Erin Andrews started our weekly Dancing with the Stars recap interview with the following greeting: "Um. Hello?!" It was appropriate: We've officially reached the finale of the most insane DWTS season ever. Join us as we chat with the ESPN heroine about last night's elimination, her feelings about the final three, and the flood of (unjustified) hate-Tweets she's received about the outcome.
Well, Erin, craziness happened again the other night.
It is crazy. If you had asked me last night when it was down to Brandy and Bristol, I never would've guessed this is what we'd be talking about today.
Let's start at the beginning with the easier subjects: Jennifer Grey earned two perfect scores. Do you almost feel bad for her and how great she's doing because it's possible the rug will be pulled out from her during the finale?
No, because that's what happened with Nicole. At this point in our season last year she was just knocking out everything. So, no. Obviously she's got the scores and she has the votes by her fans to keep her in.
Plus, they have to do a triumphant "(I've Had the) Time of My Life" dance next week, right?
I think they're going to have to. You've got to be kidding me! If we have four routines that they have to do, they've got to throw in something. Give us a little bit of "(I've Had the) Time of My Life." Are you kidding me?!
Um, after this season, we deserve to see that routine.
We deserve it! [Laughs.]
How did you feel about your man Kyle Massey's work this week?
I thought he was phenomenal. I loved it. The "bionic booty" was one of the greatest lines in the world. If I ever got that title, I think I'd be happy with my life. He was wonderful. I think what I enjoy even more about him, and the judges said it perfectly, there's just no drama with him. His packages are always hysterical. It's so cute about him -- when they're waiting for scores or he's talking with Brooke, he just has this precious smile on his face and a funny laugh. I was talking to Niecy Nash last night after the show, and I was telling her the other reason I think I like him because he's so loud and doesn't realize it. And that's exactly how I am.
Before we descend into a real discussion about Brandy and Maks's elimination, let's talk about their dances. How'd you feel they did? You'll remember they scored a perfect 30 once.
I thought they did great. As always, they were very, very solid. The paso she did, she just showed that aggression and attitude. The paso is very angry, and I thought it was perfect. I just really, really enjoyed her paso a lot. With the Argentine Tango, I actually thought they had great luck because those are Maks's strongest dances that he choreographs. Those were my two favorite dances that I did with him. They also obviously got the encore, which was wonderful. I thought the judges did a great job scoring them. And she was really good. One thing she did great with this week was her emotions. She chilled out a bit, and she even referenced it when she was getting her scores. Now, I will tell you a little side note, my friend. Our little Movieline chat last week caused a big, big stir with Brandy's fans. I got some not-so-nice tweets about that.
Oh, God.
Oh, you have no idea! Brandy had to call off the hounds and tell everyone to just relax. It's kind of funny, because if you watched the show last night, Mark Ballas said the same exact thing I said in that pre-produced package. You can just tell how bad she wants it. Then they showed all these shots of her closing her eyes and being really intense. I never said that as a bad thing! That's too bad that people misinterpreted it. My whole thing is -- and I'm sure I'll get criticized again -- is I wanted her to enjoy the experience for what it is. It doesn't matter if you win the mirror ball trophy or not. It's about having the best experience and making the most out of the journey. But oh my goodness, I didn't know that was such a terrible thing to say. And now I'm getting blamed for her losing as well! I appreciated her performance this week. I thought she did a very good job and was really relatable to fans at home. I thought this was probably the most real we saw her throughout the entire season.
Well, people would have to be idiots to blame you for Brandy's elimination. It's pretty obvious that Bristol has a big voting machine behind her, Kyle's become an underdog favorite, and that means a consistently solid competitor like Brandy is bound to fall through the cracks at the last moment.
And also, don't blame it on me -- I put my votes in! Give me a break! I saw Brandy and Maks on Good Morning America this morning and on Jimmy Kimmel last night, and they were saying, "People say 'I don't want that person to win,' and then they don't vote for the person they want to win.'" I went on Good Morning America on Tuesday morning and talked about Bristol, and they asked me, "Is there a conspiracy?" And I said, "No! She's just getting more votes! People are flooding the phone lines to vote for her!" At this point, all the negative publicity that she's getting -- all the Tea Party, Sarah Palin, "She shouldn't be there!", Rick and Kurt and Brandy were robbed! -- I think this has helped her. From my standpoint, I felt like after she did her first dance on Monday, she got some of the loudest applause in the ballroom. I feel like now, people just feel bad. Is it her fault that she's gone out there and done the best she can do? No. She knows she's not the best dancer. She said that. It's pretty obvious. But is it her fault that people are flooding the phone lines for her? No! In the end, what is she supposed to do? "I can't take all this negative criticism. I'm going to quit." No! What has she done wrong? I think there are a lot of people who feel bad for her, and they think, "You know what, I'm going to vote for her." I feel bad!
Your beloved Maks was eliminated. He has still never won the mirror ball trophy. How would you describe your feelings about what happened with him?
