The eighth season of the Australian Dancing with the Stars debuted on 31 August 2008. Actor Daniel MacPherson replaced Daryl Somers as host, while Sonia Kruger returned as co-host. Todd McKenney, Helen Richey, and Mark Wilson returned as judges. Paul Mercurio did not return and was not replaced.
Home and Away actor Luke Jacobz and Luda Kroitor were announced as the winners on 9 November 2008, while boxer Danny Green and Natalie Lowe finished in second place, and AFL player Paul Licuria and Eliza Campagna finished in third.
Couples This season featured ten celebrity contestants. Celebrity Notability Professional partner Status Brooke Hanson Olympic swimmer John-Paul Collins Eliminated 1ston 7 September 2008 James Tobin Television presenter Jade Hatcher Eliminated 2ndon 14 September 2008 Cal Wilson Comedian Craig Monley Eliminated 3rdon 21 September 2008 Red Symons Musician Ana Andre Eliminated 4thon 28 September 2008 Jodi Gordon Home and Away actress Stefano Oliveri Eliminated 5thon 12 October 2008 Toni Pearen Actress Henry Byalikov Eliminated 6thon 19 October 2008 Charli Delaney Hi-5 singer Csaba Szirmai Eliminated 7thon 2 November 2008 Paul Licuria AFL player Eliza Campagna Third placeon 9 November 2008 Danny Green Boxer Natalie Lowe Runners-upon 9 November 2008 Luke Jacobz Home and Away actor Luda Kroitor Winnerson 9 November 2008
Scoring chart The highest score each week is indicated in with a dagger (), while the lowest score each week is indicated in with a double-dagger ().
Color key:
+Dancing with the Stars (season 8) - Weekly scores Couple Week 1 2 1+2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Luke & Luda 1st 24 29 53 20 25 26 23 23+23=46 25+24= 28+26= 29+26+30= Danny & Natalie 2nd 28 32 60 20 24 17+25= 20+25=45 24+29=53 23+22+26=71 Paul & Eliza 3rd 29 31 60 23 23 22+30= 20+23=43 25+25=50 30+24=54 Charli & Csaba 4th 27 31 58 22 22 26 24 24+27=51 18+21= 26+20= Toni & Henry 5th 31 23 24 24 25+18=43 Jodi & Stefano 6th 28 28 56 23 24 25 22 Red & Ana 7th 19 Cal & Craig 8th 22 56 21 22 James & Jade 9th 23 41 17 Brooke & John-Paul 10th 19 22 41 Notes
Weekly scores Unless indicated otherwise, individual judges scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Todd McKenney, Helen Richey, Mark Wilson.
Week 1 Individual judges scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Todd McKenney, Helen Richey, Mark Wilson, Bruno Tonioli.
Bruno Tonioli served as a guest judge.
Couples performed either the cha-cha-cha or the foxtrot. Couples are listed in the order they performed. CoupleScoresDanceMusic Charli & Csaba 27 (6, 7, 7, 7) Cha-cha-cha "Pictures" — Sneaky Sound System James & Jade 18 (4, 5, 5, 4) Foxtrot "Miss You" — Musiq Soulchild Brooke & John-Paul 19 (4, 5, 5, 5) Cha-cha-cha "Dancing in the Moonlight" — Toploader Danny & Natalie 28 (7, 7, 7, 7) Foxtrot "Feeling Good" — Michael Bublé Cal & Craig 22 (6, 6, 6, 4) Cha-cha-cha "Pump It Up" — Elvis Costello Paul & Eliza 29 (7, 8, 8, 6) Foxtrot "Dream Catch Me" — Newton Faulkner Luke & Luda 24 (5, 7, 6, 6) Cha-cha-cha "Don't Stop the Music" — Rihanna Red & Ana 19 (5, 5, 4, 5) Foxtrot "Theme from Get Smart" — Hugo Montenegro Toni & Henry 35 (9, 9, 9, 8) Cha-cha-cha "Mercy" — Duffy Jodi & Stefano 28 (6, 8, 8 ,6) Foxtrot "Two Hearts" — Kylie Minogue
Week 2 Individual judges scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Todd McKenney, Helen Richey, Mark Wilson, Bruno Tonioli.
Bruno Tonioli served as a guest judge.
