Wednesday, September 24, 2008

'Dancing with the Stars' Recap


On Tuesday night's "Dancing with the Stars," the newest crop of 13 contestants continued the competition for the disco-ball trophy, but one of them was sent packing after just one dance: Jeff Ross and his professional partner Edyta Sliwinska learned that they had the lowest combined total of points from viewers and the judges.

That left 12 couples to compete. The first couple to learn they were safe was Lance Bass and Lacey Schwimmer, who danced the quickstep. Head judge Len Goodman commented, "It is not how you get to the finish, it is what you do during it. I didn't like your posture or your hold. I can understand people enjoying it, but it wasn't my cup of tea." Bruno disagreed, saying, "For me, you two have an incredible quality. You bring a fresh take. You have timing and a dynamic performance. I liked it." Carrie Ann gave them a mixed review: "I was very much entertained, but I wasn't impressed. I thought it was creatively great, but you didn't give me the elegance I want to see in ballroom dancing. Lance and Lacey rated a 21.

Next up were Misty May-Treanor and Maksim Chmerkovskiy dancing the mambo. Carrie Ann was impressed by Misty, saying, "Your strong, sharp attack totally worked in this dance. It was much better than last night. It was fierce." Len told her, "I was so surprised that a person from sports can come out and perform like that. I thought it was very brave. Your hips were working well!" Bruno agreed, adding, "You have the power and attack of a task force. I really appreciate you because you work really hard. You are going to be a winner." The couple scored a 21.

Dancing third -- and safe from elimination -- were Maurice Greene and Cheryl Burke. Bruno labeled them "dynamic, energetic and exuberant." Then he added, "It strayed a little bit from the mambo. It was like being at a party and I like parties." Carrie Ann said, "Tonight, I thought your transitions were very smooth. What I love about you is the music pumps through your body." Len pointed out, "Learning one dance to start 'DWTS' is difficult; learning two dances is almost impossible. I think there is more to come." The judges awarded them 21 points.

Brooke Burke and Derek Hough followed with an impressive quickstep. Len said, "Last night when you danced the cha cha cha, I said it was the best dance of the night. I don't like to repeat myself, but best dance so far." Bruno agreed, saying, "On week one, I am seeing this style of dancing. This is pure Hollywood. I can't believe it." Carrie Ann asked, "What can I say after that? You are nothing but grace, strength, beauty and class. Last night was great, but this was fantastic." Brooke and Derek were the top scorers of the night with 26 points.

Also safe were Cloris Leachman and Corky Ballas who danced the mambo. Carrie Ann commented, "Golden girl can shimmy. I believe entertainment is hugely important, so I give you points for entertaining this crowd." Len added, "Last night, I saw your coconuts. You can shake them. A word about Corky: I think you have done a fantastic job." Bruno joked, "I have done these shows all over the world and never seen a mambo like this. And I don't think I will ever see it again. But if you come back, I want more sizzle next week." Cloris and Corky earned their second 16.

Also making it through to perform a quickstep were Toni Braxton, who has heart disease, and her professional partner Alec Mazo. Bruno complimented them on being "light, sparkling and elegant -- all the qualities of a fine champagne." Carrie Ann revealed, "You scared me a little, you had this look in your eyes, as if you weren't ready, but you did really well. You have a natural movement and your chemistry together is good." Len told them, "Beautiful movement across the floor. [There were a few problems], but it was a very, very good performance." They were awarded 23 points.

Then Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson took the floor with a jazzy quickstep. Len admitted that he realized: "That was a tough dance for you. For entertainment, it was fantastic. The technique wasn't so hot, but I liked it." Bruno enthused, "A ton of fun. A guy of your size producing that kind of performance … your feet were going all over. It is incredible what you have achieved in such a short space of time." Carrie Ann, too, was amazed that Warren didn't miss a step, adding, "Like Bruno said, it was tons of fun." Even with the technique issues, Warren and Kym earned 22 points.

Ted McGinley and Inna Brayer demonstrated they are mambo-licious when they danced their Latin dance! Carrie Ann wasn't totally impressed, pointing out, "You did a lot of moves in that dance. I see you rehearsed it very well, but, unfortunately there is a bit of awkwardness to how you move. I know your spirit is great." Len added, "You proved with hard work anything is possible. Last night an elegant foxtrot. Tonight you did a commendable mambo." Bruno told them, "You have grabbed your mambo with both hands and squeezed every ounce of fun out of it. But you need to listen to the music, I feel you lose the musicality." Ted and Inna scored one point higher than Monday night, getting 19 points.

The youngest couple of the competition -- Cody Linley and Julianne Hough -- drew the quickstep for their performance. Bruno called them: "King and queen of the prom. Your parents should be proud of you. You tend to go like Jiminy Cricket. You need more control." Carrie Ann said, "The quickstep is the most difficult dance. You need to be in sync and you need to make it look like it was simple. I think you did all that." Len told Cody, "I thought you danced with great maturity. You controlled yourself. Overall, I thought you did a good job." When the scores were added up, Cody and Julianne earned 23 points.

Rocco DiSpirito and Karina Smirnoff added to the night's mambo madness with a much improved performance from Monday night. Len was quick to point that out, saying, "Improvement is relative, but you were so poor last night. That was much better. Well done." Bruno agreed, saying, "What a turn around. I have never seen such a change so quickly. I am stunned." Carrie Ann added, "That was super sexy. I think mambos should be sexy and you were on par with that." Rocco and Karina added seven points to their score from Monday night's 14, earning a 21.

Susan Lucci and Tony Dovolani drew the quickstep for their second night's dance. Carrie Ann observed, "There is the Susan Lucci I thought we would see. You had so much more power. You did a great job today. That was the strength, charisma and power I expected from you." Len remarked, "I am feeling smug because I said ballroom would be your forte. This is so much better than last night." Bruno said, "Elegance, glamour and beautiful variations. This really is your element." Susan and Tony also received a much-improved score: 22 points.

The final couple of the night were Kim Kardashian and Mark Ballas dancing the mambo. Bruno said, "Kym, you are gorgeous but you drive me crazy. How can you have what you've got, but not use it?" Len agreed, adding, "You said, 'Everybody expects me to be sexy and I am not.' This is a performance. You didn't sell it. Mark was overcompensating for you." Carrie Ann defended Kim saying, "She was last. She was standing out there all night and that is hard. You obviously don't have any performance experience, but you were trying. You've got to keep going." Despite all the criticism, the couple earned 18 points.

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