Yes, the 23-year-old two-time champ has a little more time on her hands than usual, with her one-week-from-the-finals exit, along with celebrity dance partner Ian Ziering. Burke has had little time in the last three years between the show and its subsequent tour to digest the impact Dancing with the Stars has had on an art form to which she has devoted her life.

A student of the dance

Ask Burke about her most passionate form of her chosen art, and the dancer quickly answers, "My specialty is Latin dance." Well, it's a fair enough question considering her varied heritage: Burke's family tree stems from the Philippines, Ireland and Russia. (Hey, we could assume she might have developed a new tropical jig/barynya.)

In a practical sense, however, Cheryl Burke is a California girl. Growing up in Menlo Park, a city just south of San Francisco, the cultural depth of the region empowered the future star. "I was raised by parents who gave me the freedom and support to be able to pursue my dreams," Burke says. She started ballet at age four, and her family's encouragement fueled a curiosity of dance borne in the most innocent of places. "It was the music and the costumes. As a child, the elegance of it all was highly appealing."

Bringing ballroom to the masses

Those same basic virtues of dance have fanned the flames of an enormous worldwide hit.

The show debuted in England on the BBC as Strictly Come Dancing, with current American judges Bruno Tonioli and head judge Len Goodman. The flair and flash of the Monday night show, coupled with tight arrangements on a varied songbook, Dancing with the Stars has reenergized the scholastic landscape for an artistic genre that had been experiencing years of darkness.

"No longer is ballroom dance the kind of sport left open to mockery," Burke says. For her, the success of the show is rewarding on a multitude of levels. "Everyday I can see the affect that the show has on America. It's gratifying to see people embrace something that I've loved my whole life."

From season to season to season

Her debut on the show was in its second season, after a controversial finish to Dancing's debut American season. John O'Hurley (of Seinfeld fame) and Kelly Monaco dueled in a debatable finish -- one that was made only more confusing with its subsequent rematch that went the other way.

Season two found its charmer in Burke with her charismatic partner, former 98 Degrees singer Drew Lachey. Besides serving as popular culture's most famous brother, Lachey rose to the occasion while the duo swept through the competition. Boom! Championship! The next season would prove more challenging, not necessarily because of her partner, but because after the success of the show's premiere season, the Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris-hosted hit had a more skilled and demanding cast.

Paired with Emmitt Smith, the former Dallas Cowboys running back, the twosome sauntered to the championship, giving Burke back-to-back Disco Ball trophies. Entering season four, she was clearly the dancer to beat. With a former Beverly Hills, 90210 star on her radar, his enthusiasm entering the studio reflected the expectations for the two-time champ.

"Oh, we are so gonna win," Ziering says, walking into a Los Angeles dance studio the first time he saw Burke.

The love of dance & the love of love

For the professional, the method is the same regardless of the subject. "I teach all of my celebrities the same," says Burke. "I try to pass along to them the same kind of love of dance and expression through music that I have myself."

That show of love ultimately brought her another unexpected reward: a boyfriend. When Joey (Joe/Joseph) Lawrence was appearing on Dancing, she happened to meet his younger brother, Matthew. The two (shown below) have been dating since late December, and she calls him "a great, smart, wonderful guy."

You don't have to put on the red light

After the May 15 broadcast, Burke and her Beverly Hills, 90210 partner danced their way off the show as the final went on without them. The experience under the show's infamous red spotlight is never an easy one, regardless of the stage of the competition. "Sitting under those lights -- waiting to hear if you're going to be safe and get into the next round -- is extremely nerve-wracking," she says.

The girl recently featured in both Maxim and Stuff may look exotic and untouchable, but the real person behind those sultry moves is ever loyal. Among her personal number ones: She says former dance partner Lachey is her favorite singer, and Burke's favorite footballer? Dallas Cowboy Number 22 -- Smith -- of course.

When put to the test and asked about Ziering's talents above the star-making turns of Jason Priestly and Luke Perry, Burke laughs, "Of course Ian is my favorite 90210-er. There's no one like Steve Sanders!"

Baby one more time?

Now that she's off the show, whether she will be back next season is a mystery -- much like the rest of the show's future cast -- but anyone involved in the program would be hard-pressed to not at least pencil in the name Burke on the professionals list, right alongside the next celebrity newbie to the ballroom.

In 2005, she was the World Cup Latin Professional Rising Star Champion, the Ohio Star Ball Rising Star Champion and the San Francisco Open Latin Champion.

But 2006 brought the biggest honors of all: Cheryl Burke was a two-time Emmy nominee for Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Art Direction. Her experience on Dancing With the Stars has allowed her to have the coveted 'Emmy-nominated' designation next to her name forevermore -- something that is beyond even her wildest dreams.

"When I was nominated for an Emmy, I was completely overwhelmed," Burke says. "I never imagined that that would be a possibility."