OCALA, FL -- Before actor Cristián de la Fuente and ballroom dancer Cheryl Burke rumbled to the rumba Monday evening on the ABC hit Dancing with the Stars, they practiced their moves in Palm Beach.

De la Fuente and Burke spent Saturday afternoon polishing their routine at the Paramount Ballroom, 211 Royal Poinciana Way.

Dancing with the Stars pairs professional ballroom dancers with celebrities to compete for a sparkly disco-ball trophy and bragging rights. The show, along with American Idol, is one of the most-watched shows in prime time.

De La Fuente, in the area to attend a benefit for Rescue Rehab Home, a dog charity based in Boca Raton, said the show is physically demanding.

"It's definitely more challenging than anything I've done in my life," the 34-year-old actor said Saturday during a break. "Especially 'cause it's rehearsals from six to eight hours every day. I've been working the past two months from Monday to Sunday.

"Saturday, a day people are supposed to rest, we are rehearsing. Tomorrow, we rehearse and have camera blocking. So it's a lot of energy that you spend, but it's a lot of energy you get back Monday when you put on a show."

On tonight's show, one of the eight remaining couples will be eliminated. The show starts at 9 p.m. on ABC affiliate WPBF.

Burke, 2005 World Cup Professional Rising Star Latin champion, won the competition in the show's second and third seasons, first with pop singer Drew Lachey then with three-time Super Bowl champion Emmitt Smith. The 23-year-old California native has high praise for de la Fuente.

"He's picking it up quickly," Burke said. "He gets the feeling of each dance, and he has great charisma on the dance floor."

The two have a good chance of making it to the final round, Burke said Saturday.

"I think he could be the dark horse of the competition," she said.

Burke said Dancing with the Stars has had a positive impact on the ballroom dance industry.

"I think it's really great for the business," Burke said. "And it's great that the show is so popular and the ratings are through the roof. It's amazing to see that ballroom dancing is popular."

Studio owner Alec Lazo, a ballroom dancer for more than 30 years, allowed the duo to use his dance space at no charge.

Shows like Dancing with the Stars have created enormous interest across the country in ballroom dancing, Lazo said.

"There is an awareness of it like never before," Lazo said. "We are getting flooded with calls every day. The studio is growing faster, ironically sort of in a recession, than I had ever seen in any of my studios."

The studio's name is a nod to its former location, the Paramount Building.

The skills and athletic ability required to perform ballroom dancing are earning widespread respect because of shows like Dancing with the Stars, said Lazo, a dance competition judge and a former Latin and rhythm dance champion.

"It's artistic, it's elegant, it's competitive and there's nothing more athletic in terms of the mind and body working together," Lazo said.

"The only glitch is you have to acquire the skill. It's not like you show up and you burn 900 calories in an hour. You have to do some work, but soon you get adept at the skills of ballroom dancing. When you are dancing, there's nothing like it."