You never know for sure what the voters will do, but you would have to assume that Kristi Yamaguchi is a safe bet to make the “Dancing With the Stars” finale, which will be determined during Tuesday’s results show.

After a two-week absence from the top of the judges’ leader board, Kristi and her partner, Mark Ballas, re-assumed their position of dominance tonight with two stellar dance numbers.  Their sizzling tango earned a near-perfect 29, with picky Len being the only holdout (”It was a little hectic”). And then their energetic and fluid jive yielded a 28.

That was good enough to keep them ahead of celebrity challengers Cristian de la Fuente, Jason Taylor and Marissa Jaret Winokur. The latter was at the bottom of the judges’ scorecard and seems the likeliest to go on Tuesday.

If Kristi advances to the finale, we expect to again check in with her during a break from rehearsals, so keep it tuned right here.

Jason and Edyta go in for the score.

The old what-goes-up-must come-down adage was in play on Monday’s episode of “Dancing With the Stars.” A week after posting the season’s first perfect mark of “30,” Kristi Yamaguchi and her partner Mark Ballas saw their six-week streak at the top of the judges’ leaderboard come to an end.

Taking over the lead spot was NFL star Jason Taylor, with his partner Edyta Sliwinska. They earned a “29″ for a quickstep routine that included a dramatic leap off the stairs by Jason, as well as a handstand. They also posted a “26″ for an unconventional gridiron-themed paso doble, performed to the “Monday Night Football” theme song.

Meanwhile, Kristi and Mark earned a 26 for a beautiful, but flawed, Vinennese Waltz and a 28 for an energetic cha-cha-cha. On the latter dance, stodgy judge Len Goodman was the only one who didn’t award a “10.”

In some ways, it was probably good timing for Kristi to have a bit of a lapse. Not only does it take the pressure off to maintain near-perfect superiority, but it allows the audience (and voters) to see her as mortal — and therefore more relatable. 

The other noteworthy news on Monday was an injury suffered by Christian De La Fuente. When his left forearm cramped up during the samba, he briefly paused and then tried to continue, but failed to catch partner Cheryl Burke at one point. They both crashed to the floor, making a mess of the routine.

Even on a sub-par night, Kristi Yamaguchi stood tall.

Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas strut their stuff.

Kristi Yamaguchi’s incredible run on “Dancing With the Stars” reached new heights tonight as she and partner Mark Ballas attained a perfect score of 30 for their energetic and creative jive.

The Olympic figure skating champion and East Bay native had flirted with perfection several times on the show already, but this was the first time all three judges gave her marks of 10. It was the first 30 of the season.

Judges Carrie Ann and Bruno both called it their favorite routine of the season so far, with the latter blurting, “It was top-notch, high-definition entertainment.” Meanwhile, Len deemed it “absolutely great.”

Despite Yamaguchi’s consistent brilliance (she’s had the top scores each week), she has to be hearing foosteps from Mario, who is shaping up to be her hottest competition. The R&B crooner posted a 28 for a sexy rumba and actually had points deducted for doing a lift.

Mario even issued Kristi a challenge. “I’m not that far from her and I can’t wait ’til we go head-to-head,” he said. “Watch out!”

Hard work and sweat has paid off for Yamaguchi so far.

Here at the Freak blog, we’re thrilled that East-Bay darling, Kristi Yamaguchi, is tearing up the floor on “Dancing With the Stars” (8 p.m. tonight, ABC), but we’re a little concerned that she’ll peak too early and/or get taken for granted by the judges and voting public. And we’re not the only ones. It has definitely crossed her mind.

“You start to wonder if people are thinking, ‘Well, what else can she bring? What does she have left?’ “ Kristi said in an exclusive interview before tonight’s show.  ”It is a concern. But you just keep trying to be entertaining and surprising and hope that viewers enjoy it enough to keep voting. The nice thing about it is that you have a different dance each week that allows you to bring out a new look and a new character.” Read the rest of this entry »

For the third straight week, East-Bay native Kristi Yamaguchi and her partner, Mark Ballas, tallied the highest scores on “Dancing With the Stars,” but this time the solid marks came with some minor criticisms.

