(Writing and reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis)

Brooke Burke dominated the competition on “Dancing with the Stars” on Monday, as the ballroom dancing television show neared its end with three finalists in the running. But despite the judges giving her top marks and all but declaring her the winner, there’s that whole business of fans voting for their favorite contestant – and that’s where things can get tricky.
    
In the final round of last season’s “American Idol,” teen crooner David Archuleta seemed bound for the trophy based on the judges’ remarks. So when rocker David Cook was declared the winner by 12 million votes from fans, even he said that he was surprised. 

On this season’s “DWTS,” retired football star Warren Sapp has emerged as the crowd favorite, even if he lacks technique. On Monday’s show, he played up his popularity when he said into the TV camera, “I’m already the people’s champion, now it’s time to make it official.” The judges all agreed that Warren connects with the audience with judge Len Goodman telling the hefty contestant and former professional football player, “As an entertainer you have no one that touches you.”
 
Former boy band singer Lance Bass has shown flashes of brilliance throughout the season. For his all-important freelance routine on Monday, Lance and his partner Lacey Schwimmer performed a hip-hop routine, a style that is Lance’s strong suit but that he rarely gets a chance to use in the ballroom dancing competition. 
 
The judges had some kind words for Lance and gave him a score of 27 out of 30 for his freestyle. But it was nothing close to the praise they offered Brooke. Goodman described it as the best freestyle dance routine he had ever seen, and the judges gave her a perfect score of 30. 

So as the night ended, Brooke was at the top of the judges’ scoring with a 58 out of 60 and Lance and Warren were tied at 53. On Tuesday’s two-hour show, the three finalists will dance again and the judges will score them on those performances, with that total being counted for half of their overall score.

By including the judges’ scores in deciding the champion, “DWTS” differs from “American Idol” by not letting fans singlehandedly choose who wins. Could that be enough to propel Brooke to the disco ball crown, and take it away from fan favorite Warren? Or could Lance surprise everyone by winning in a ballroom dancing competition with a killer hip-hop routine?

(Photos: copyright ABC Inc; Kelsey McNeal)