Spice Girls cheer on dancing star Mel B

Spice Girl Melanie Brown was the judges’ favourite in the final of US TV show 'Dancing With The Stars' last night.

The Leeds-born pop star was one of three celebrities still in the running to take the crown in the American version of 'Strictly Come Dancing'.

Watched from the audience by all four other Spice Girls, including Posh Spice Victoria Beckham, Mel B scored 55 out of a possible 60 points awarded by judges in the final against US singer Marie Osmond and Brazilian racing driver Helio Castroneves.

She danced the 'Cha Cha Cha' – a dance the judges picked for the couple after they performed it in the series’ first show – and a freestyle routine with her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

After seeing her performances, Len Goodman, a professional ballroom judge, said her place in the show’s final was “justly deserved”.

Talking about her routine, he said: “It was crisp, it was clean, it was precise.

“For me, one or two funny bits in it but it was a great performance, a great opening for the night.”

Bruno Tonioli, a film, music, video and theatre choreographer, said: “Melanie, I cannot believe what an accomplished dancer you have become in these past few months. Technically you have improved incredibly and your visual impact... I tell you, stunning.”

But the third judge, Carrie Ann, a choreographer and dance producer, said Mel B looked “really good” and the routine was “fun”, but she was expecting a bit more excitement.

Her comments were greeted with a chorus of boos from the audience and questions from fellow judge Mr Tonioli.

In the second routine, a freestyle dance, Chmerkovskiy ripped the Spice Girl’s black jacket off to reveal a red basque while she posed on a wooden chair.

Ms Inaba said although she enjoyed the routine, the freestyle event was a chance to show the judges “how far you’ve come” and Mel B’s routine “wasn’t all I was looking for”.

As the Spice Girls booed her comments from the audience, the judge told Mel B: “I don’t think it showcased all that you did over the past couple of months.”

But Mr Goodman said: “I loved the lift, I loved that little bit of humour with the Cha Cha Cha, I liked all that work with the chair. I thought you came out and really did a great performance.

“For me, it was just slightly disjointed here and there, didn’t actually sort of flow for me, but great job.”

And Mr Tonioli added: “Spectacular lifts, cool, hip and you’ve taken risks, you put something in that we don’t usually see, you tried it and you did a good job.”

Scary Spice was awarded 28 points for her first routine and 27 for the second.

Mel B’s rivals, Osmond and Castroneves, scored totals of 46 and 54 respectively for their performances.

Mel B has not been able to practice her routines as much as the other performers due to her commitments with the Spice Girls and their latest tour.

One couple will be eliminated at the start of tonight’s live results show on ABC before the two finalists perform one final routine.

Celine Dion is also expected to perform during the show.

The winner will be decided by a mixture of judges’ points and votes cast by the public.

The last series of Dancing With The Stars was watched by 23 million viewers.

In that show, Olympic speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno beat ’N Sync crooner Joey Fatone and boxer Laila Ali, who was voted off midway through the last episode.

The ABC programme averaged about 20 million weekly viewers for each of its twice-weekly episodes in the 2006-07 season.