her through our charity work and having learnt what a fan of the series she is, it has been a pleasure to show her a sneak preview of this Saturday’s show and some of the work which goes into making the series.”

Over the last few years, nasty judge Craig and the Duchess have grown to be unlikely friends, meeting up at a number of functions and charity events. In 2009 he gave her an impromptu cha cha cha lesson when the pair visited a London school on World Osteoporosis Day.

As the pair moved backwards and forwards, the choreographer said the Duchess needed “a little bit of hip action” and as she began to sway he gave her some encouragement saying “that's fantastic”. Afterwards, the Strictly Come Dancing judge said: “I'd give her 10. She kept rhythm, her timing was excellent, her footwork was excellent - she has the personality for it.”

Mirror columnist and show host Tess Daly has also spoken in the past about Camilla and Prince Charles being fans of Strictly, saying they regularly watch the dance contest on TV. In 2008, she said: “A few people have told me they would be interested in being on Strictly. I think the most interesting person was Prince Charles.”*For more on the royal Strictly visit, plus pictures of the Duchess on set, see the Daily Mirror tomorrow.

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Strictly Come Dancing viewers are in for a real cracker of a show this festive season, with details of this year's special Christmas Day episode revealed. Five celebrities including Blue singer Simon Webbe, actress Su Pollard and former Corrie star Debra Stephenson will all be teamed up with professional dancers for the one-off.

Former world featherweight boxing champion Barry McGuigan and EastEnders villainess Charlie Brooks complete the celebrity line-up. Simon said that taking part on the show will certainly get him into his mum’s good books. “Strictly Come Dancing is one of my mum's favourite shows. It's always nice to learn something new, the dancing part of my brain is dormant and I want to wake it up,” he said. “I also want to wear something tight and sparkly!”

Su added: “Strictly Come Dancing is strictly must-see Christmas Day television. I’m hoping to wow the judges and the viewers with my utter exuberance and prowess!” The professional dancers partnering the stars are Erin Boag, Anton Du Beke, Katya Virshilas, Ian Waite and Vincent Simone.

And the show’s judging panel – Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli, Alesha Dixon and Craig Revel Horwood – will also be on call to give their honest feedback on the celebrities' talent on the dancefloor, before the studio audience vote for their Christmas champion. Strictly Come Dancing 2011 Christmas Special will be shown on BBC One and BBC One HD on Christmas Day.

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It's a wrap for Season 13 of Dancing With the Stars. Did veteran/soap actor J.R. Martinez, who was heavily favored to win, wind up with the coveted mirrorball trophy?Or did Rob Kardashian, who was at the top of the leaderboard going into the final show, wind up with a surprise win? Or was consistently high-scoring Ricki Lake, with three-time pro champ Derek Hough, able to beat the odds?

Tweets:  Backstage at the 'DWTS' finale

The two-hour finale included recaps of Monday night, two songs from Lady Antebellum, amusing outtakes from the judges, the return of the entire cast and one dance from each of the three remaining celebs to add to their scores (just to confuse us all, fill time and give Ricki one more moment to shine).

Ricki danced the tango with Derek from the Halloween night show. The judges raved. Len Goodman "loved it." Bruno Tonioli said it was "unforgettable." And Carrie Ann Inaba said it was "beyond perfect." Score: 30 Total: 84

Rob danced the foxtrot, which he had dedicated to his dad earlier in the season. Sister Kim Kardashian cheered him on with the rest of the family as mom Kris wept. The judges were pleased, noting a little "slip" but praising him. Score: 26. Total: 83.

J.R danced the jive. "You are such a catalyst for joy," said Carrie Ann, but noted he made some mistakes. Len liked it, and Bruno said it was "fun, fun, fun." Score: 28. Total: 82. And then it was time for someone to go. Goodbye, Ricki.

"I've loved basically every minute of this," she said after co-hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke Charvet delivered the news. She thanked Derek (who has won every time he has reached the finals, until now). "I've done something I really didn't think I could do." said Ricki. "I really appreciate everyone who supported me and voted for me along the way. It's a fantasy come true."

In the end, it came down to Rob and J.R., who had to dance one final "instant" samba. But first, each returning celeb performed, including Carson Kressley dancing to Madonna's 1990 hit song Vogue; Chaz Bono taking the floor with Lacey Schwimmer and her dad; and David Arquette, who said he was "so happy to be back," performing a quickstep with Kym Johnson and other dancers.

Finally, J.R. and Rob performed. Len and Bruno praised them both. Said Carrie Ann, "For one of you, that was your victory dance. But both of you are winners."The judges gave them each perfect 10s across the board, leaving J.R. with a total of 112, and Rob a total of 113.

Who won?

J.R. Martinez and his partner Karina Smirnoff. "Thank you, America, for believing in us." He thanked Karina, saying he was "so grateful" to be part of her first mirrorball trophy win. Said Rob, "I'm definitely not sad. I've won in my book."The Season 14 debut date: March 19.

