Pinoys dance to victory

In the end, their hard work and sacrifice paid off. For him, all the time spent inside a studio, instead of hanging out with friends and being with his pregnant wife. For her, all the stressful nights thinking of routines and techniques while all the other girls her age were out having fun at clubs. But for pop star Drew Lachey and his Filipina-American dancing partner and teacher Cheryl Burke, "everything was well worth it."

The two bested nine other pairs in ABC 7’s Dancing with the Stars, the hit reality TV dance show included football legend Jerry Rice and his professional dance partner Anna Trebuskaya and WWE star Stacey Keibler and her professional dance partner Tony Dovolani as Cheryl and Drew’s closest rivals.

"Even when we were sitting there and they announced our names, we were still a little bit in shock that we were actually going to be the ones to take it home. There’s just so much talent in the show that it’s hard to actually get it," said the former 98 Degrees star when they were asked if there was any point in the program when they felt they had a good grip on the trophy.

The pair delivered a stellar performance that earned them a perfect score from all three judges. But their last chance to impress last Sunday night garnered only a total of 27 points from Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.

"I had a throbbing headache all evening long after they got the three nines. I thought they deserved a lot more than that after the performance and after their performance. And when they got that 9-9-9, I almost died," said Sherie Bautista Burke, the mother of Cheryl who moved to the US from Nueva Ecija.

"I am always nervous. I knew that we came a long way. I was happy that we were in the finals. But I was nervous. I’m a nervous wreck," said the 21-year old Cheryl.

According to Hollywood entertainment scene experts, they had no doubt from the start that Drew and Cheryl would make it to the finals. And when Stacey and Tony got eliminated, they knew Drew and Cheryl, with their daring moves and risky routines would be the seasons’ dancing champions.

"Drew and Cheryl had an amazing work ethic. And every time I interviewed them, it went from four hours a day to six hours a day to eight hours a day. They had tremendous concentration and they also had a mutual respect and admiration for each other. Drew really listened to Cheryl and Cheryl really listened to Drew and I think they took the best of each other and that led up to their victory," said George Pennacchio, KABC entertainment reporter.

For the two, their time to bask in glory was also the time to recall some of the difficulties they encountered during the whole season. They admitted that it wasn’t always fun – they "worked hard in the studio, fighting, getting on each other’s nerves." But as soon as the show started, they just let go of all that to basically have enjoy performing in front of the camera.

"As soon as Drew did his first performance, I knew that he could easily win this competition and he’s come such a long way every week. Every week, every day, Drew always surprised me with something new," Cheryl said.

And in exchange for her patience in teaching him, Drew returned the favor with his dedication. He once said in an interview that he wanted to win it more for Cheryl than for himself.

"This is nice for me, for my ego. But this is her world, ballroom is her world. And this is a testament to how much hard work and how much effort she put into this. This is a testament to how much she put into this competition. And I think it’s unfair to say, ‘I did so well. I did well because of Cheryl,’" he said.

Cheryl was definitely in control. And she still is. At 21, she has already accomplished a lot on the dance floor, turning pro, and even bagging the 2005 World Cup Professional Rising Star title.

"I put my whole life on hold for this. For the last three months, I spent every day – sleepless nights and a lot of worry and stress. But it’s ok. I loved working with Drew and I looked forward to every day that we practice," she said.

For Drew, dancing with Cheryl has given him a friend for life. According to him, they have a "bond that not very many people can understand."