Dancing with the Stars (Australian season 8)


The Eighth season of Dancing with the Stars was the first without original host Daryl Somers. Actor Daniel MacPherson was the new host. In a change to the judging panel, Paul Mercurio was replaced. In 2008, only one season was aired instead of two in previous years, the show was moved to Sunday night instead of Tuesday, and it was presented by new producers Freehand.
Season eight featured three finalists, however one couple was eliminated after a Cha-cha-cha showoff, which left two couples to compete for the season title. The season featured the following celebrities:

Couples

CelebrityOccupationProfessional partnerStatus
Brooke HansonOlympic freestyle swimmerJohn-Paul CollinsEliminated 1st
on 7 September 2008
James TobinSunrise reporterJade HatcherEliminated 2nd
on 14 September 2008
Cal WilsonComedian & radio presenterCraig MonleyEliminated 3rd
on 21 September 2008
Red SymonsTelevision personality & radio presenterAna AndreEliminated 4th
on 28 September 2008
Jodi GordonHome and Away actressStefano OliveriEliminated 5th
on 12 October 2008
Toni PearenActress, singer, & television presenterHenry ByalikovEliminated 6th
on 19 October 2008
Charli DelaneyFormer Hi-5 singerCsaba SzirmaiEliminated 7th
on 2 November 2008
Paul LicuriaFormer AFL playerEliza CampagnaThird Place
on 9 November 2008
Danny GreenBoxerNatalie LoweRunner Up
on 9 November 2008
Luke JacobzHome and Away actorLuda KroitorWinner
on 9 November 2008

Scoring Chart

In Weeks 1 and 2, special guest judge Bruno Tonioli was part of the judging panel, and scores were out of 40 instead of 30.

Dance Schedule

The celebrities and professional partners danced one of these routines for each corresponding week.
The best and worst performances in each dance according to the judges' marks are as follows:
DanceBest dancerBest scoreWorst dancerWorst score
Cha Cha ChaToni Pearen27Brooke Hanson14
JiveToni Pearen25Red Symons13
RumbaPaul Licuria28Jodi Gordon22
TangoPaul Licuria30Brooke Hanson16
Paso DobleJodi Gordon
Charli Delaney		24Red Symons19
SambaToni Pearen23Luke Jacobz20
WaltzLuke Jacobz29Red Symons14
QuickstepPaul Licuria30Cal Wilson
Charli Delaney		22
FoxtrotPaul Licuria
Luke Jacobz		25James Tobin14
Argentine TangoPaul Licuria27Red Symons21
West Coast SwingLuke Jacobz28Danny Green19
SalsaCharli Delaney
Luke Jacobz		26Danny Green17
SegueDanny Green29Charli Delaney20
FreestyleLuke Jacobz30Danny Green26

Dance Chart

This dance was repeated by the couple at the finale.

Average Chart

The average chart is based on the dances performed by celebrities and not their place in the competition.
Average RankingCompetitive FinishCoupleNumber Of DancesTotal ScoreAverage
15Toni & Henry820826.00
23Paul & Eliza1436225.86
31Luke & Luda1538125.40
46Jodi & Stefano615025.00
58Cal & Craig49924.75
64Charli & Csaba1228824.00
72Danny & Natalie1535823.87
810Brooke & John Paul24120.50
99James & Jade35819.33
107Red & Ana59018.00

Running Order

Unless indicated otherwise, individual judges scores in the chart below are listed in this order from left to right: Todd McKenney, Helen Richey, Mark Wilson, Bruno Tonioli.

Week 1

;Running order
CoupleScoreStyleMusic
Charli & Csaba27 Cha-cha-cha"Pictures"—Sneaky Sound System
James & Jade18 Foxtrot"Miss You"—Musiq Soulchild
Brooke & John-Paul19 Cha-cha-cha"Dancing in the Moonlight"—Toploader
Danny & Natalie28 Foxtrot"Feeling Good"—Michael Bublé
Cal & Craig22 Cha-cha-cha"Pump It Up"—Elvis Costello
Paul & Eliza29 Foxtrot"Dream Catch Me"—Newton Faulkner
Luke & Luda24 Cha-cha-cha"Don't Stop the Music"—Rihanna
Red & Ana19 Foxtrot"Theme from Get Smart"—Hugo Montenegro
Toni & Henry35 Cha-cha-cha"Mercy"—Duffy
Jodi & Stefano28 Foxtrot"Two Hearts"—Kylie Minogue

Recap from the series

Week 1:
All 10 couples performed their first dance of the competition. Guest Judge Bruno Tonioli was judging as was Todd McKenney, Helen Richey and Mark Wilson. Toni and Henry finished a clear 1st place with a Cha-Cha-Cha scoring 35 with 9s from all the judges except Bruno. Paul and Eliza finished 2nd with 29 points for their Foxtrot. James and Jade finished last and scored just 18 points.
Week 2:
The second show features guest judge Bruno Tonioli and the other three main judges. Cal and Craig may not have been the best in Week 1 but they turned it round and finished 1st with 34 points for their Tango. Red and Ana finished bottom of the leaderboard with just 17 points for their Jive. Brooke and John-Paul were the first couple to be eliminated.
Week 3:
In the third show and since there were only the main judges. Red and Ana finished bottom of the leaderboard for the second week in a row with 19 points for their Waltz. There was a highlight from Luke and Luda's Samba which scored 20 points but his tongue accidentally stuck out which was severely criticised by Todd who gave him a 6. James and Jade were the second couple to leave.
Week 4:
Toni and Henry were 1st on the leaderboard for their Quickstep and received the first 10 of the series. Luke and Luda were welcomed to the competition and mentioned as the dark horse by the judges and earned him 25 points. Red and Ana for the third time in a row finished last with 19 points, which however was a better score for Red's performance. Cal and Craig were the next to leave.
Week 5
Paul & Eliza were 1st on the leaderboard for their Argentine Tango but Luke and Luda and Charli and Csaba really got the competition going as Luke kept up the good performance from the previous week and Charli and Csaba mentioned it was their coming out week and did just that and came equal second. Red and Ana, yet another time finished bottom with 21 points, again a better performance but it wasn't enough to remove him from last and him and Ana were eliminated from the competition.

Reception

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