Joanna Gone?! DWTS Stunner...

Click on the arrow to see Derek Hough and Joanna Krupa performing a lovely, ethereal Viennese Waltz. (Don't forget to click off my playlist as well, because you will like the music they are dancing to.)

Is anyone out there besides me still trying to absorb what happened last night on Dancing with the Stars? Next week's mockery of a final will now consist of Mya and Dmitry pitted against the two couples who can't possibly beat her...or shouldn't, at least. But let's be real. If voters continue to value likability over talent, it's completely within the realm of possibility that either Kelly or Donny could take home the trophy.

Yes, dance fans, Derek and Joanna are gone, though they performed beautifully Tuesday night (and most every other night) and were the only two contenders skilled enough to actually give Mya a run for her money on merit. Admittedly, Joanna has never been my cup of tea (though she was beginning to grow on me despite her occasional stiltedness), but it's sad to see that DWTS not only continues to be a popularity contest but has become even more of one. Not since the year Emmett Smith beat Mario Lopez has such a travesty occurred, although those two were more closely matched in ability than either Donny Osmond or Kelly Osbourne are to Mya.

If ability and execution mattered, Donny would not be participating in the finals at all. Nor would Kelly, for that matter, because Aaron Carter is a better dancer than either of them. Yes, he bugged me, too, but he was a better dancer. Still, I'm bothered considerably less by his going than by Joanna's exit, because somehow Aaron's lamentably squishy personality leaked into his dancing a bit––for me, anyway.

Having said all of that, I admit to liking Kelly Osbourne very much, and her improvement over the past couple of weeks has been amazing as her self-confidence has grown. What's more, I was enchanted by the moment when she and Louis were hugging in the confessional and she whispered, "I love you, Louis Van Amstel." Then she broke out of the hug and gave him such a sweet look of true affection that he got emotional and lost it himself. I'm not kidding; I actually replayed that little scene several times because I was so moved by it. In fact, I was plain old moved by Kelly in general...her growth...her charm...her plucky, what-you-see-is-what-you-get personality. So I do relate to those who voted for her, and I do think she deserved to be in the final.

But Donny didn't. He just didn't. He completely blew one of his dances Monday night, and that should have been the tiebreaker between Kelly and him. And there was no need for a tiebreaker with Joanna Krupa. Because she was head and shoulders above either of them in both talent and execution.

I hope Mya wins the final. She has it all...personality and prowess...and if there's any justice in TV-land, she will take the mirror ball home. (In other words, she's at risk, big-time.)

Footnote: It occurs to me that Derek Hough may be the one who actually scotched things for Joanna, because her story of always wanting to be a dancer and the obvious affection of her family was quite appealing Monday night. Derek, on the other hand (who happens to be my favorite choreographer on the show), has been a little full of himself lately. Seen on camera during the judge's rating process, he almost seemed to be "bribing" the public to vote for him based upon the great ideas he had for a freestyle at the finals. Similarly unappealing were films of rehearsals with Joanna where he showed his temper and even kicked a wall when his partner had trouble executing a move he was trying to teach her. Not cool, dude. Not cool.