Past penalties and current currents finally took their toll on Tom
& Terry. Their defeated mood made the setbacks insurmountable, and
they were the next team eliminated from The Amazing Race.

The
Cho Brothers, Erwin & Godwin, left the previous leg’s Pit Stop at 10:55 p.m., giving them less than an hour’s lead over the last place team. The clue directed
teams to travel by cab into Hanoi to Ly Thai To Garden, where they
needed to listen for their next clue.

On their way to the cabs,
teams needed to pick up some local currency from an old man at a table.
With a straight face, beauty queens Dustin & Kandice told the old
man, “We’re here to pick up our dong.”

Teams arrived at the park
and noticed that the Public Address system was blaring a message that
began in English: “Attention racers…” The announcement instructed
teams to take a cab to a bus station, and then take a bus 103 miles to
the Hydrofoil Harbor in Ha Long Bay.

Several teams wrote down
approximations of the confusing names of their destinations, while
others were clever enough to have their cabbies get out of the car and
listen to the message with them. Tyler & James chose the latter
option and were first team to hit the road.

Trying to cut
corners, Rob & Kimberly told their cab driver to follow Tyler &
James. They soon lost the other cab in heavy traffic and were forced to
return to the park.

His anger rising, Rob pulled their bags from
the cab, found a new driver, and had him listen to the announcement.
The new driver indicated that he understood, but drove them in a
circle. “He’s just toying with us right now,” Rob muttered.

When
they returned to the park for a second time, Rob & Kimberly found
their third cabbie. He did understand the directions, but Rob wasn’t
any happier. “I’m done talking with foreigners,” he declared. That
strategy could have worked for him if he’d raced in the Family Edition,
but it won’t fly here.

The bus to Ha Long Bay departed at 5
a.m., with all of the teams aboard. When they arrived at the Hydrofoil
Harbor, teams found their next clue. It was a Roadblock that asked,
“Who’s got strong arms and legs?”

For this Roadblock, one team
member would use a mechanical ascender to climb a sheer rock face. The
ascenders are a TAR staple, because they’re difficult to get used to
and require a lot of strength and coordination.

Teams climbed in
the order they arrived at a floating platform, just under the rock
face. Because there we only three ascenders, some teams would have to
wait for previous teams to finish.

The teams ran from the
cluebox to the individual speedboats that would take them to the
platform. Dustin & Kandice cut in front of single moms Lyn &
Karlyn and jumped into their boat. Dustin cut her leg during the jump,
and the mothers felt that was a fitting punishment for cutting them off.

David
& Mary, Tom & Terry, and Rob & Kimberly reached the
platform first. David, Terry, and Rob were their teams’
representatives, and they began their ascent up the wall. Lyn &
Karlyn and Erwin & Godwin were the next teams to arrive, and Karlyn
and Godwin were forced to wait for their turns to ascend.

Sarah
was eager to do her first Roadblock on the race — until she saw the
first racers climbing the wall using only their arm strength and one
foot in a rope stirrup to push them upward. Her nervous tension grew as
she waited on the platform, and Peter didn’t help matters by shouting
out comments like, “Hold that handicapped placard out and tell them
you’re next.”

Rob was the first racer down the wall, receiving a
clue that directed his team to nearby Sung Sot Cave. As Karlyn took
over on Rob’s ascender, Lyn, in an effort to both shock and encourage
her teammate, yelled, “If you can have a baby without anesthesia, you
can climb this rock!”

As other climbers came down, Godwin went
up the wall next, followed by Sarah. She struggled at first to find her
balance, and her leg became tangled in the rope. She calmed herself
down enough to find a good rhythm and was on her way.

All the
while, Peter lounged in the boat, shouting cliched motivational phrases
to Sarah and only half paying attention to what she was doing.

When
the next ascender became available, Tyler took off, passing Sarah. She
wasn’t pleased about being passed, but climbed on, reaching the top not
long after him. Dustin was the last racer to finish the wall.

Over
at Sung Sot Cave, Rob & Kimberly searched the cave for the next
clue. In their eagerness to pass the milling sightseers, Rob hit his
head on the cave’s low ceiling. After a good while searching, they
found the clue. It was the leg’s Detour: “Over or Under.”

In Over, teams traveled by junk
to a buoy, and then boarded into a flat-bottomed rowboat called a
sampan. They then rowed to a supply ship, loaded up their little boat
with supplies, and delivered the goods to two addresses in a nearby
floating village. When finished, they rowed back to the supply ship.

