"Dancing with the Stars" Finale: Nicole Scherzinger Wins

NEW YORK (CBS) A Pussycat Doll beat out an Olympian to become the 10th winner of "Dancing with the Stars."

Nicole Scherzinger and partner Derek Hough were awarded the mirrorball trophy during Tuesday night's finale, with Evan Lysacek and Anna Trebunskaya coming in second place. ESPN reporter Erin Andrews and Maksim Chmerkovskiy came in third place.

Scherzinger and Hough clinched the trophy with their high-spirited jive to "Proud Mary," which earned a standing ovation from the crowd and high praise from the judges.

"You set this place on fire. It has been nothing but amazing the whole way through," Carrie Ann Inaba told the pair.

Lysacek and Trebunskaya danced a quick step for their final dance, but their performance to "I Want You to Want Me" lacked the passion and intensity of their competitors.

Goodman told the Olympic figure skater he had been a "joy to watch," while Bruno Tonioli praised his growth throughout the season.

Highlights of Past "Dancing" Seasons

Scherzinger and Hough earned a perfect 30 for their jive, which, when combined with their scores from Tuesday's previous dance and Monday night's scores, came to a total of 115. Lysacek and Trebunskaya pulled a total of 108 points, 28 of which came from their quick step.

Earlier in the evening, Scherziner, Lysacek and Andrews squared off, each dancing Argentine tangos that they had performed earlier in the season. The judges waited to give scores until all three had performed, and none could be awarded the same score. Scherzinger came in first and earned 30 points, Lysacek came in second with 28 and Andrews came in third with 26.

The score was not enough to push Andrews into the final two, and she was eliminated.

"This experience has meant everything to me," Andrews said after learning she wouldn't be going on to the final dance. "I knew that these two were going to go head to head in this."

Her partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, called the season "an amazing journey."

The finale was also filled with the season's other stars, who came back to perform. Kate Gosselin recreated her infamously awful "Paparazzi" routine with partner Tony Dovolani. Wearing the same costume (but without the scraggly wig), she danced with more confidence than I ever saw her have on the show. Not to say that it was any good - she was still stiff, but at least she did it with a smile.

Actresses Niecy Nash and Pamela Anderson also took to the dance floor for, as host Tom Bergeron called it, a "celebration of all things jiggly."

Anderson was lowered down from the ceiling in a lingerie-like number and danced with a shirtless Damian Whitewood and two other male dancers. Niecy Nash was sure to shake her jiggly parts with the same male dancers and partner Louis Van Amstel in a dance to "Bootylicious" in a sparkly purple dress.

Past "Dancing" competitors, including Kristi Yamaguchi, Kelly Monaco and Apolo Ohno, were also in the audience cheering on this year's cast.