ABC's wild 'Dancing With the Stars 3' season coming to a close

ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," which has become the No. 1 reality series and the fourth most-watched show on U.S. television, is coming to a close this week.

ADVERTISEMENT

In its third season, "Dancing with the Stars" gained an eight percent increase in total viewers and 10 percent in the important 18-to-49-year-old demographic, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.

The season has also been plagued and gifted with love and mishaps, including partners Mario Lopez and Karina Smirnoff and partners Willa Ford and Maksim Chmerkovskiy both reportedly becoming couples.

RELATED LINKS Dancing with the Stars Message Board RealityTVWorld: Dancing with the Stars RealityTVWorld: Dancing with the Stars 1 RealityTVWorld: Dancing with the Stars 2 RealityTVWorld: Dancing with the Stars 3 SirLinksALot: Dancing with the Stars More Television News

Country singer Sara Evans ended up quitting the show because of trouble with her marriage, while Monique Coleman had a wardrobe malfunction that became a season highlight for the ever-proper British judge Len Goodman.

Tuesday night's finale pits Emmitt "Twinkle Toes" Smith against "Super Mario" Lopez, in what looks to be the most intense competition this show has seen.

The winner is chosen through a combination of the judges' scores and viewers' phoned and e-mailed votes and will be announced Wednesday night.