In
Under, teams also traveled by junk to the buoy, but this time they
rowed to a nearby pearl farm. Teams had to follow a string of sunken
oyster pots, lift 30 pots from the water, and deliver them to the pearl
farmer.

For both tasks, the biggest impediment to success was
the sampan. The oars of the little boats were placed just far enough
apart that teams couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be rowed by one
person or two. Add to that strong winds, choppy seas, and — in the
cases of those who’d done the Roadblock — weary arms, and piloting the
boat became an epic undertaking.

Rob & Kimberly decided to
do Under, but that was about the only thing they agreed upon. Rob was
mad at Kimberly because he didn’t know how to row. After some
discussion, they each took an oar and zigzagged to the destination.
There, Rob punched the water when he couldn’t see the oyster pots
underneath the water.

Kimberly kicked Rob to the other side of
the boat, spotting pot after pot and hoisting them up. It became Rob’s
job to just sit still and avoid tipping the boat.

The only team
who had any success rowing was Tyler & James. They made their way
to the pearl farm with relative ease, while everyone else got lost or
drifted as they tried to find a way to steer their boat.

Trapped
in a tiny boat, team members had nowhere to vent their frustrations
except at each other. Godwin shouted at Erwin, “The reason we’re going
this way is because you’re doing something wrong!”

Even
though Peter had yelled encouragement to Sarah the whole time she
climbed, he snapped at her when she tried to do the same as he rowed:
“Don’t encourage me!” Even when pointing out a marker or direction,
Peter snapped, “Stop talking.”

Rob & Kimberly finished their
string of oyster pots just as Tyler & James arrived. Tom &
Terry joined them, having abandoned their original plan to do the Over
task when their haphazard rowing brought them closer to Under. Erwin
& Godwin were right behind.

Soon, Peter & Sarah also
arrived at Under. Peter was in a foul mood. First he shouted because he
couldn’t see the pots at the end of the line. Then he shoved Tom &
Terry’s boat, because part of it had drifted into their path. And,
after he and Sarah nearly swamped their boat from leaning out the same
side, he said that he wanted to quit the Race.

Sarah continued
to pull pots, and eventually Peter decided to help out. During his
tantrum, David & Mary arrived, after abandoning their attempt to
find the other task.

After finishing the task, Rob &
Kimberly delivered their pots to the oyster farmer and received their
next clue: row back to the junk and ride it nine miles to the Pit Stop,
on Soi Sim Island.

Their sizable lead didn’t keep the couple
from arguing. When Rob protested, “I know how to row,” Kimberly shot
back, “I forgot, you went to school for that.”

Elsewhere on the
high seas, Lyn & Karlyn arrived at the supply ship, the only team
able to find the Over task. They delivered their supplies with ease,
and they were impressed by the floating village. But their trip back to
the supply ship was hampered by strong winds, and they seemed to lose
as much ground as they gained.

As they completed the Under task,
Tyler & James rowed to their junk, followed by Erwin & Godwin
and Peter & Sarah. Peter rowed up to the junk and hopped in, only
returning to help Sarah when she asked him to.

Aboard the ship,
Sarah told Peter, “You did awesome.” He just looked at his elbow. She
told him she was mad that she’s never allowed to give up on anything,
but he’s willing to quit as soon as things get difficult. And in an
interview, Sarah said that her feelings toward Peter have changed.

Sarah
took some comfort, as her junk passed Erwin & Godwin’s boat, and
then Tyler & James’s boat. Tyler & James couldn’t understand
why their boat was so slow. Eventually, their captain realized he’d
forgotten to pull up anchor.

In last place, Dustin & Kandice
arrived at the pearl farm. By then, an exhausted and demoralized Tom
& Terry had only pulled up half of their pots. The girls managed to
finish their entire string in the time it took Tom & Terry to pull
seven pots.

Misreading their next clue, the beauty queens
thought they were supposed to row their sampan to the Pit Stop (nine
miles away). When they stopped on an island beach to reread their clue,
Kandice realized it had had been torn to wet shreds in her pocket. She
and Dustin finally decided to return to the junk, as they vaguely
remembered something about riding on it. Leaving the island, Dustin
said, “Let me cry as I paddle.”

At nearly the same time, Tom
& Terry finished their task and made their way to the junk, against
currents and wind. Frustrated with the fruitless rowing, Tom leapt out
of the boat and pulled it the rest of the way. He collapsed in the
sampan and needed to be helped into the junk.

