And the Winner of Dancing With The Stars is...

With a season full of surprises and shocking eliminations, it's no mystery that Tuesday's finale of Dancing with the Stars was a nail-biter, right down to the last remaining minutes of the telecast.



As consistently low-scoring Bristol Palin advanced ahead of stronger dancers like Audrina Patridge and Brandy, fans and the media argued about whether Dancing had lost its credibility.

Palin held her own on Monday night's performance show against the season's most dynamic performer, actress Jennifer Grey, and charismatic actor Kyle Massey. Still, Palin received the lowest scores.

Did Palin's fans vote in droves to ensure she takes the Season 11 mirror-ball trophy home to Alaska? Or did America truly vote for the best dancer – which, depending on whom you ask, is either Grey or Massey?



It's Jennifer Grey!

The audience cheered and the actress broke into tears as her professional partner, Derek Hough, jumped up and and down. This is the third win for Hough, who also had victories with Nicole Scherzinger and Brooke Burke.

Grey, 50, endured health problems throughout the competition and on Tuesday night danced through pain from a slipped disc.

Massey, 19, came in second place, and Palin's amazing run ended. The 20-year-old daughter of Sarah Palin had a third-place finish.

Dancing With the Stars: Did Bristol Palin Save Her Best for Last?

Grey has dazzled Dancing With the Stars fans and judges with incredible routines. And on Monday night, the season's final performance show, Grey and partner Derek Hough achieved perfection for the second week in a row.

They received 30 out of 30 points for both of their dances – a paso doble that had the audience and the judges on their feet and a freestyle that had Bruno Tonioli raving about "two dances at the opposite end of the spectrum and both equally brilliant!"

Kyle Massey and Lacey Schwimmer didn't disappoint with a suave foxtrot that earned a solid 27 out of 30 points and had judge Len Goodman gushing that the actor had gone from "Messy Massey to marvelous."

The duo's hip-hop themed freestyle earned them a score of 29 out of 30 points and Massey a new nickname from Carrie Ann Inaba, who called him "the Fresh Prince of Dancing with the Stars."

At the bottom, once again, were Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas.

The 20-year-old Palin emerged from a hibernation of sorts – and not just because Mama Grizzly Sarah Palin was sitting in the front row – with the routine that earned a much-deserved standing ovation and a score of 27 out of 30.

But their Chicago-themed freestyle didn't fare as well. The musical-inspired routine fell short, with Bruno Tonioli commenting that it was "not quite at the level" of what a finale night freestyle should be, earning 25 points for a combined total score of 52/60 for the night.

Now that the judges' scores have been tallied, the contestants' fates are in the hands of the American voting public. Will Palin's fans pull her through again? Hopefully NOT!

The season 11 live results show airs tonight at 9:00 pm (ET) on ABC.

Is Bristol Palin Headed to Dancing Finals?

Kyle Massey wooed the Dancing With the Stars judges during the semifinals, but was it enough? Or did Bristol Palin's amazing run finally end?

And did Brandy's fall to the bottom two send her packing? Or is Jennifer Grey going to be the latest surprise elimination on Tuesday night?

It's another ballroom shocker: Brandy was sent packing.

Members of the audience gasped and some booed at hearing the results, but the R&B star's pro partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, took the high road.

"People vote and their voices count," he said. "I don't regret a second ... of being on this season. It's been an amazing journey."

Moving to the finals are Massey, Grey and Palin.

Spoiler Alert! Did Bristol Palin or Florence Henderson Get Booted Off Dancing With The Stars?

Bristol Palin found herself in a hairy situation Monday night on Dancing with the Stars.

The contestant – who celebrated her 20th birthday the same night – and partner Mark Ballas sported furry monkey suits during part of their jive routine, which failed to impress judges.

Dancing to the Monkees theme song on a night of TV-themed performances, Palin and Ballas earned just 18 points, landing them in last place, behind Kyle Massey, who scored 20, and Florence Henderson, who scored 21.

Did Palin pack up her Dancing shoes and head back to Alaska? Keep reading to find out who was kicked off during Tuesday's elimination show.

Bristol is safe! And so is Kyle! Instead, Henderson was told she earned the lowest combined score and was eliminated.

"I've been in TV for 50 years and I have to say honestly this has been one of the best produced shows I've ever been on," the Brady Bunch star said after she heard the news. "I've loved the show since it began. It's just a tremendous show."

Henderson, who danced with pro Corky Ballas, added, "I hope I've inspired people to get off their behinds and move and dance and live and enjoy life."