They did the tango, the samba and the quickstep, and when the music stopped Brooke Burke and Derek Hough won U.S. television contest “Dancing With the Stars,” waltzing away with the coveted mirror ball trophy.

Their victory on Tuesday night capped a stunning season for Burke, the 37-year-old former host of E! television show “Wild On,” and her professional dancing partner Hough.

The pair came in first place in eight episodes of the show and topped the season of one of U.S. TV’s most popular shows with a perfect score of 30 on the final night and 88 points out of 90 for their last three dances.

Dancing a Viennese waltz, Burke and Hough beat former ‘NSync singer Lance Bass, 29, and his dancing pro Lacey Schwimmer, as well as one-time professional football player Warren Sapp, 35, and his partner Kym Johnson.

“Unbelievable,” was all that Burke could utter upon finally winning the program.

Hough, who suffered from a sore back in a season filled with injuries to other competitors, also seemed overwhelmed.

“The journey’s been so long. It’s been tough. It’s been wonderful. It’s been everything I could ever hope for,” Hough said.

Sapp, who finished No. 2, had become an audience favorite for his showmanship, but his lack of skilled footwork hurt his chances with the show’s judges. He and Johnson did the hustle in their last dance on Tuesday and earned a total 80 out of 90 in the final round of dances.

Finishing third was Bass who struggled early in the season but improved throughout. He had gained momentum going into Tuesday’s finale by becoming the only contestant to beat Burke. But a final jitterbug earned Bass a total 81 of 90 for the last three dances and was not enough to top Burke.

Winners are decided by a combination of judges’ scores and audience voting.

“Dancing with the Stars,” on the ABC broadcast network, is among the most popular U.S. TV shows and while ratings slipped slightly in its seventh season, the program still drew around 20 million viewers a week.

Along with the dancing, Tuesday’s finale was filled with appearances from singers Alicia Keys and Miley Cyrus and former contestants such as 82 year-old Cloris Leachman, who delighted audiences this season with her sense of humor.

Other former contestants who danced in the finale included actor Cody Linley, daytime TV star Susan Lucci and comedian Jeffrey Ross.

Reality show and sex-tape star Kim Kardashian, caustic comic Jeffrey Ross and Olympic gold medalist Misty May-Treanor are among the latest celebrities to try their feet at “Dancing With the Stars.”

ABC yesterday ended months of speculation and online chatter over who might get the call by revealing the 13 contestants. Also among those who will compete are Lance Bass, Toni Braxton, Brooke Burke, Rocco DiSpirito and Susan Lucci.

Kardashian, who has a reality show on E!, cut her foot Sunday on a glass table. She said yesterday on multiple TV appearances that she had the gash glued shut, rather than stitched, to cut healing time.

“The timing was just perfect now,” Kardashian told Kathie Lee Gifford on NBC’s “Today.”

Lucci, famous for playing Erica Kane on “All My Children” and for being nominated 19 times for an Emmy before finally winning, said, “I just feel blessed that they asked me to do this. When else in your life would you really take all of these amazing dance classes?”

Lucci said she’d been asked to be on the show before but turned it down. “I just wasn’t sure if I could fly back and forth across the country,” she said via phone on “Good Morning America.”

Lucci said she spoke to fellow “AMC” star Cameron Mathison after he did both shows last season. “I thought, I really want to do this,” she said. “I’m so excited to be part of this.”

The new season, which gets underway Sept. 22, will have its youngest contestant ever in 18-year-old Cody Linley from “Hannah Montana” and its oldest in TV and film veteran Cloris Leachman, who is 82.

Other “Dancing” stars this time around are Olympic gold medal sprinter Maurice Green, sitcom star Ted McGinley and former football-great-turned-NFL commentator Warren Sapp.

Last season, the show’s Monday segments were the highest-rated, averaging 21.15 million viewers to finish third behind two nights of “American Idol.” That’s up from the 20.4 million viewers posted on the Tuesday editions of the 2006-07 season, that season’s highest-rated shows.

