Did anyone really stand a chance vs. Kristi?

Another season of “Dancing with the Stars” is over and Kristi Yamaguchi stands victorious. Her expected first-place finish marks the first win for a woman since the show’s premiere year and capped off a season of overachievement from the world figure skating champion. In fact, on finale night, host Tom Bergeron said Kristi raked in more points than any celeb in the show’s history.

Not a small feat, but anyone watching Kristi’s moves since week one of the competition could see she knew what she was doing. That’s not to say Kristi already knew her way around the ballroom, but she certainly had an advantage over the typical dancing newbie. She even stood a better shot than any other athlete.

It’s hard to ignore the fact that no other sport looks more like a ballroom challenge than figure skating. The arm and leg lines, the artistry of moving to the music, the synchronicity with partners — Kristi started her ice career as a pairs champ — it all adds up to one big leg-up on the competition.

So, now that the sequins and the tan-in-a-can are packed away for another season, the question is this: do average amateurs stand a chance against the likes of Kristi?

What it’s all about
The premise of “Dancing with the Stars” is a simple one. Take a bunch of celebrities, or reasonable facsimiles, pair them up with ballroom pros and teach them to dance. In theory, depending on their general physical fitness and knack for movement, the amateurs should have a fair shake when they face off in the ballroom battle.

That’s what it’s about, and that, plus a whole lot of cheesiness, is where the appeal lies. It fun to watch amateur dancers stumble and grumble their way through something they never expected or trained to do.

It’s a charming idea, really. As is the idea that, well, anyone could do it. Not necessarily do it well, but with enough dedication, anyone can try. It’s that charm that’s in jeopardy when an alleged ringer gets thrown in the mix.

The built in advantage
Kristi’s hardly the show’s first rumored ringer. Over the last six seasons plenty of stars have brought athletic prowess or previous dance experience to the floor. Pop stars familiar with complex, crowd-pleasing choreography have gone far — see season-two winner Drew Lachey and last season’s second-placer Mel B. Gridiron winner Emmitt Smith brought loads of endurance, and let’s not forget the last star who knew a thing or two about grace on skates, Apolo Anton Ohno, aka the “Dancing” king of season-four.

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But none of them had as much going for them from day one as Kristi. Figure skating is, in shorthand laymen’s terms, dance on ice. Intense, physically grueling yet visually stunning routines are perfected through constant training. Kristi was long used to logging the sort of rehearsal time that would put most “stars” to shame before she joined the show.

Just look at some of Kristi’s winning moves throughout the season. The judges heaped on the praise for her fluid motions, her poses and most frequently, her spins. Watch some Olympic footage of the gold-medallist to see where she learned that command of motion.

Waltzing and whirling next to Kristi made the “Dancing with the Stars” also-rans look like, well, also-rans. Few of their routines could standout out when compared to her leaderboard-topping efforts.

The real ‘Dancing’ newbies
It’s not that the Penn Jillettes and Steve Guttenbergs of the world should take home what past champ Drew called, “that hideously ugly trophy.” As a matter of fact, they represent the other end of stunt casting: name value only. No one wants or expects them to win.

But then there’s the celebrity soft shoes who seem to embody what that aforementioned premise of the show, true dance amateurs learning the moves, and sweating their way from ballroom fumbles to fancy footwork.

This season no one fit that bill better than Cristián de la Fuente. First the “international film and television star” overcame the curse of a small fan base, and slowly won over viewer with his humor and charm. Good thing, too, as he didn’t have much going for him on the dance floor in the early week’s of game.

Over time, his pro partner, Cheryl Burke turned Cristián into a dancer. It wasn’t until the sixth week of competition that he started to shine. Shortly after that a ruptured tendon almost brought his newfound dancing days to an end. Instead of giving up, he postponed a needed surgery and returned to the ballroom even more determined to give it all he had. Unfortunately, it was only enough for a third place finish.

When the glitz and glam is all said and done, it’s impossible to call Kristi’s victory unfair. The producers picked her to play, and she took shot at the mirror ball trophy like everyone else. It’s not her fault she doesn’t know who to lose. She should be applauded for it. Still, somehow a fair and square win from an all-round champ seems more made-for-TV and less satisfying than a come-from-behind hard-earned win from an underdog. It could be a long time before fans see that, as long as producers recruit stars with a winning edge.

Ree Hines is a regular contributor to msnbc.com.

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