Dancing Performance Finale Skids to an All-Time Low

Down to the last three contestants, Dancing with the Stars attracted 20.04 million viewers but hit an all-time low in the industry-prized demo for a final performance program, scoring a 3.6 rating among 18-to-49-year-olds, preliminary Nielsen data shows.

Read our Dancing with the Stars recap

Immediately following, Chris Harrison's latest show — the warmly reviewed You Deserve It — got about half of Dancing's viewership, 10.05 million, while posting a 2.1 demo rating, which was 12 percent less than the year-earlier debut of Skating with the Stars — which, it's easy to forget, started poorly and got worse.

Gossip Girl, meanwhile, achieved a season high in total viewers.

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8 p.m.
 CBS: How I Met Your Mother 10.07 million viewers (4.3 demo rating); 2 Broke Girls 11.19 million (4.4)
ABC: Dancing with the Stars 20.04 million (3.6)
Fox: Terra Nova 6.49 million (2.1)
NBC: The Sing-Off 4.25 million (1.4) {8-10 p.m.}
CW: Gossip Girl 1.48 million (0.7)

9 p.m.
 CBS: Two and a Half Men 15.74 million viewers (5.2 demo rating); Mike & Molly 13.10 million (4.2)
ABC: You Deserve It 10.05 million (2.1)
Fox: House 7.34 million (2.5)
CW: Hart of Dixie 1.79 million (0.7)

10 p.m.
 CBS: Hawaii Five-0 10.34 million viewers (2.8 demo rating)
ABC: Castle 11.92 million (2.7)
NBC: Rock Center with Brian Williams 3.63 million (0.9)