Producers are also mixing up the format a little this season. For the first time, all 13 teams must prepare two dance routines for the first week of competition. The first routine will be performed on the premiere. But at the start of the second night, Sept. 23, one of the couples will be sent packing.

A second team will be dismissed on Sept. 24. Adding to the potential ratings draw for that first official results show will be performances by the Jonas brothers and Jesse McCartney.

Priscilla Presley - Presley studied ballet when she was younger which should give her an edge. And maybe she learned a few hip-swiveling moves from her famous ex-husband. She could get the nostalgia vote if Elvis fans are watching.

Kristi Yamaguchi - Ice skating requires grace and fancy footwork, so Olympic medalist Yamaguchi will nail lyrical dances like the waltz as well as the intricate moves of the jive and the quickstep. Skating fans are likely to enjoy “Dancing With The Stars” - and assure Yamaguchi some votes - so she should end up one of the favorites. Several betting sites have already pegged her as the winner (see more odds below.)

Adam Carolla - As a former Golden Gloves boxer and high school football player, Carolla has athletic experience. He just doesn’t look like the kind of guy who would be light on his feet, and on the surface he appears too goofy to take the competition seriously. But, he’s paired with two-time winner Julianne Hough, and might be able to rally his radio listeners.

Marlee Matlin - Matlin says her hearing impairment will help her focus on the dancing, and keep her from becoming distracted by everything going on around her during the competition. In ballroom dancing, the woman must follow the man’s moves, so as long as she follows her partner, she could do well. She is a respected actress, but may not be popular enough to have a built-in fan base.

Shannon Elizabeth - Elizabeth studied dance when she was a girl, and was an athlete in high school. She also studies Krav Maga, the martial art developed by the Israeli Defense Forces. She’s got discipline and her sex appeal puts her at an advantage with fan votes.

Steve Guttenberg - He starred in the notably awful “Don’t Stop The Music,” about disco icons The Village People, so there’s a chance he can at least do the hustle. Other than that, he doesn’t have much going for him.

Monica Seles - Speed and discipline she’s got, but she doesn’t appear particularly graceful. She’s also 5′10″, which doesn’t help, but at least her professional partner is Jonathan Roberts who is around 6′0″. If tennis fans tune in, she’ll have more of a chance.

Penn Jillette - The hulking illusionist/comedian might turn out to be a dark horse. He’s an accomplished juggler and there’s certainly grace to that skill. Many big fellas are known to be much lighter on their feet than expected, so don’t rule him out yet.

Mario - The 21-year-old R&B/pop singer shows off some smooth moves in the music video for his mega-hit “Let Me Love You,” which spent nine weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart a couple of years ago. That, along with the fact that he’s paired with the sizzling Karina Smirnoff, should give him a nice advantage. He’s definitely one to watch this season.

Jason Taylor - Emmitt Smith won season 3 and fellow NFL legend Jerry Rice was the runner-up in Season two. Will 6′6,” 255-pound defensive end Taylor be able to have the same success? He towers over his 5′6″ partner, Edyta Sliwinska, which doesn’t help, but he does have his own set of fans and the edge of being a disciplined (and handsome) athlete. The sexy Silwinska ain’t chopped liver either.

Cristian De La Fuente - Cristian says on his MySpace page that he’s “always wanted to learn how to dance,” so it doesn’t seem like he’s had past experience (although he was involved in athletics at school). He’s lucky to be paired with Cheryl Burke, the professional partner who won with Emmitt Smith and Drew Lachey. He’ll earn fan votes for being a hottie - especially if he has an opportunity to take his shirt off.

Marissa Jaret Winokur - She won a Tony award for playing the starring role of Tracy Turnblad in the Broadway production of “Hairspray” and before that she was Jan in the touring company of “Grease.” So she has dance training and - based on the choreography of those two musicals - she’ll probably do really well with the high-energy jive and swing. But, in a competition where fan loyalty can easily trump the judges’ approval rating, Winokur could be at a disadvantage.