Dancing With the Stars: Let the Real Competition Begin

Now we’re getting down to the nitty gritty. With another double elimination, our group will be whittled down even further. This week is “celebrity’s choice,” with each star choosing their partner’s costume. For their second round dance they will perform either the Tango or the Paso Doble and will be divided into two competing groups.

Michael & Anna:  Any day now Irvin is outta here. He gave it the old college try, and that’s great; but now it’s time for the real competition to begin. He is the only remaining contestant sorely out of their league. They draw the Foxtrot, and he’s adequate but hardly impressive. Len thought it was brilliant and gave him high praise. Bruno said that his musicality has improved. Carrie Ann said it was gracious and fluid. Carrie Ann: 8 Len: 8 Bruno: 7. This is his highest score to date. He needs to go!

Donny & Kym:  They have the Quickstep. They’re a strong couple but received uncharacteristically low scores last week, at least by their standards. There’s not much that Donny can’t do, and the Quickstep is no exception. He’s very light on his feet and he and Kym have good chemistry. Bruno said that as a performer he’s solid as a rock, because no one else would have been able to cover up all those mistakes. Carrie Ann said it was good but it wasn’t his best. Len said there were mistakes but he enjoyed it. Carrie Ann: 8 Len: 8 Bruno: 8

Mark & Lacey:  A lot of the dancers have been getting sick this season, and Lacey seems to have caught some type of bug. This leaves Mark at a huge disadvantage. Tony came in at the last minute to fill in, but how much can a man really help him, in terms of being a partner? Mercifully Anna steps in also, and she performs the actual number with him, an erratic Samba. Poor guy, he did the best he could under the circumstances, but the judges hated it. Carrie Ann said she has compassion for him because he had a rough week, but it was a disjointed mess. Len said he had a rough week and a difficult dance, which is a terrible combination but under the circumstances he coped very well. Bruno said it was like watching Kung Fu Panda doing the Samba on the Planet of the Apes. LMAO, that guy can turn a phrase for sure. Carrie Ann: 6 Len: 7 Bruno: 6

Mya & Dmitry:  The frontrunners draw the Foxtrot and Dmitry brought in Cloris Leachman for inspiration from that era. Let me just say that for whatever reason, Len hates Mya. Even Tom Bergeron has noticed it. She and Dmitry are outstanding, as usual but does Len enjoy it? Hell no. He quibbles about the non-dance portion of their routine, which was minimal. Bruno said their Foxtrot perfectly captured the feel of old Hollywood and that she looked like a dream and danced like an angel. Carrie Ann loved the dance and thought it was dynamic and graceful. Carrie Ann: 9 Len: 7 Bruno: 9

Aaron & Karina:  Wow is all I can say. Aaron danced his ass off. They performed a Jive and he absolutely killed it; his footwork was incredible. He’s always shown potential and immense talent, but for some reason he hasn’t been connecting with the audience – which is surprising. I thought he’d have the teenybopper demographic locked down. Bruno said it was his best performance. Carrie Ann said it was “really, really excellent.” Len said it had enough energy to light up Hollywood, wild but clean. He said he was “tempted to dust off the ten paddle.” Carrie Ann: 9 Len: 10 Bruno: 10

Kelly & Louis:  I’m not as impressed with Kelly as everyone else. She’s pouty and whiny and it’s not cute. This week she and Louis have the Salsa, and I’m underwhelmed as usual. The judges seem to really like her and are very complimentary. Carrie Ann was practically gushing. Len said she controlled her nerves and gave a full performance but did say that all aspects of her performance need to come up a level. Bruno went nuts. Kelly thanked him for calling her beige last week, saying it was good motivation. Carrie Ann: 8 Len: 8 Bruno: 8

Joanna & Derek:  In rehearsal Derek tries to create a romantic vibe in preparation for their dance, which was pretty funny. They perform the Rumba, and it’s rather slow and seductive. If she weren’t engaged I’d wonder if they had something going on. Joanna is very good and I can see her making it into the final 3 contestants. No dance ever seems too difficult for her and her wounds are usually self-inflicted. Len said the dance was well-done and they all should be pleased. Bruno said it was so sexy he could taste it. Yikes. Carrie Ann said it was great and that she loves watching Joanna. Carrie Ann: 9 Len: 9 Bruno: 9

Paso Team

Mya, Michael, Aaron, and Mark will be performing the Paso Doble as a team. Mya is chosen to perform last, as she’s the strongest. Michael goes in the middle because he’s the weakest. In rehearsal things look a little chaotic and disorganized. The women were strong since the group was comprised of 3 female pros and Mya. However, the team must be judged as a whole. Their performance was adequate, but nothing spectacular. Bruno said they were out of sync, but Mya and Dmitry stood out. Carrie Ann said that as a group they were focused and intense, but they got out of sync at times and the choreography was rather basic. She told Mark he redeemed himself. Len said it got better as it went on. Carrie Ann: 8 Len: 8 Bruno: 8 The Paso Group will have 24 added to each of their individual scores received earlier.

Tango Team

Joanna, Donny, and Kelly will perform the Tango. In rehearsal the pros on Team Tango were much more organized, and it paid off. Their routine was cleaner and more precise than Team Paso. They were more synchronized, crisp, and visually distinctive. When their dance concluded Carrie Ann ran over screaming about a lift, saying that it was awesome but it wasn’t Argentine Tango. Len said they had the easier dance, but obviously their performance was much more superior. Bruno said Kelly found her mojo, Donny Darko was back, and that the Love Goddess and Drama Queen (Joanna) nailed it. Carrie Ann: 9 Len: 9 Bruno: 10 Team Tango gets a 28 added to each of their individual scores.

Results Show

The judges choose Team Tango for an encore performance, and I’m thinking it would be rather odd if any of these 3 ended up facing elimination. After the requisite guest pop performance we find out Donny is safe and Michael is not. In other news, did you know that pro dancers Mark Ballas and Derek Hough are also recording artists? Wow, they really are giving everyone a record deal nowadays. The two actually perform some nonsensical pop number, singing and dancing right along. It was awful and corny. Stick to dancing fellas. Next we find out that Mya and Joanna are safe. Mark and Aaron end up in the bottom two, after Michael Irvin is shown the door by the viewers. Mark and Aaron will face off with the judges deciding who remains. Recall that Mark has been strong throughout, but he had a poor showing the night before. Aaron did great the night before and sticks with a winning formula by dancing the Jive again. Mark opts for the Cha Cha Cha. Both men do an outstanding job, but Aaron’s Jive is otherworldly and the judges send Mark home.

It’s going to be a dogfight the rest of the way, and no one is safe!

Season 9, Week 7: Episodes 14&15 (originally aired November 2&3, 2009)

For more on Dancing with the Stars, click here.

Competition Mondays at 8/7C, ABC

Elimination Tuesdays at 9/8C, ABC

Photographs courtesy of ABC, Adam Larkey