Judge Carrie Anna Inaba said Kristi’s tango was technically sound, but lacked the required passion. “I don’t feel much when you dance,” she remarked. And Bruno Tonioli said the routine was “sharp, clean and clear,” but wanted more “emotional engagement.”

“Lust. I want you to be a dirty girl!” he snarled, prompting Kristi to playfully flash some leg.

Despite the criticisms, Kristi and Mark once again garnered scores of “9″ across the board for their third straight 27 of the competition.  

One more dancer will be eliminated tonight.

So was Kristi Yamaguchi conning us? When I recently interviewed her (See the Q&A below), she talked about what a rough adjustment she was having to ballroom dancing, how she could barely walk in high heels, let alone do the fox-trot, how she had a lot of anxiety about the whole thing … blah, blah, blah.

So what does she do in her “Dancing With the Stars” debut? Come out and blow away the field! She and partner Mark Ballas compiled a score of 27 (all three judges gave them a “9″), the highest mark of the night. Bruno called it “Absolutely wicked!” and added that, “For the first round, it was one of the best performances I’ve ever seen.”  And Len was just as effusive, gushing, “The ice maiden has just melted my heart.”

Of course, one dance does not the total package make, but our East Bay gal is off to a great start and first impressions on this show are meaningful. I guess there’s something we may have overlooked in the run-up to the show: Although Kristi surely did have a lot to learn coming in, there’s something that you just can’t teach: Style and grace. That’s something she’s always had and it will no doubt serve her well in the coming weeks.

“Dancing With the Stars” (8 p.m., ABC) returns for its sixth season tonight and East Bay-bred figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi is among the field of 12 celebs who have their sights set on that big, cheesy disco-ball trophy.

I recently got Kristi on the phone to talk about her workouts so far and her expectations going into the show. Here’s the rundown:

Q: How did you become interested in “Dancing With the Stars”?
A: My family has had San Francisco 49ers season tickets for years and years and I’m a big fan, so I started watching when Jerry Rice was on the show. I also know (Season 4 champ) Apolo Anton Ohno through skating. I watch with the kids all the time and got hooked.

Q: Have you ever done any ballroom dancing?
A: None.

Q: Not even at your wedding? (With pro hockey player Bret Hedican)
A: No, we just swayed back and forth like a typical couple does. But now Bret wants me to teach him when I’m done with the show.

Q: One would think a figure skater, who performs to music and has worked with choreography, would have a leg up on some of the competition. Do you agree?
A: Oh, no, this is a whole different world! In skating, it’s all about gliding across a smooth sheet of ice. You sort of flow through the music and only highlight the big crescendos. In dancing, you have to concentrate on the position of your legs and feet on every beat and every count of the music. It’s definitely not easy for me.

Q: So is it safe to say you’re better on skate blades than high-heels?
A: Oh, definitely! But I’ve never been real good in high heels, whether it’s just walking or whatever. They just kill my feet. And I’m a lot more clumsy on the floor than the ice. … I’m practicing on a 2-inch heel and I don’t think I’ll go more than 2 1/2, maybe 3.

Q: What have your workouts been like so far?
A: The first week we started off at two hours a day, but after that we kicked it up to four to six hours a day. My hips have been killing me! I never used to understand it when older people complained about their achy hips. Now I do.

Q: All skaters are used to taking falls on the ice. Have you had any scary mishaps on the dance floor yet?
A: I’ve had a couple of tumbles, sure. And you know that’s exactly what they’ll show on TV to 20 million viewers. They have the cameras there all the time. It’s very intimidating.

Q: They also tend to show the squabbles between the celebrity and the pro. How have you and Mark been getting along?
A: Mark laughs more than he yells. He’s an amazing teacher and he’s very patient with me. He’s really good about saying things over and over. It’s a great deal of work, but he’s making it fun.

