THE WINNER OF DANCING WITH THE STARS SEASON 7

Burke crowned 'Dancing with the Stars' queen
By DERRIK J. LANG, AP Entertainment Writer

Brooke Burke waltzed away with the mirror ball trophy on the "Dancing with the Stars" finale.

The 37-year-old TV personality and mother of four dominated the seventh season of the popular ABC dancing competition and bested former NFL player Warren Sapp and former 'NSync member Lance Bass during the Tuesday night finale, in which she reprised an emotional Viennese waltz routine that earned her a perfect score from the show's panel of judges.

"Unbelievable," was all Burke could muster after winning amid a flurry a confetti.

From the outset, the slinky former host of E!'s "Wild On" and CBS' "Rock Star" commanded the ballroom this season, coming in first place eight out of 10 times and receiving a 10 -- the judges' top score -- 16 times. Burke was crowned the latest "Dancing with the Stars" champion after the judges' scores -- 88 out of 90 -- were combined with viewers' votes.

"I actually can't believe it," said Derek Hough, Burke's professional partner, who's never won the competition. "I really can't. I honestly can't. The journey's been so long. It's been tough. It's been wonderful. It's been everything I could ever hope for. Wow. I can't believe we actually did it, girl."

Burke maintained an eight point lead over Sapp, the charismatic 35-year-old fan favorite whose technique was consistently criticized by the judges. Sapp still managed to hustle his way into second place with professional partner Kym Johnson, despite receiving one point less from the judges than the third place finisher, 29-year-old singer Bass.

"From the moment you start, you make me smile," head judge Len Goodman told Sapp.

Bass and his professional partner, Lacey Schwimmer, were upbeat about their loss. The pair danced away after their dismissal. And he's not hanging up his dancing shoes just yet. The former boybander will join professional dancers and other former contestants for the 38-city "Dancing with the Stars" tour, which is set to kick off Dec. 17 in San Diego.

"You never took the safe road once," judge Carrie Ann Inaba told Bass during the finale.

Previously dismissed celebrities -- actor Cody Linley; sprinter Maurice Greene; actresses Susan Lucci and Cloris Leachman; chef Rocco DiSpirito; reality TV star Kim Kardashian; actor Ted McGinley; and comedian Jeffrey Ross -- also returned for a last dance. Injured volleyball player Misty May-Treanor and singer Toni Braxton remained off their feet.

THE PROFILE OF BROOKE BURKE

Born Brooke Lisa Burke
September 8, 1971 (1971-09-08) (age 37)
Hartford, Connecticut
Spouse(s) Dr. Garth Fisher (2001-2005)
Domestic partner(s) David Charvet (2006-present)

Early life
Burke was born as the first of nine children in Hartford, Connecticut to Donna and George Burke, she was raised in Tucson, Arizona. Her mother is Jewish and she identifies herself as Jewish; she also has Irish, French, and Portuguese ancestry. She attended both Sahuaro High School and Palo Verde High Schools in Tucson. She studied broadcast journalism at UCLA, but initially pursued a modeling career. She was signed to top modeling agencies, including the renowned Ford Models Agency, and subsequently appeared in prominent television commercials for Bally Fitness Clubs, Coca-Cola, and Discover Card.

Career

Brooke worked as a model for Venus Swimwear and Frederick's of Hollywood. From 1999 to 2002, Burke became well-known while hosting Wild On!, a popular travel series on the E! Entertainment Television channel, replacing previous host Jules Asner. As part of the series, she travelled the world extensively, profiling many popular travel destinations. Burke first appeared nude during her early modeling career for the website BlueNudes.com, and most notably after gaining fame in the May 2001 and November 2004 issues of Playboy and has also appeared in lad mags such as Maxim, Stuff, and FHM[4] Hot 100 List and featured her on their gallery. She was the voice and face of "Rachel Teller" in Electronic Arts' video game Need for Speed: Underground 2, and asks the "People and Places" questions in the video game Trivial Pursuit Unhinged.

Burke has fronted infomercials promoting a Swiss ball video home fitness workout named Gunnar Peterson's Core Secrets, and appears in the first video of the series entitled 20 Minute Full Body Workout. The infomercials have screened in New Zealand and Australia.

In 2005 and 2006, Burke hosted the CBS summer reality show Rock Star, an American Idol-like series in which aspiring singers compete to become either the frontman or frontwoman for a rock band.

Brooke Burke starred as a playable character in the Burger King advergaming title PocketBike Racer and in Big Bumpin'. In 2007, she was listed as one of Blender's hottest women of film and TV.

Brooke has also starred in the TV show host edition of The Weakest Link.

In 2007, Brooke started a company called Baboosh Baby, which offers wraps for pregnant women. The company's website features a blog from Brooke about her children.

Burke won Season 7 of Dancing with the Stars. Derek Hough was her partner.

Personal life

In 2001, Burke married Dr. Garth Fisher, a plastic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. They have two daughters together: Neriah (named after Playmate Neriah Davis) and Sierra Sky. In 2005, Fisher and Burke filed for divorce, and their divorce was finalized in 2006.

On August 21, 2006, she announced that she was engaged to actor/singer David Charvet. They have two children together: a daughter named Heaven Rain and a son named Shaya Braven.

Sources: Wikipedia


VIDEO CLIP OF THE PERFORMANCE IN THE PREVIOUS WEEKS



Thanks and credits to the Sources: Associated Press ABCTV