“Dancing With the Stars” will quick step its way to the end of another season - and as reality show cycles go, it’s been a pretty good one.

Almost alone among the most-watched network series, including “American Idol,” “Dancing” has actually seen its viewership go up year to year. Its audience of 20 million-plus will almost certainly make it the runner-up to “Idol” in this season’s Nielsen sweepstakes.

Admittedly, the kids dance competition got old real fast (although Brandon and Brittany, both 10, can sure do a mean pasodoble), and those appearances by pop music acts in search of a sales boost were awfully embarrassing. (What was Sheryl Crow thinking?)

But this season has also had some wonderfully goofy (and not-so-goofy) moments that kept things interesting. Let’s be honest, it was fun to watch Adam Carolla and Penn Jillette butcher the cha-cha and the tango for a couple of weeks.

We never thought we’d see Steve Guttenberg again, and his turn on “Dancing” gave us a nasty flashback to “Police Academy 4.”

But then there was the sheer persistence of Marlee Matlin, the determination and drive of Shannon Elizabeth (don’t ever get into a poker game with her) and the charm of “Hairspray” star Marissa Jaret Winokur, who won over enough fans that she stuck around until last week’s penultimate episode.

And, in the end, the last three couples standing were probably the best in

the field. Let’s take a look at why each couple might win - and why they might falter on the floor: Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark BallasWhy we like ‘em: Well, Kristi is the hometown favorite. In fact, she’s been the clear favorite since Week 1 without taking into account her Bay Area connections. Her experience as a pairs figure skater and her competitiveness have worked well for her.

Why we don’t: In recent weeks, the couple seems to have been phoning it in - almost as if they feel they’ve already won. They cranked it up last week, but Ballas needs to avoid the over-choreographing that has damaged some of their routines.

The odds: Still the favorites.

Jason Taylor and Edyta SliwinskaWhy we like ‘em: For a big man, Taylor is mighty smooth. In fact, he ranks right up there with the best male dancers in the show’s history. Plus, he’s got a charming on-air presence that helps with the voters at home, if not the judges.

Why we don’t: They’re still not as good as Yamaguchi and Ballas. Sliwinska can sometimes come across (like she did last week) as something of a chilly sourpuss. That’s not the way to harvest the audience vote.

The odds: A strong couple on the floor but will probably come up short.

Cristían de la Fuente and Cheryl BurkeWhy we like ‘em: The guy is dancing with one arm, while most people have trouble doing the moves with two. Ever since de la Fuente injured his left arm, the couple has actually gotten stronger and looked particularly sharp last week - a sign of just how good a choreographer Burke, the Bay Area dance pro, can be.

Why we don’t: Sympathy - and Burke’s clever routines - may go only so far when it gets down to the finals.

The odds: The joker in the deck. If there’s going to be an upset, they may be the ones to pull it off.

‘Dancing With the Stars’

Airing: 8 tonight and Tuesday, Ch. 7

Tila Tequila’s life is an open book.  Tagged as “the Madonna of MySpace” by Time magazine after branching out to nearly 2 million friends on the social networking site where she divulged her most intimate thoughts and pictures of herself in provocative poses, this 26-year-old model continues to broaden her exposure with her controversial bisexual-themed series, A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila, where she aims to find her ideal match by testing the shallow waters of the reality dating scene (and making out with men and women).

Having said that, it’s hard to imagine that there could be anything that pop culture enthusiasts don’t already know about this reality TV starlet.  However, Tila Tequila says there’s still more to reveal about herself and she plans to drop all those details in a book, which will be released in the fall.

“My fans write me every day with questions so I figured instead of responding and sitting there taking hours, I’ll just put all the answers in a book from all their questions,” Tila Tequila, whose real name is Tila Nguyen, said in an interview at MTV Canada headquarters.

Known for her appearances in Stuff, Maxim, Time, and Penthouse, Tila Tequila intends to start writing her book when she gets back at home in Hollywood later this month.  In anticipation of her tell-all, fans of her reality dating show will likely expect to find some clarification over what really happened with Bobby Banhart, whom Tila Tequila chose as the winner of the first season of A Shot at Love.

While Tila Tequila plans to spill as many beans as she can, she doesn’t feel that she has to answer to anyone.

“A lot of people, they get signed to a big company or whatever and they have lots of people working around them to create an image and telling them what to say, how to sound, and I don’t do that,” the Shot at Love star said.  “Like, this is all me.  Nobody tells me what to do and I do what I like and if people don’t like it, then too bad.”

Dancing with the Stars castoff Shannon Elizabeth probably left about one week too soon but she made the most of her time on the show, snagging a red-hot romance with hunky professional dancer Derek Hough and raising her profile again just a bit. That has landed her a sexy cover on Maxim magazine

One of Utah’s most famous entertainers is giving a local “American Idol” contestant advice on enjoying the experience.

Donny Osmond says he’s spoken with 17-year-old David Archuleta of suburban Murray in the past week and told him he should just relax.

“Just enjoy the process because it is 15 minutes of fame, so enjoy every (one) of those 15 minutes,” Osmond said.

Archuleta is one of nine remaining singer-contestants on Fox TV’s popular show.

Osmond says Archuleta could have a long career in entertainment if he takes advantage of the “American Idol” appearance.

“But you’ve got to ride that wave as long as possible and then reinvent yourself - continually reinventing yourself,” he said.

Osmond, 50, has been in the entertainment industry since he was 6, beginning with appearances on “The Andy Williams Show.” Since then, he’s had chart-topping hits, acted, hosted variety, talk and game shows and starred on Broadway.

It was shaping up as the best of both worlds for pop culture phenomenon Miley Cyrus, who came into Saturday night’s 21st annual Kids Choice Awards with nominations for favorite singer and favorite actress.

Cyrus, whose television series “Hannah Montana” was also nominated for favorite show, was scheduled to perform at the awards program, singing “Girl’s Night Out” from her hit album “Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus.”