Terry was
impressed at the lengths Tom was willing to go for them. “You pulled
the frickin’ boat,” Terry said in amazement. “I had to,” sobbed Tom.

Rob
& Kimberly received a pair of jet skis for their first place
finish. They were followed by Peter & Sarah, Tyler & James,
Erwin & Godwin, David & Mary, Lyn & Karlyn, and Dustin
& Kandice. Tom & Terry arrived last and were eliminated.

Next week: The beauty queens take on an alligator. Meanwhile, Sarah’s opinion of Peter plunges just a little more.

Being big and strong doesn’t mean much in Survivor, if you’re
not willing to use your muscles around camp. The women of Aitu got sick
of J.P.’s lazy butt, so they decided to vote it — and the rest of him — off the
island.

At the start of the episode, Candice returned to Aitu
from Exile Island to find that Cecilia had been voted out. Jessica put
Candice on the spot, asking if she felt Adam and Parvati had saved her
for a future alliance by sending her to Exile Island, where she had
avoided Tribal Council.

Candice gave a “playing dumb”
performance worthy of a fourteen-year-old, overselling her ignorance
with a dumb lie, claiming that she “didn’t have time” to consider why
she’d been sent to Exile Island. With only a couple days on an island
where there’s nothing to do and nobody to talk to, where would she have
found the time to think?

Later that day, Aitu’s teamwork helped
them defeat Raro in a Reward Challenge. Two members of each tribe were
clipped to a rope that wrapped around, over, and under various
obstacles. Their tribemates pushed and pulled them around the course.
Raro got tangled a few too many times, and Aitu coasted to an easy
victory.

They were rewarded with blankets, pillows, and a
hammock. They also sent Adam to Exile Island. He would return for the
next Immunity Challenge, meaning he wouldn’t get to skip Tribal
Council, should his team lose.

As Raro tried to make their own
pillow-less camp slightly more comfortable, the women of the tribe
noticed that they were doing all of the work, while the men sat around
the fire drinking coconut milk.

J.P. was particularly annoying.
Though he did little to help around camp, he issued orders to everyone
else. He sprawled out in a makeshift throne, as if reclining in a
La-Z-Boy, and asked Parvati to walk over and pick up a machete that was
only a few feet out of his reach. He was lucky that she decided against
using it on him.

Parvati asked her main would-be-squeeze, Nate,
if the four Raro guys had formed an alliance, and he confirmed that
they had. When she voiced her displeasure with J.P., Nate said his plan
was to “let the king sit pretty” until it was time to get rid of him.
He told Parvati that he’d make sure she stayed safe until then.

Over
at Aitu, Cao Boi climbed a tree to check a bird’s nest for eggs. He
shooed the mother bird away and knocked the nest out of a tree with a
stick (which probably would’ve broken any eggs inside of it, anyway).
There were no eggs, just a newly hatched baby bird.

An emotional
Jonathan was able to hand the nest and baby bird back up to Cao Boi,
who replaced them in their original branch as the mother bird squawked
at him.”What am I doing stupid things for?” Cao Boi asked himself. “I
feel really bad.”

The next day’s Immunity Challenge was a
multi-stage affair. First, four members of each tribe assembled a
stretcher from large, wooden puzzle pieces. After completing the
stretcher and carrying it to a nearby beach, one of the four swam out
to a ship’s mast, to retrieve a fifth tribe member. That fifth member
was then carried inland on the stretcher. Once teams reached their goal
area with the stretcher, their remaining tribe members had to build a
rescue fire and keep it going until it burned through a strand of rope.

Raro
finished assembling their stretcher quickly, but Aitu’s Ozzy — whom
Yul had earlier called “Poseidon,” because of his fishing skills —
caught up to J.P. in the water.

The race came down to which team
built their fire first, and Cao Boi’s skills couldn’t be beat. He waved
a smoking bundle of kindling around, in what looked like a strange
ritual. But the ritual worked, as Aitu had a roaring fire in no time.
Rebecca, Stephannie, and Jenny didn’t even manage to get a spark for
Raro, although Jenny did cut her thumb pretty gruesomely.

Stephannie
felt personally responsible for the loss. Back at the Raro camp, she
told the tribe, “I’m the weakest link.” Many tribe members took that as
a signal that she wanted out of the game, and voting her out at Tribal
Council seemed like a foregone conclusion.

It didn’t take
Stephannie long to realize her huge strategic blunder. “I can’t believe
I set myself up like that,” she told Cristina.