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The last three contestants standing - er, dancing - on this season's "Dancing With the Stars" all presented convincing arguments before the judges on Monday night's super-condensed finalist showcase.  Neck-and-neck frontrunners J.R. Martinez and Ricki Lake pulled out all stops and faced their fears in order to get an edge in the competition, with varied success.

But it was ultimately "Cinderfella" Rob Kardashian who really wowed the judges by coming up from behind to sweep America off its feet with his enthusiasm and charisma. "Looks like you made it to the ball," Carrie Ann commented about her favorie late-blooming dance aficionado after he and partner Cheryl executed a graceful waltz.

"A moocher is someone who takes and never gives," Len said with a flourish after the pair's jazzy freestyle dance later in the night. "You, Rob, you just gave it your all."Rob, who started out the competition as the "loser younger brother" counterpart to his three sisters' highly recognizable faces, couldn't stop beaming at the judges' glowing words - even moreso when they awarded him with a perfect 30 for his fedora-donning glide across the dance floor.

"Never would I ever think I'd get a perfect score, and not for the hardest dance of the season," the USC grad remarked. J.R., who delivered a subpar cha-cha at the beginning of the night, was likely just as shocked to get three unanimous 10's across the board as his younger competitor - especially because he drew in an unthinkable 7 from Len for a "brave" but "not so good" first dance.

"Two things were revealed tonight," Len teased after the audience erupted in applause and shouts following his and Karina's eye-popping freestyle dance. "Karina's body and your talent."

Carrie Ann preferred to use hipper lingo: "Those were some of the sickest lifts I've ever seen," she cheered after doing a few booty pops herself at the judges' table. The last couple of the night, Ricki and partner Derek, upheld their high standards but failed to bring on the game-changing pizazz that they'd hauled in by the bucket-load in previous weeks.

"There's a difference between just doing a dance and living a dance," Carrie Ann said of the nervous talk-show host. "She was living...confidence at its best."Going into Tuesday's final elimination, Ricki, J.R. and Rob will each need that confidence as well as they await their fates - in high anticipation, maybe even on pointed toe.

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The astrologer was this year’s answer to John Sergeant and Ann Widdecombe, hoofing around the dancefloor to great comic effect. He made his entrance on Saturday night’s Wembley Arena show in typically outrageous style, being fired from a cannon before sailing through the air suspended by wires. But he left the BBC One show last night after polling the lowest score.

Judge Len Goodman told Grant, 60: “I don’t care how many great dancers they have and how many series of Strictly Come Dancing there are, people will always say, ‘Do you remember when Russell Grant flew out of that cannon?’ “It was an iconic number that will always be remembered. Your jive isn’t that great but, as entertainment, you’re the tops.”

After making his exit, Grant said he was thrilled to have made it so far: “I’m just so happy that I got to Wembley. It’s been a struggle for me since Hallowe'en because I need a knee operation and I had to do the jive with both knees strapped up,” he said. “But I had the most brilliant time, although I didn’t realise before we got to Wembley that I’d be flying through the air on a tea tray. I was really quite scared.
“The British public can only do so much to keep me in, and it was an incredible way to go. Really, how could I have topped that next week?”

"He is now weighing up offers from broadcasters to host his own show and credits Strictly with winning him a new generation of young fans. Taking part in the dance series helped him to lose 10 stone - at his heaviest three years ago, Grant was 27 stone and struggled to walk without the aid of a stick. Saturday’s show was broadcast live from Wembley Arena as a one-off to raise money for Children In Need. It scored the highest viewing figures of the series so far, with an average audience of 11.4 million. The show is winning the ratings war with The X Factor, which had an average audience of 10.2 million on ITV1. A BBC spokesman said: “We are absolutely delighted that so many viewers tuned in to watch our Wembley special, making it the most watched show of the week by far.”

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The hours are ticking away toward the “Dancing with the Stars” Season 13 finals and all three celebrities – and their professional partners — are gearing up for their most important number – the freestyle. On Friday, frontrunners Ricki Lake and Derek Hough revealed they have some big moves planned. “We’re just kind of going to go all out,” Derek told Access Hollywood guest correspondent Tim Vincent on Friday.

Derek added that when he planned the routine he thought, “’What does Ricki think she cannot do? Great, let’s do that!’”As for J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff, the former leaderboard-toppers said they won’t be doing anything standard.

”[We’re] mixing it up, definitely,” Karina told Tim. Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke head into the competition as the underdogs (although last week, the duo ended Monday’s show in second place), and they plan to turn back the clock for their freestyle number.

“We kind of did an old school vibe, old school theme, old school music,” Rob told Tim. “The choreography really highlights our whole year… A lot of powerful lifts… It’s gonna get the crowd really going.”J.R. also confirmed he heads into the finals with his ankle in better shape than last week, and he’s going to leave everything in the ballroom come Monday.

“I’m gonna think about the goal in hand — to potentially win that mirrorball trophy,” J.R. said. “In order to win that, I’m gonna have to forget about pain, I’m gonna have to forget about anything else.”As for Ricki, she’s concentrating on living in the moment on Monday.