Q: Athletes (Emmitt Smith, Ohno, Helio Castroneves) have won the last three “Stars” titles. Now you come in with (tennis player) Monica Seles and (NFL star) Jason Taylor. Do you feel like you’ve got to uphold that tradition?
A: There’s probably a little pressure there. Based on past performances, viewers probably expect the athletes to be pretty good. But this season, everyone is a performer and an entertainer. It’s going to be tough.

Q: Athletes are, of course, competitive by nature. Do you think those juices will be flowing?
A: Well, I’m not looking to be ultracompetitive. But like figure skating, this has scores and judges. So you want to do well and put on a good show, and some competitiveness might kick in. But I don’t want to be all stressed out at this point in my life. I’ve had enough of that. I’m really trying to have fun with this.

Q: Who do you think might be the one to beat?
A: I’m worried about Mario. He’s adorable. He’s got a lot of charm that can win over the audience and, obviously, he can move and dance.

Q: Who’s your favorite pro dancer?
A: I’m a big fan of Julianne Hough (teamed with Adam Carolla). I love her energy and her personality. I love her costumes. But all of them are amazing. It’s intimidating being around them. You see them do their thing and you instantly say to yourself, “Why am I here? What made me think I could ever do this?”

Olympic figure-skating gold medalist and Bay Area native Kristi Yamaguchi is among the celebs who will compete on the next round of “Dancing With the Stars.”

The Season 6 cast of “Dancing With the Stars” was announced during the finale of “Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann” last night.

In addition to Yamaguchi, the popular dance party will feature actress Marlee Matlin, illusionist-entertainer Penn Jillette, radio jock Adam Carolla, former tennis great Monica Seles, actor Steve Guttenberg, R&B singer Mario, Broadway star Marissa Jaret Winokur, Miami Dolphin football player Jason Taylor, actress Shannon Elizabeth, Telenovela star Christian De La Fuente and Priscilla Presley.

So what do you think of this crew? Enough star power? Who’s the early favorite? You would think that Yamaguchi, with all the choreography work in figure skating, might have a good shot.

Season 6 will premiere on March 17 with a special 2-hour episode.

It was the driver over the diva Tuesday night as Brazilian race-car champ Helio Castroneves topped Spice Girl Melanie Brown to capture the Season 5 title of “Dancing with the Stars” in a finale that was stretched and padded to beyond mind-numbing proportions.

“This is an incredible moment right now,” Helio shouted while hoisting a carton of milk — which, of course, is what winners of the Indy 500 traditionally do. Helio, who has won the Indy 500 twice, can now add a big, clunky mirrored ball to his trophy case. He might give some serious thought to dumping it on eBay.

In winning, he became the third straight “Dancing” champ to emerge from the world of sports, following NFL star Emmitt Smith and Olympic speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno. (Sorry 49ers and Raiders fans, Jerry Rice let you down). For his partner Julianne Hough, it was her second consecutive win.

Helio was also the fourth straight male to prevail in the cheesy reality show. The only female victor was Season 1 champ Kelly Monaco, who later lost to John O’ Hurley in a specially arranged dance-off. Not to knock my gender or anything, but you have to wonder what’s going on here. As good as Helio was, he didn’t have to get around the ballroom four-inch heels.

Melanie, a British dynamo who came into the final with the highest point totals from the judges, wowed audiences all season with her versatility, her energy and a pair of legs that would not quit. For her final dance, she chose the mambo, which she and partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, performed to perfection, according to the judges who awarded them with three 10’s.

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At least this time Marie Osmond didn’t faint.

The finals got under way for “Dancing with the Stars” tonight and Marie was called upon to do the samba — the same dance that sent her crashing to the floor a few weeks ago. She got through it just fine (big sigh of relief), but she’ll need some intervention from the masses if she expects to take home that big ugly ball trophy.

Marie was dueling with Melanie Brown and Helio Castroneves, two younger, quicker and technically superior dancers and the results were predictable: After two dances, including the freestyle, she finished the night at the bottom of the judges’ scorecard. That should bump her from the competition early on tonight, but it might be foolish to bet against her. After all, her fan base, including all those doll-collecting zealots, is huge — and a lot of them fall squarely in the show’s age demo.

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