by David McAlpine

Last night on Skating With the Stars, it was the live season (and, quite possibly, series) finale. It was the somewhat-sort-of-seasoned soap star Rebecca Budig versus underdog and overall rebel Bethenny Frankel in a battle for the golden skates trophy and a last-minute effort for judges' votes.

But, before we could get to the finalists, there was a recap of the whole season (which, according to Tanith, was full of "edge of your seat drama"--not exactly the way I would describe it) and then our first two eliminees, Sean Young and Vince Neil, took the ice.

Brandon is still out with some mysterious virus (but he still manages to ham up the camera), so Jonny and Brooke get their last chance in the spotlight, where he falls on a lift.

Now to the two finalists, where each will get the chance to restate their favorite performance in an attempt to better their score and earn last-minute judges' points and, hopefully, first place.

Celebrity: Bethenny Frankel
Professional: Ethan Burgess
Bethenny is up first and her and Ethan decide on their first performance that they ever did together, because they think they can spice it up. After a struggling a little bit with upping the difficulty, Bethenny gets some newfound confidence, ready to take on the ice. It's clear Bethenny has improved so much from the first week and that she was really going for it on finale night. It was still a little stiff and shaky, and definitely clear that Bethenny needed to win on the fan side of things to take home the trophy, but still much better than weeks past. The judges were, too, proud of her effort, and all thought it truly was a transformation.
Technical: Laurieann: 8 Johnny: 7 Dick: 8 Total: 23
Artistic: Laurieann: 10 Johnny: 9 Dick: 9 Total: 28
Grand Total: 51/60

Celebrity: Rebecca Budig
Professional: Fred Palascak
With Rebecca in the wings, everyone kept making allusions to the fact that you can't win "on judges' votes alone," which was, of course, a dig at Bethenny. Rebecca and Fred pick their routine to "Hot and Cold" by Katy Perry because they think it's the most energetic and has the best chance of improvement. Remember, this is the week where Rebecca injured her wrist, but she still plans to do the lift that she injured it on, because, like she's said a hundred times, this is her childhood dream, and no one is getting in the way of that. Clearly, she's the more talented skater, and she definitely brought her A-game tonight.
Technical: Laurieann: 10 Johnny: 10 Dick: 10 Total: 30
Artistic: Laurieann: 10 Johnny: 10 Dick: 10 Total: 30
Grand Total: 60/60

Finally, after more season recapping, it was time to name the ultimate victor of the show. With a little suspense and some scary lights, the winner is…Rebecca Budig! Surprise? Not really, though it would have been nice for Bethenny to win. Until next time?

(Photo courtesy of ABC)

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