“We just really want to focus on having a good time,” she said. “This is the last time I’ll be having this experience on the dance floor.”And it was a sentiment echoed by Rob. “I literally just try and have fun with it and that’s what’s gotten me here,” Rob noted. The “DWTS” Season 13 finals air on Monday night a 8/7C on ABC.

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Fans of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” are wondering who will win the coveted mirror ball trophy Tuesday in the finals of the show’s season 13. Ricki Lake and J.R. Martinez have been the frontrunners, but Rob Kardashian has made a surprising come from behind and he could snatch the win. No one is certain of the outcome — not even the judges. In fact, head judge Len Goodman never figured these three finalists would have made it this far in the competition.

“Good Morning America”‘s Cameron Mathison caught up with the judges after the semifinals were over. Goodman shared his earlier  impressions of the top three. “First week, the Viennese waltz, Rob Kar-Krashian!  And here he is. In the final!” he said of Kardashian. He also had his doubts about Lake, the former TV talk show host. “Ricki Lake, I thought: ‘well, you know, is it going to work?’  She’s in her 40′s, you know, maybe a little overweight,” he said.

And then there was Martinez, the actor who was severely injured while serving with the U.S. Army in Iraq.
“The soldier. You know, no real dance background. You know, he’s just come out of a war zone. And then he’s on ‘Dancing With the Stars,’” Goodman added. The competitors are going into their last dances under tremendous pressure. Martinez has the added worry of a twisted ankle that clearly affected his performance and scores this week. “That is a major handicap,” judge Bruno Tonioli said. “So, hopefully, he’ll be able to do his best, you know. I don’t know.”

Judges’ Favorites
Tonioli’s personal favorite dance of the season has been Ricki Lake’s thrilling tango to the theme from the movie “Psycho.”For Goodman, the favorite was Martinez’s instant jive. That performance was judge Carrie Ann Inaba’s favorite, too, although she was impressed by Kardashian’s Argentine tango.
The winner will be determined by a combination of judges’ scores and viewers’ votes.

Asked about the impact of social media on the judges, Inaba said she felt as though Facebook and Twitter allowed certain ideas to bloom – whether those ideas made sense or not. “Sometimes I go to bed very sad about what I’m seeing people saying,” she said. “But they have a right to their opinion. That is … the beauty of our show. We judge what we think.”Judging has become  a sore point this season. Maksim Chmerkovskiy, the dancing pro who partnered World Cup soccer star Hope Solo, made headlines when, in defending Solo from a harsh judges’ review, suggested that Goodman “get out” of the industry.

He later explained that he was frustrated over the perceived inconsistency in judges’ scoring, saying others were being scored more easily — based mainly on effort — while other contenders were being judged too rigidly on the technical requirements. Inaba reprimanded Chmerkovskiy for his comments, which came on the dance floor earlier in the season, but during Monday’s performance she also appeared to take another verbal swipe at him. Backstage, he told reporters that he believed Inaba “had an issue.”

Fans seem to be split on the dance floor drama. Some are outraged at what they view as Chmerkovskiy’s arrogance, but others believe he was right and that the judges have shown favoritism. The final opportunity to judge comes on Monday, when contestants get to show off the all-important freestyle. That’s the routine they get to choose, and it’s critical. “If they get that wrong, they’re not  going to win, that’s for sure,” Tonioli said. Kardashian said he thinks his pro partner, two-time “Dancing” winner Cheryl Burke, will choreograph something for him that suits his sensibilities.

“I’m an old soul, so I feel like she’ll kind of choreograph something – our music genre will be something kind of, you know, old soul,” he said Tuesday night after the elimination show. Lake says the choice of music for her freestyle will be upbeat.  “But I couldn’t even tell you what style of dance it is because I’m not a dancer,” she added. She is partnered with three-time “Dancing” champion, Derek Hough. Martinez, who is partnered with Karina Smirnoff, promises a no-holds-barred performance. “I’m going to be, you know, fearless,” he said. “I’m going to be a risk-taker. Because I want the ballroom judges to be like, ‘wow!’ “

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After performing three dances each the night before, one of Dancing's four semi-finalists was booted from the competition on Tuesday, a week shy of the show's season finale. Ricki Lake and Rob Kardashian were awarded by the judges for their nearly flawless routines on Monday. Meanwhile, an injured J.R. Martinez experienced his worst week yet but still scored higher than Hope Solo.

Now that the votes are in, keep reading to find out who will compete in next week's finale – and who kissed the ballroom goodbye: Solo and her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy were eliminated. And though the soccer star appeared bitter over their low scores and was even heard swearing about the judges in a video recap of the previous night, Solo smiled when she learned the results.

"This competition is one of the toughest competitions I've ever been a part of. I'm grateful. This was an amazing opportunity," she said. "Instead of winning the mirror-ball trophy I'm going to go and try and win a gold medal at the Summer Olympics."

Chmerkovskiy was also grateful: "Thank you for determination and will and everything else. I wish I could have been better for you," he told his partner. "It's been an amazing journey."On Monday's Dancing with the Stars (8 p.m. ET), Kardashian, Lake and Martinez will perform with their partners, including their anticipated freestyle routines.

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