Luckily for
Stephannie, Jenny and Rebecca realized that this was their best
opportunity to get rid of lazy J.P., while the Raro women still
outnumbered the men. Stephannie and Cristina agreed, so they just
needed to present their plan to Parvati.

“I just don’t know if
that’s in our best interest,” was Parvati’s immediate response. She
went off to think over the plan, leading the women to assume she was
going to rat them out to Nate. As a back up measure, they grabbed the
most trustworthy guy, Brad, and let him in on their scheme. He seemed
interested, but wasn’t convinced that letting J.P. go served his own
best interests.

At Tribal Council, the women learned that their
plan had worked even better than expected. Not only did both Parvati
and Brad side with them, but Adam voted for J.P. as well.

“Dang, you guys outwitted me big time!” said a stunned, but impressed, J.P., as Jeff put out his torch. “That was pretty good.”

Next week, Cao Boi gets mad at his tribe’s lazy women, who prefer discussing their underarm hair to working.

It was the second surprising elimination in a row on Dancing with the Stars. Despite a string of solid performances from each, Vivica and Monique were in the Bottom Two, and Vivica was sent home.

The show opened with a recap of the previous night’s performances. Jerry said he’d relished the chance to prove
his love for his daughter in front of millions of people: “I’ll make a
fool of myself for you, honey. There’s nothing I won’t do for you.”

Joey was emotional, too: “I’m so glad we made Len happy, man!”

And
Mario confessed that the reason he’d seemed so serious after receiving
his high marks was that he was fighting the urge to do the Cabbage
Patch.

After the recap, Len awarded the Judges’ Encore to “Willa the Thrilla and Marvelous Max.”

A
performance by Grammy nominees Los Lonely Boys followed the encore. The
band was accompanied by a few of their own backup dancers, but none of
the DwtS professionals.

After the musical interlude, Samantha
was backstage with questions for a couple of the celebrities. She asked
Jerry if he was nervous about next week’s dances, the Rumba and the
Samba. Jerry said, “I got by on being sexy this week, so I’m gonna be really sexy next week.”

Samantha
stammered as she asked the imposing Vivica if she thought she was in
danger of being sent home. Vivica confidently replied, “I think we’re
good.”

Tom then introduced a package of interview clips with
members of last night’s studio audience. Mario was a big hit with the
fans, including actress Eva Longoria, who wore a “Vote for Mario”
T-shirt. Another woman, far too old for Mario, gushed, “That butt in
those pants? Oh my God!” A number of the parents in the audience were
moved by Jerry’s Waltz. And actress Shannon Elizabeth also had strong
opinions, though I’m not sure she specified on what or whom.

Back
in the ballroom, Tom and Samantha announced the first two couples who
would be moving on to next week’s show. To nobody’s surprise, Mario
& Karina and Jerry & Kym were safe.

Ashly DelGrosso,
fresh off her elimination last week, was back to dance with her five
sisters — all of whom have names that begin with the letter “A”:
Ayatollah, Anaerobic, Anklet, Aspirator, and Antoine. Their performance
to the song “Heat Wave” will make a great halftime show at a Utah Jazz
game this season.

After the DelGrossest performance ever,
Samantha talked to the two safe couples backstage. Jerry said that he’s
earned so many votes because fans frequently mistake him for Mario.

Then
it was time for the weekly update on Slim-Fast Challenge contestant
Tysonia. A vigorous cardio workout, courtesy of the Samba, was part of
what has helped her drop four dress sizes since the program began. She
was nervous about performing in a relatively skimpy dress until she saw
her audience: authentic Samba dancers wearing little more than bikinis.

When
we returned to the dance floor, last season’s winner, Drew Lachey, had
a front row seat for a performance by his brother, Nick. Pros Tony and
Elena danced to Nick’s latest ode to divorce, “I Can’t Hate You
Anymore.”

The women in the audience loved the song. They
screamed so loudly for Nick that Samantha had trouble introducing the
next package of clips, which offered a look at the world of ballroom
from the celebrities’ perspectives.

When the show started, the
celebrities were confounded by the performance costumes — in
particular the shirt-and-underwear combo worn by the men. Jerry
suggested, “If spandex manufacturers go on strike, dancing is finished
as a performance art.”

The liberal administration of spray-on
tan was another point of amusement. Vivica thought that perhaps the men
are trying to achieve George Hamilton’s golden brown hue. Willa and
Monique seemed the most eager to embrace every aspect of ballroom dance
culture. “Even I got a spray-on tan,” Monique said. “I’m a black girl!”

