Soap opera actress Rebecca Budig has won it all on the first-ever season of ABC's "Skating with the Stars." The 37-year-old told host Vernon Kay that she was "shocked" to take home the "Golden Skate" trophy, crediting her professional partner Fred Palascak with much of her success. Budig said, quote, "I owe all of this to Fred -- who is an unbelievable teacher." Coming in a close second was former "Real Housewives of New York" star Bethenny Frankel. The 40-year-old said Budig deserved to win, but said she was proud of her own stick-to-it-iveness throughout the three months of rehearsals and competition. Both Budig and Frankel skated one final routine each on Tuesday, and their judges' scores were factored into the show's final tabulations.
Also on Tuesday, the series' eliminated stars returned to close out the season. Actress Sean Young, rocker Vince Neil, and Olympic gold medal skier Jonny Moseley all skated repeat performances of routines from earlier in the season. Disney actor Brandon Mychal Smith looked on from the side of the rink to show his support. The 21-year-old is reportedly still recovering from an illness that took him out of competition. It was an inaugural run of the series, which is based on the UK series "Dancing on Ice."