I'm heartbroken for Maks. Despite what Brandy's fans feel about me, I clearly thought they were going to win the whole thing. I said that the first time he had her. I even texted him that. "You've got it. You're going to win." As much as we say, "It's a TV show!" it's also part of his profession. You always want to be considered the best at your profession. I feel personally bad that I wasn't able to get him the mirror ball. You feel a little regret there as well. I'm very sad for Maks. He works so hard and does nothing but try to make his stars feel so comfortable and beautiful. He makes sure they feel prepared. Many times, these pro dancers do so much more than teach you a routine. They are your friend, and really, your best friend throughout the whole thing. For me, because I didn't know LA, Maks helped me get adjusted to a new area. He helped me with so much more than on the dance floor, and it sounds like from everything Brandy has said, like "I have a friend for life" -- he was the same way with her. In that respect, you know the work he put into this season. You just love that he's in it to win it. He has a lot of pride. I feel so bad.
Now, voters may be the ones keeping Bristol in, but I still have a problem with the judging. Bristol was clearly the worst dancer on Monday, and she earned five '9's and an '8.' Do you think they scored her too highly?
It's hard to know -- [sighs] -- the level the judges were distributing numbers at. It's hard to know exactly what they were going by. Bristol's getting better numbers than I did! I think each year is a different kind of level they're judging at. It's hard for me to know the thought process this year. Like I said to you, I think we were at a different level last year because we basically had a professional dancer we were competing against, and Evan was phenomenal. We were held to a different level with those two. Maybe that made the judges think differently this year versus last year.
I agree that Bristol's done nothing 'wrong.' But did you notice when she said, 'No offense to anyone else in the competition, but I'm not fake'? Of course, editing can make that kind of remark look worse than it is, but still: Kind of rude?
You're right to preface it with [concern about] what kind of question was asked behind the camera. I'm always so hesitant to kind of go after people because I've been in that position. I've worn that microphone. I've seen my packages. I'm like, "Wait a minute! That's not what we were saying!" So I don't know what was asked of her. I understand the underdog role she was trying to tap into. I was trying to tap into that when we were trying to get scores too. My thing that I tapped into is that I'm not a performer; I report on sports, and I'm going up against a gold medalist and a pop singer. I think [the producers] tried to ask her, "Why are people trying to relate to you?" and I know it came out as, "I'm not fake and I'm not from Hollywood." I was like, "Ehhhhh." I know what she was trying to say. "I didn't grow up with Grammy nominated albums. I didn't go to prom with Kobe. I wasn't on a Disney Channel show. I didn't play in the NBA or the NFL. I'm the daughter of Sarah Palin and I live in Alaska." That's where she was trying to go. I don't know how it was asked of her to make her reply like that.
I think she acts a bit dismissively towards the eliminated contestants. Should Bristol feel slightly bad that great performers are leaving and she's staying?
I don't know the relationship this cast has, but if you look at me the two times I was up against Pam [Anderson] and Chad [Ochocinco] in the bottom two, I was genuinely sad. I felt really bad because everybody loved Pam. I'm not saying people didn't love me, but our cast was so close that it felt really bad when anyone went home, especially when it was Pam. The same thing going into finals: I felt bad that Cheryl [Burke] and Chad weren't going. That's because we're so close as a family and we didn't want people to go home. But should Bristol feel bad because she's beating people who are better than her with the popular vote? No. Everybody knew the rules when they came into this competition. It's a popularity contest. Not only do you have to do well on the dance floor, but you have to just as well in the popularity factor. Everybody knew those rules when they signed that contract. I don't think she should feel bad at all.
Big question: Can Kyle or Bristol win Dancing with the Stars?
[Sighs.] I think Kyle has a great chance of winning now. I really, really do. I think that a lot of Brandy's fans are going to be very disappointed, and I think a lot of her votes will go towards Kyle. She already said today that she hopes Kyle wins. And you know, Bristol? Gosh, she throws that wild card in there. She has a huge following! This week is very challenging, four routines. The freestyle is basically the turning point of the show. It can make or break you. I think Bristol's popular vote will help her, but I think Kyle's likable factor and the fact that he'll probably pick up Brandy and Maks' votes will help him as well. And then you've got Jennifer! She really appeals to the older demographic -- I mean, my mom! My dance teacher! And me! I love her! And if she does the "(I've Had the) Time of My Life" routine? I mean, don't tell me you're not going to stand there singing it and doing the moves with her. So she has that card in her back pocket. This is very interesting the way this has all been laid out.
When all's said and done, this finale will be interesting. There's an 'anything goes' element here.
Anything could really happen. I think one thing that happened with our finale is that everyone thought Nicole was going to win. I mean, even after the first day. And now that Bristol's in the mix, Kyle's in the mix, and Maks and Brandy are gone -- the favorites have been cleaned out -- this is not as predictable as last season's finale was. Heading into finals last year, Maks and I were like, "The pressure's not on us. It's all on Evan and Nicole." As much as I wanted to win it, we all basically knew Nicole was going to win. That's just the way the show had gone all season. That separates this finale's from last year's. But God, I wish I had Bristol's popular vote last season, let me tell you that!
Does this part of the season bring back any specific memories about your finale last year?
That's a good question. You know, it's funny, I talked to a bunch of friends today. They all wanted to talk about last night. Last season, I didn't know if I was going to make it to the finale, but gosh -- I was just so nervous. My girlfriends were telling me last night I was texting them in the makeup room, saying, "I'm going home. I'm going home." But grabbing my phone after the show, everyone that was important to me had texted me. I remember how scared I was. I felt like I was going to throw up all day. So I felt like I already won when I made it to the finals. It was just, "Oh, I won. I made it to the finals." My friends and I were reliving that today. A lot of fun.