Couples performed either the jive or the tango. Couples are listed in the order they performed. CoupleScoresDanceMusicResult Danny & Natalie 32 (8, 8, 8, 8) Jive "Good Golly, Miss Molly" — Little Richard Safe Cal & Craig 34 (9, 8, 8, 9) Tango "Mamma Mia" — ABBA Safe Jodi & Stefano 28 (6, 8, 7, 7) Jive "The Girl Can't Help It" — Tommy Castro Safe Luke & Luda 29 (6, 7, 8, 8) Tango "Hey Sexy Lady" — Shaggy Safe James & Jade 23 (5, 6, 6, 6) Jive "Ça plane pour moi" — Plastic Bertrand Safe Toni & Henry 31 (8, 7, 8, 8) Tango "Toxic" — Britney Spears Safe Red & Ana 17 (3, 5, 5, 4) Jive "Women in Uniform" — Skyhooks Bottom two Brooke & John-Paul 22 (5, 6, 5, 6) Tango "Maneater" — Nelly Furtado Eliminated Paul & Eliza 31 (7, 8, 8, 8) Jive "The Pretender" — Foo Fighters Safe Charli & Csaba 31 (8, 8, 7, 8) Tango "My Love" — Justin Timberlake Safe
Week 3 Couples performed either the samba or the waltz. Couples are listed in the order they performed. CoupleScoresDanceMusicResult Toni & Henry 23 (7, 8, 8) Samba "Work" — Kelly Rowland Safe Jodi & Stefano 23 (7, 8, 8) Waltz "See the Day" — Girls Aloud Safe Luke & Luda 20 (6, 7, 7) Samba "I Don't Feel Like Dancin" — Scissor Sisters Bottom two James & Jade 17 (5, 6, 6) Waltz "Someday My Prince Will Come" — Barbra Streisand Eliminated Cal & Craig 21 (7, 7, 7) Samba "What Is Love" — Haddaway Safe Paul & Eliza 23 (7, 8, 8) Waltz "Open Arms" — Journey Safe Charli & Csaba 22 (7, 7, 8) Samba "Mas que Nada" — Black Eyed Peas, feat. Sérgio Mendes Safe Red & Ana 14 (4, 5, 5) Waltz "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" — Elvis Presley Safe Danny & Natalie 24 (7, 8, 9) Waltz "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" — Eva Cassidy Safe
Week 4 Couples performed either the paso doble or the quickstep. Couples are listed in the order they performed. CoupleScoresDanceMusicResult Charli & Csaba 22 (6, 8, 8) Quickstep "Right Now" — Pussycat Dolls Bottom two Paul & Eliza 23 (7, 8, 8) Paso doble "The Plaza of Execution" — from The Legend of Zorro &"Will and Elizabeth" — from Pirates of the Caribbean Safe Cal & Craig 22 (7, 7, 8) Quickstep "I Want to Be Evil" — Eartha Kitt Eliminated Red & Ana 19 (6, 6, 7) Paso doble "España cañí" — Salsamerica Safe Luke & Luda 25 (9, 8, 8) Quickstep "Wonderwall" — Paul Anka Safe Jodi & Stefano 24 (7, 8, 9) Paso doble "Malagueña" — Connie Francis Safe Toni & Henry 28 (9, 9, 10) Quickstep "Let's Go Crazy" — Prince Safe Danny & Natalie 20 (6, 7, 7) Paso doble "The Final Countdown" — Europe Safe
Week 5 Couples performed either the Argentine tango or the salsa. Couples are listed in the order they performed. CoupleScoresDanceMusicResult Jodi & Stefano 25 (8, 9, 8) Argentine tango "To Tango Tis Nefelis" — Haris Alexiou Bottom two Toni & Henry 24 (8, 8, 8) Salsa "American Boy" — Estelle Safe Danny & Natalie 24 (8, 8, 8) Argentine tango "Tangoscuro" — Debayres Safe Charli & Csaba 26 (8, 9, 9) Salsa "Low" — Flo Rida, feat. T-Pain Safe Red & Ana 21 (7, 7, 7) Argentine tango "Época" — Gotan Project Eliminated Luke & Luda 26 (8, 9, 9) Salsa "Bailamos" — Enrique Iglesias Safe Paul & Eliza 27 (9, 9, 9) Argentine tango "Niebla Del Riachuelo" — Otros Aires Safe
Week 6 Couples performed either the rumba or the West Coast Swing. Couples are listed in the order they performed. CoupleScoresDanceMusicResult Luke & Luda 23 (7, 8, 8) West Coast Swing "All Right Now" — Free Safe Paul & Eliza 28 (10, 9, 9) Rumba "Secret Garden" — Bruce Springsteen Safe Danny & Natalie 19 (5, 7, 7) West Coast Swing "A Little Less Conversation" — Elvis Presley vs. JXL Bottom two Jodi & Stefano 22 (6, 8, 8) Rumba "Bleeding Love" — Leona Lewis Eliminated Toni & Henry 24 (8, 8, 8) Rumba "No Air" — Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown Safe Charli & Csaba 24 (8, 8, 8) West Coast Swing "Don't Wanna Go to Bed Now" — Gabriella Cilmi Safe
