TVGuide's Marissa Klein interviews the last 2 to depart:
Lauren:
TVGuide.com: You were also a favorite of the judges all along. What was that like?
Lauren: It was a lot of pressure. In the Las Vegas episode [when the top 20 were selected], they actually tricked me and told me, "You're not going to be on the show because you helped out with the choreographers." And then they said they were going to push me harder than anyone else because they knew I could do it, and they wanted to prove to people that there was no favoritism, which obviously there wasn't. So I knew going into it that they were going to push me.
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Pasha:
TVGuide.com: When Jessi was sick and you had to dance with a substitute partner — what was that like?
Pasha: It was stressful because that whole thing happened like two hours before the show. First of all, not knowing what actually was happening to her and if she was all right or not [was hard]. Doctors try to keep it private, all this patient-doctor confidentiality, so [it was stressful] not knowing what was going on. And, of course, worrying about her being in the hospital and not being able to participate in the show — we were preparing so hard and suddenly I needed to dance with another girl. So that wasn't the best feeling.
TVGuide.com: Who do you think will win?
Pasha: That's a difficult question because everybody at this point deserves to be a winner, and it's up to the American public to decide who they like most. Because at the end, it's not the best-dancer contest, it's the favorite-dancer contest. So who America will connect most to, personality- and looks-wise, that person will win. I think Danny has incredible technique — the best technique on the show — and for me, always looking at it from a professional point of view, I appreciate technical difficulty or ability. So for me, he is the best dancer on the show. But Sabra has the best character on the floor and I enjoyed dancing with her. Watching her dance, she is like a little sunshine, and she shares her feelings so openly. So I think one of them will win.
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