'Stars' waltzes to win

Reality skein reaches new heights

By RICK KISSELL

ABC's 'Dancing With the Stars' finale was a reality ratings dynamo in the 18-49 demo on Sunday night.

ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" moved into heady ratings territory with its finale Sunday night, dominating all competish, including NBC's low-rated capper to the Winter Olympics.

Airing on a special night, the two-hour conclusion to the second season of "Dancing" teamed with another huge "Grey's Anatomy" to give ABC a sweep of the Sundays during the February sweep -- and likely secured the net's demo victory for the month.

According to preliminary nationals from Nielsen, "Dancing With the Stars" averaged a big 8.6 rating/19 share in adults 18-49 and 27.1 million viewers overall.

The 18-49 number reps a 28% rise from last summer's first-season finale (6.7) -- and topped the last three finales of both CBS' "Survivor" and NBC's "The Apprentice" as well as the last six editions of ABC's "The Bachelor" and all eight finales to date of CBS' "Amazing Race."

In overall total viewers, the 27.1 million average reps ABC's strongest showing from 8 to 10 on Sunday (excluding the Super Bowl and Oscars) since November 1997. Aud is larger than that of any other reality show finale (excepting Fox's "American Idol") in nearly two years.

"Dancing," which saw former boy-bander Drew Lachey capture the trophy, had averaged a 5.0 rating in 18-49 and 18.5 million viewers overall on Thursdays this season. So it picked up nicely with its finale on a night that ABC owns this season.

Show peaked with a prelim 9.7/21 in 18-49 from 9 to 10 -- on par with "Desperate Housewives" a week earlier and more than doubling NBC's Olympics rating in the hour (4.0/8).

For all of primetime Sunday, according to Nielsen prelims, NBC's Closing Ceremonies of the Torino Games averaged a third-place 3.5/8 in 18-49 and 14 million viewers overall -- a quiet finish to the lowest-rated Winter Olympics since at least 1988.

As for ABC's hot "Grey's Anatomy," the medical drama (prelim 10.8/24 in 18-49, 24.8 million) beat the combined scores of the Olympics on NBC and a repeat of "CSI" on CBS by 7 shares in 18-49.

Fox ran second on the night, getting a boost from a NASCAR overrun that won the 7 o'clock hour (prelim 4.7/13 in 18-49, 12.4 million). Among series, a fresh "The Simpsons" fared best (prelim 4.6/11 in 18-49, 9.7 million).

CBS was paced by a new "Cold Case" at 8 (prelim 3.9/9, 14.4 million).

As for the low-key February sweep -- skewed by the Super Bowl on ABC and the Olympics on NBC -- the Alphabet figures to edge out Fox by roughly a 5.2 to 5.1 score in 18-49.