Dancing with the Stars

Misty May-Treanor's devastating injury shocked and saddened her and Maks' many fans last week on Dancing with the Stars, but as Misty herself said, "The show must go on."  Because they had to withdraw from the competition, we had a non-shocking, non-elimination results show last Tuesday, but it's back to business as usual this week.

Nine teams remain.  Rocco and Karina would have been eliminated last week; was that just the motivation they needed to work even harder for tonight's performance?  All the judges' scores and viewers votes from last week are being carried over to this week.  It's live television, so anything can happen.  And I'll be right here all night with my live thoughts.

Live!  From Hollywood!  This is Dancing with the Stars!

The first couple to dance tonight is Maurice Greene and Cheryl Burke.  They dance the samba tonight, and it so way groovy, dude.  They've got fabulous 'fros and they are bell-bottomed and fringed to the max.  I love it.  It was a really fun performance, but I think it was a little bit sloppy.  Len says he's got to work on precision (and gets booed by the audience), and Bruno also agrees that he needs to refine his performance.  Carrie Ann is disappointed that Maurice isn't progressing fast enough for her taste.  Their scores: Carrie Ann gives 6, Len gives 7 and Bruno gives 7, for a 20 out of 30.  That gives them a combined two-week total of 44 out of 60.

Cody Linley and Julianne Hough tackle the tango next.  Cody looks cool with his hair all slicked back.  It's a really good performance; Cody looks strong and confident, and I love the attitude of the dance.  All the judges agree that Cody is turning into a man, getting aggressive and keeping his form.  Len says its Cody's best dance so far.  And the scores: Carrie Ann gives 7, Len gives 8 and Bruno give 8, for a 23 out of 30.  Combined with last week, they have 44 out of 60.

Toni Braxton and Alec Mazo have the samba today.  Toni's heart is doing much better, which is fortunate because the samba is a high-energy dance.  I'm so glad to hear that her health is better.  Wow, Toni and Alec's samba starts out way sexy.  I think Toni does a great job and also projects a sultry Latin attitude.  Carrie Ann advises her to work on her shoulders.  Len points out some mistakes, and Bruno praises her for her booty.  Their scores: Carrie Ann gives 7, Len gives 7 and Bruno gives 8, for a 22 out of 30.  Combined with last week's, they have 44 out of 60.

Oh my, next up are Cloris Leachman and Corky Ballas.  Cloris wants to work on technique this week for their tango.  I have to say, she actually has improved on her technique a lot compared to the other weeks.  I mean, she's still not great and doesn't have a lot of strength in her movements, but man, she must have done a lot of work this week.  Cloris and Corky get a standing ovation from the crowd!  Len calls her raunchy and says she did an absolutely fabulously job.  Bruno spouts something about silent movies and such.  Haha!  And in the middle of that, Corky picks up her foot and holds her leg up sky high.  Carrie Ann tries to apologize for begin so harsh on her in weeks past, but Cloris keeps interrupting her.  Ha!  The scores: Carrie Ann gives 8, Len gives 7 and Bruno give 7, for a 22 out of 30.  Backstage, Cloris calls Len and Bruno prejudiced because they didn't give her 8s.  Cloris has a 38 out of 30 for a combined total.

Next up, Rocco DiSpirito and Karina Smirnoff have the samba.  Aww, Rocco's mother comes to visit the rehearsal, and she looks pretty fab.  OMG, Rocco has these huge ruffly sleeves that are just so awful.  I hope they are detachable and he loses them soon.  (Yes, they are, but he didn't lose them soon enough.)  You know, he's still really awkward.  He certainly doesn't have the difficulty or the technique of some of his competitors, but he's making a valiant effort.  Bruno says that his accountant does a better samba, and Carrie Ann doesn't think he did great either.  Carrie Ann gives 6, Len gives 6 and Bruno gives 6, for 18 out of 30.  Combined with last week, they have 38 out of 60.  I'm predicting that this will be Rocco's last performance on Dancing with the Stars.

Susan Lucci and Tony Dovolani are attempting to channel her All My Children character Erica Kane into dance with their tango tonight.  (That's funny, Tony has a tiny one-line cameo appearance on All My Children.)  I don't think that Susan's tango is as fiery as it can be, though.  Her red, ruffly dress has a lot more spirit than her tepid dancing.  However, all the judges think that it was great and not timid at all.  Hrm, I am disagreeing with them tonight.  Carrie Ann, Len and Bruno all give 8s, for a 24 out of 30.  Combined with last week, they have 45 out of 60.

Brooke Burke and Derek Hough have the samba tonight.  Oh my gosh, Derek looks adorable in dark framed glasses.  And then Brooke takes his tie off and rips his shirt open and they get freaky.  Wow, she really is a good dancer.  By far, the best one of the night, so far.  Of course, Len doesn't think much about the gimmicky things, but Bruno raves and calls it "raunchy with a capital ARRRR!" and ends with "I need a smoke."  Carrie Ann praises her for her mix of sensuality and athleticism.  The scores: Carrie Ann gives 9, Len gives 8 and Bruno gives 9, for a 26 out of 30, which gives a 54 out of 60 for two weeks.

The next couple to take the stage is Lance Bass and Lacey Schwimmer.  They have the tango tonight, and they are going to put their own flavor back into it.  Len's gonna hate this, I bet.  Actually, I think it's pretty traditional for these two.  The music is definitely not tango music, but they have all the elements, and they have their own Lance&Lacey flavor.  I love it.  Bruno also loves it, and Carrie Ann deems it amazing - great form and great attention to detail.  Len finally gets on board the Lance train and calls him "Sir Dancelot."  The scores: Carrie Ann gives 9, Len gives 8 and Bruno gives 9, for a 26 out of 30.  Combined with last week, they have 48 out of 60.

Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson have the final performance of the evening.  They've got the samba tonight, and I'm expecting a lot from these two.  I think it's so endearing how Warren refers to himself as "fat boy."  Wow, Kym is really hot in her barely-there bikini top.  Yowza.  However, I'm not terribly impressed with the difficulty level of the dance, but it was still entertaining.  The judges agree that there wasn't a whole lot of content in the routine.  Warren needs to step it up and dance next week.  And the scores: Carrie Ann gives 8, Len gives 7 and Bruno gives 7, for a 22 out of 30.  They have a combined total of 47 out of 60.  Cloris wanders into the shot and trash talks Warren over Samantha Harris' awkward questions.





-Debbie Chang, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of ABC)