Week 7 Each couple performed two routines. Couples are listed in the order they performed. CoupleScoresDanceMusicFilmResult Toni & Henry 25 (9, 8, 8) Jive "Maniac" Flashdance Eliminated 18 (5, 7, 6) Foxtrot "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life" Monty Python's Life of Brian Luke & Luda 23 (6, 9, 8) Jive "Greased Lightnin'" Grease Bottom two 23 (7, 8, 8) Paso doble "Star Wars Theme" Star Wars Charli & Csaba 24 (8, 8, 8) Paso doble "Scott & Fran's Paso Doble" Strictly BallroomSafe 27 (9, 9, 9) Rumba "Colors of the Wind" Pocahontas Paul & Eliza 22 (6, 8, 8) West Coast Swing "You Never Can Tell" Pulp Fiction Safe 30 (10, 10, 10) Tango "The Phantom of the Opera" The Phantom of the Opera Danny & Natalie 17 (3, 7, 7) Salsa "My Way (A mi manera)" Happy Feet Safe 25 (8, 8, 9) Rumba "Stand by Me" Stand by Me
Week 8 Each couple performed two routines. Couples are listed in the order they performed. CoupleScoresDanceMusicResult Paul & Eliza 20 (6, 7, 7) Cha-cha-cha "SexyBack" — Justin Timberlake Safe 23 (7, 8, 8) Salsa "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" — Michael Jackson, feat. Akon Danny & Natalie 20 (6, 7, 7) Cha-cha-cha "Closer" — Ne-Yo Safe 25 (9, 8, 8) Quickstep "Little Green Bag" — from Reservoir Dogs Charli & Csaba 18 (5, 7, 6) Jive "Yeh, Yeh" — Matt Bianco Safe 21 (7, 7, 7) Foxtrot "1234" — Feist Luke & Luda 25 (8, 9, 8) Rumba "Last Request" — Paolo Nutini Safe 24 (8, 8, 8) Foxtrot "Jump" — Van Halen
Week 9 Each couple performed two routines, one of which chosen by the judges and the other of which was a segue of three different dance styles. Couples are listed in the order they performed. CoupleScoresDanceMusicResult Paul & Eliza 25 (8, 9, 8) Jive "Travelin' Band" — Creedence Clearwater Revival Bottom two 25 (8, 9 ,8) Segue(Waltz, Rumba& Foxtrot) "Take It to the Limit" — Eagles,"Falling into You" — Celine Dion& "Cheek to Cheek" — Doris Day Danny & Natalie 24 (8, 8, 8) Foxtrot "I've Got the World on a String"—Michael BubléSafe 29 (10, 9, 10) Segue(Paso doble,Waltz & Jive) "Don't Hold Back" — The Potbelleez,"Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet" — Henry Mancini& "You Can't Stop the Beat" — from Hairspray Charli & Csaba 26 (9, 9, 8) Tango "Santa Maria" — Gotan Project Eliminated 20 (6, 7, 7) Segue(Cha-cha-cha,Quickstep & Salsa) "Kiss (Prince song)" — Prince,"Keep Young and Beautiful" — Annie Lennox& "Groove Is in the Heart" — Deee-Lite Luke & Luda 28 (9, 10, 9) West Coast Swing "Just a Gigolo" — Louis Prima Safe 26 (9, 9, 8) Segue(Quickstep,Salsa & Tango) "Do It Well" — Jennifer Lopez,"Desire" — U2 &"Peter Gunn" — Max Sedgley & Sarah Vaughan
Week 10 Each couple performed their favourite dance of the season and a group cha-cha-cha, after which the couple with the lowest combined score was eliminated, and then the remaining two couples performed their freestyle routines. Couples are listed in the order they performed. CoupleOrderScoresDanceMusicResult Danny & Natalie 1 23 (7, 8, 8) Tango "Eye of the Tiger" — Survivor Runners-up 5 26 (9, 9, 8) Freestyle "Gonna Fly Now" — Bill Conti Luke & Luda 2 29 (10, 10, 9) Waltz "Come Away with Me" — Norah Jones Winners 6 30 (10, 10, 10) Freestyle "Boogie Wonderland" — from Happy Feet Paul & Eliza 3 30 (10, 10, 10) Quickstep "Mr. Pinstripe Suit" — Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Third place Danny & Natalie4 22 (8, 7, 7) GroupCha-cha-cha "In These Shoes" — Kirsty MacColl Luke & Luda 26 (8, 9, 9) Paul & Eliza 24 (8, 8, 8)
Dance chart Week 1: Cha-cha-cha or foxtrot Week 2: Jive or tango Week 3: Samba or waltz Week 4: Paso doble or quickstep Week 5: Argentine Tango or salsa Week 6: Rumba or West Coast Swing Week 7: Two unlearned dances Week 8: Two unlearned dances Week 9: Judges' choice & a segue of three dance styles Week 10: Favourite dance of the season, cha-cha-cha showdown & freestyle