The
celebs marvelled at the painstaking primping the pros undergo on show
day. Willa said that Max gets makeup applied to his chest early in the
day, and then spends the rest of the day topless. Mario said, “I didn’t
realize how much vanity was involved.”

After the clip package, Tom and Samantha announced the next two safe couples: Emmitt & Cheryl and Willa & Max.

Before
revealing which couples were in the Bottom Two, the judges offered some
thoughts on what makes a good partnership. Some of the couples just
look right together, like Joey & Edyta, Mario & Karina, and
Vivica & Nick. The rest of the couples have special relationships
that make their partnership successful.

Carrie Ann said, “Jerry
& Kym obviously care about each other, so it works despite age
difference.” Willa & Max thrive on a “fire and ice” dynamic. Louis
and Cheryl act like coaches for Monique and Emmitt, respectively. And
Tony is a big brother figure for Sara.

Len had the final word on partnership, saying, “Unless they come together and work as one, they’ve got no chance.”

As
Tom prepared to announce the Bottom Two, he asked Len what he thought
of the four couples waiting to learn their fate. Len said, “I’m shocked
to see some of the best couples in competition still standing there.”
Tom announced that Joey & Edyta were safe, and then the sound
briefly cut out as Tony exclaimed, “Holy shit!” when he learned he and
Sara were also moving on.

That left Monique & Louis and
Vivica & Nick in the Bottom Two. Monique fought back tears as the
show went to commercial break. After the break, Tom announced that
Vivica & Nick had been eliminated.

Vivica accepted the
decision gracefully, trying to quiet the booing crowd by saying, “We’re
good. I had a wonderful time.” Tom told her that, during the commercial
break, the judges, and even audience member Lisa Rinna, told him they
were in shock that it had come down to Monique and Vivica.

When
Samatha asked Vivica what she’d take away from the ballroom, Vivica
said, “Nick.” She said she’ll consider him a friend for the rest of
her life. The couple then danced one last time, to “Against All Odds.”

Bonus coverage: Since our ABC affiliate had audio problems last night, we decided to dub in our own music choice for one of the Performance Show dances…

Note: The local ABC affiliate experienced audio problems throughout
the entirety of this week’s show, which explains why the songs in the videos sound like they’re being played underwater. Sorry!

After earning a spot near the top of the Dancing with the Stars 3 leaderboard last week, Sara Evans fell
back to the bottom with a gloomy Paso Doble. And the Waltz brought
several contestants — and judges — to tears.

Monique Coleman & Louis van Amstel – Waltz
Louis’s
goal for this week was to get Monique in touch with the beauty of the
Waltz. He told her, “It’s much easier to wow people than to move them.”

Their
hard work resulted in a beautiful and restrained performance — much
less frantic than the energy they showcased in last week’s Jive. They
tried to evoke romance through their dancing, and there’s nothing more
romantic than a man dragging a woman across the floor. By the end,
Monique was overcome with emotion and started to cry.

The
judge’s were impressed. Len said, “You’ve proved tonight that you can
Waltz, although three splits was a bit over the top.” Carrie Ann said,
“You were moving together as one. I was absolutely moved.”

And,
in a description that surely had nothing to do with today’s release of
The Little Mermaid on DVD, Bruno said of their performance, “It was
like a little mermaid floating above the reef looking for her prince.”
ABC would never stoop so low as to allow their parent company, Disney,
to plant product advertisements in the judges’ comments. Would they?
Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…8, Len…8, Bruno…8 = 24/30

Emmitt Smith & Cheryl Burke – Paso Doble
Though
he’s one of the non-actors in the competition, Emmitt did a great job
staying in character as the strong bull fighter. It also speaks to his
abilities as a dancer that Cheryl didn’t have to choreograph around
Emmitt. There were no cutesy moves to disguise what he wasn’t able to
execute; it was just a solid, quality Paso Doble. They were all smiles
after their dance.

After last week’s low scores, Bruno
encouraged Emmitt: “This is the performance you can do.” Carrie Ann
told Emmitt, “You are a beast. It had moments of brilliance.” A
surprised Len asked, “Did you do some twist turns? It was great!”
Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…8, Len…8, Bruno…8 = 24/30

Willa Ford & Maksim Chmerkovskiy – Waltz
Willa
was feeling more confident about her chances after avoiding the Bottom
Two last week: “Max says I can win it. He believes in me. Maybe I am a
force to be reckoned with.” She also looked forward to that chance to
tone down the sex appeal for a more ladylike dance, especially since
her grandma was in the studio audience.

