Yamaguchi leads in 'Dancing With the Stars' finale

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES - Kristi Yamaguchi couldn't have done any better at the "Dancing With the Stars" finals Monday. The figure-skating champ earned a perfect score of 60 for her two dances, putting her far ahead of fellow finalists Cristian de la Fuente, who scored 52, and Jason Taylor, who finished with 51.

Each performed a freestyle routine, and the three finalists shared the floor for a group dance dubbed "the cha-cha face-off." Yamaguchi came out on top both times.

"It's ladies' night. You won that hands down," judge Carrie Ann Inaba told the Olympian after the group dance. Her perfect score easily bested de la Fuente's 26 points and Taylor's 24.

All three freestyle dances featured funky moves and lifts aplenty, but Yamaguchi tossed in some hip-hop grooves, a little Latin flair and even helped flip her professional partner, Mark Ballas.

"I'm going to call you Miss Synchronicity," said judge Bruno Tolioli, who received a kiss from Yamaguchi after one dance. "This was so demanding and so difficult, but you make it look easy. It's worthy of the championship for me."

Taylor's club-worthy routine earned 27 points and de la Fuente's Latin-flavoured dance collected 26.

Finishing the season with two perfect scores was "unbelievable," Yamaguchi said: "We were so thrilled with the dances and the scores, we were like, 'Yes!' It's that extra little Tiger Woods fist- pump at the end."

Pro football star Taylor and actor de la Fuente each said they wouldn't have changed a thing about their performances, and both are still holding out hope that they might take the "Dancing" title.

Yamaguchi has regularly topped the judges scoreboard throughout the season. Judges' scores will be combined with viewer votes to determine who takes home the mirrorball trophy on Tuesday night.

The Canadian Press, 2008