Helio Castroneves Rolls to Victory on Dancing with the Stars

Helio Castroneves became the latest jock to be named TV’s top celebrity dancer. (Photo courtesy of ABC.com)

Emmitt Smith. Apolo Anton Ohno. Now, Helio Castroneves.

The two-time Indy 500 champion became the third straight pro athlete to win “Dancing with the Stars”, TV’s most popular reality TV dance competition.

Castroneves had the benefit of being partnered with Julianne Hough, who was also Ohno’s partner last year and would make a damn fine stripper at the Beat's annual editorial staff Christmas party. Hough and Castroneves entered Tuesday’s final episode as the favorites with reality TV odds of 5/6 to wind up of winners on the ABC show.

But Castroneves was in the middle of the pack with 7/1 odds when the fifth season of the series began. He and Hough beat Spice Girl Melanie Brown and her dance partner Maksim Chermkovskiy in the final pairing. Brown opened the season two months ago as a co-favorite at 4/1 with boxing champ Floyd Mayweather Jr. Although bettors did know to back an athlete, they chose the wrong one at the outset. Castroneves clearly had the desire and willingness to learn to stick around. Plus, there was Hough, who clearly revved him up. They sealed their final dance on Tuesday with the kind of kiss that you usually only see on the club floor after someone's dropped some Ecstasy.

The other finalist was Marie Osmond and her dance partner Jonathan Roberts, who entered the week as 9/5 long shots to win it all despite having a strong fan following.

The judges’ votes combined with the television viewers’ votes to decide the winner.

Castroneves said the show’s gaudy Mirrorball trophy will “fit nicely between my two Indy 500 trophies.” He also got a jug of milk, a tribute to his Indy victories. Indy winners traditionally drink from a jug of milk after they grab the checkered flag.

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