October 10, 2008
Mario wants to be last man standing
Two weeks ago, he came within a whisper of being eliminated.
Today, with only three men left among the final eight celebrities, Mario is talking about winning it all on ABC's Dancing with the Stars hit show.
"It's only me, Cristian [De La Fuente] and Jason Taylor still there - and I feel really good about getting this far," the Baltimore-born R&B singer said in his weekly interview with The Sun. "As long as I stay focused, continue to better my scores each week and bring my spirit to the dance, I'll be in great shape. I think I'll be great."
Would he be satisfied if it ended this week?
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"No way. I'm happy to get this far, but it's not enough for me. I definitely want to be the last man standing - that's what I'm going for."
The 21-year-old performer says he will dance the samba this week with partner Karina Smirnoff, and, for the first time since the start of the season, they had a full week of practice.
"Each week is different because obviously the dances are different," he said. "But some dances I get quicker than others, and this one is really coming along good. We're doing some really cool choreography with the samba this week, and I'm excited."
Mario says he's learned a lot from the ups and downs week to week.
"I've learned the importance of having patience - even under pressure, being able to rise above the circumstance," he said. "The third week was my toughest week, having only a few days to rehearse while everyone else had a week to learn a new dance. But I came through it, and ever since, I feel like I'm on a natural high."
david.zurawik@baltsun.com
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