Marini, Johnson tied on `Dancing With the Stars'

LOS ANGELES (AP) - May 19, 2009 See the contestants:
SLIDES: Shawn Johnson on "Dancing with the Stars"
SLIDES: Melissa Rycroft on "Dancing with the Stars"
SLIDES: Gilles Marini on "Dancing with the Stars"

Viewer votes are combined with judges' scores to determine which celebrity takes home the trophy.

/*Gilles Marini*/, who appeared in the "Sex and the City" movie, says he already has a place for the show's big prize.

"I made a little shelf in (my daughter's) room," he said. "So hopefully we can put it there."

Marini has topped the judges' leaderboard for weeks. He earned a perfect score of 30 for his paso doble on Monday's show, but said he is "by far the underdog."

"The first time I ever danced was Feb. 9," he said.

Marini and professional partner Cheryl Burke earned 28 points for their freestyle dance.

/*Shawn Johnson*/, an Olympic gymnast and the show's youngest competitor ever at 17, called the trophy "my new gold medal."

Winning "would mean the world to me," she said Monday. Her freestyle dance earned a perfect score of 30.

"I've worked so hard for this and overcome so many fears," she said. "I was scared to do this. I wasn't sure if I would be able to do it and prove to everybody that I'm more than just a gymnast."

Johnson and professional partner Mark Ballas earned 28 points for their paso doble.

/*Melissa Rycroft*/, who gained fame when she was proposed to - then dumped - on "The Bachelor," said her 11 weeks on the show have been such a whirlwind, it took awhile for her to acknowledge that she wants the "Dancing" crown.

"I felt bad saying that," she said. "Weird as it sounds, I still almost feel like I don't deserve to be here."

Rycroft and professional partner Tony Dovolani collected 29 points for their paso doble and 27 for their freestyle dance.

6abc and ABC are owned by The Walt Disney Co.

On the Net:

http://abc.go.com/primetime/dancingwiththestars/index?pnindex

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