Dancing with the Stars

Last week the Dancing with the Stars competition kicked off at a level never before seen.  These week, the competitors were prepared to sustain the intensity, or rise up to it with a thrilling night of fast stepping that saw the competitors going for broke.  Four days worth of training went into tonight's competition,  read on for a break down on who lived up to the week one challenge, and who didn't.

Melanie Brown has to be praising the editors this week.  Last week they made her look a bit crass,  this week she is classy, like able, vulnerable, and fun to watch.  The performance gets high marks from the judges, but personally I thought it was off time and a little passionless.  Give me the snarky Mel B who can dance!  Still they manage a 23 which isn't so bad, until Mark Cuban and Kym Johnson come to the competition. 

This is Cuban's best night so far, and he and Johnson really own Mel B and Maksim, but for some reason there is an 18 in the end.  The audience is livid, I'm livid, home audiences apparently don't care going by last week, but this is certainly a controversy for Dancing with the Stars.

Wayne Newton improved, but only slightly.  His quick step was stiff and Cheryl outpaced him.  Newton is marked for termination in my book, but his substantial fan base will keep him out there for at least another three or four weeks.

Marie Osmond brought her A game stunning the judges with an awesome Mambo that earned her and partner Jonathan Roberts a solid 24, besting favorite Melanie Brown.  Marie's brother Donny was in the audience for support.

Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough are simply amazing.  The level of talent from both of them was just off the chart.   The duo scored a near perfect 27 and came out as the couple to beat.

Favorite Jennie Garth had a bad night with partner Derek Hough.  A head butt and a few awkward moments cost the former 90210 star some serious credibility, causing her to slip from her sterling debut last week.

Once the favorite, Floyd Mayweather attempted to make up for the underwhelming score he received last week, but an awkward and mechanical quickstep betrayed a lack of confidence despite a few shining moments.  None the less, Floyd was able to pull out a 21, considerably better than last week.

Sabrina Bryan had a tough act to follow in Helio Castroneves, who obliterated her score from last week.  The quickstep she performed was great but not as dynamic as Castroneves and  Hough, ending the night with a 26.

- Jon Lachonis, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image courtesy of ABC)