They danced to “You
Light Up My Life.” Everything about the performance, from the routine
to the costumes, was pretty and classy. Willa really nailed some of the
exaggerated poses that professionals execute to make the Waltz look
polished.

Carrie Ann said, “You swept me away. Gorgeous.
Elegant.” Taking over Bruno’s traditional nicknaming duty, Len called
Willa “Willa the Thrilla.” He added, “If you’d have done a few more
heel leads, it would’ve been a 10. Absolutely delightful.” Bruno called
it “an exquisite expression of love and romance. Perfect.”
Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…9, Len…9, Bruno…10 = 28/30

Sara Evans & Tony Dovolani – Paso Doble
Sara
had difficulty practicing the Paso Doble. Tony insisted on staying in
character during rehearsal, and his aggressive attitude made her wonder
if he was angry with her.

Sara & Tony were assigned one of
the worst songs of the night: the title song from Phantom of the Opera.
The song was distracting and gave the whole performance a gloomy feel.
Sara didn’t look confident at all, half-heartedly executing her moves
while repeatedly tripping on her dress. For the routine’s finishing
move, instead of falling into an easy spin, Sara hit the floor like a
sack of potatoes.

Len tactfully said, “Certain dances don’t suit
certain people. The Paso Doble doesn’t suit you.” Less tactfully, Bruno
told Sara, “It was like you were Marie Antoinette going to the
guillotine.” Carrie was more diplomatic: “I thought you embodied the
character. But you need to use the floor and stomp.”
Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…6, Len…7, Bruno…7 = 20/30

Jerry Springer & Kym Johnson – Waltz
Everything
Jerry’s done on the show so far has been leading up to the Waltz. In
December, he’ll dance it with his daughter at her wedding. He had to
stop at least one practice session this week because he was moved to
tears.

Jerry sang along as he and Kym danced to “Tennessee
Waltz.” His technique was very good — way better than you see in a
typical father-daughter dance. When the routine ended, Jerry found his
daughter in the front row and hugged her. Kym wasn’t the only one in
tears.

Bruno told Jerry, “Another wonderful performance. Your
best dance to date.” A teary-eyed Len, who also admitted to crying at
the movie Bambi, said the dance had “great style, beautiful movement.”
Tom Bergeron clarified that, when Len cries during Bambi, it’s because
he was rooting for the hunter.

In regard to Jerry’s appeal to
fans to stop voting for him after he’d performed the Waltz, Samantha
Harris asked him, “Is your work here done?” Jerry said that his
daughter has increased her demands to two wedding dances, so he’d be
happy to stay another week. Plus, he’s already paid for wedding band,
so he wants to get his money’s worth.
Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…7, Len…7, Bruno…8 = 22/30

Vivica A. Fox & Nick Kosovich – Paso Doble
Vivica
was the other big loser when it came to song assignments: Bon Jovi’s
“It’s My Life.” Something about the performance just didn’t work, and
the bad song played a big part in it. But Vivica and Nick didn’t do
enough to put the focus back on the dancing. They ended the routine by
raising their fists in the air, in their tribute to Bon Jovi.

Len
said the routine had “lots of ‘oles’ and some ‘oh nos’.” Carrie Ann
said, “You rocked the house, especially with your Power Ranger ending.
But you need to bring back a little of your femininity.” Backstage, a
clearly drunk Samantha told Vivica and Nick, “Bon Jovi would be proud
to be rockin’ the ballroom tonight!”
Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…8, Len…8, Bruno…8 = 24/30

Joey Lawrence & Edyta Sliwinska – Waltz
Joey
was nervous about doing a slower, more controlled type of dance.
“Hopefully it’ll be a first class Waltz,” he said. “It may be coach. It
may be business class.”

Edyta looked beautiful, wearing the
prettiest harem girl costume ever. Joey looked perfectly relaxed,
executing the Waltz as well as he’s done his previous dances.

Carrie
Ann said, “That brought tears to my eyes. You really, truly led Edyta
through the Waltz.” Len said, “The Waltz doesn’t normally have the wow
factor of the Paso, but that was a wow of a Waltz.” Bruno called the
performance “a heavenly symphony of beauty.” After hearing such
positive comments, Joey and Edyta couldn’t stop grinning.
Judges’ Scores: Carrie…9, Len…9, Bruno…9 = 27/30

Mario Lopez & Karina Smirnoff – Paso Doble
In
keeping with their song, Mario & Karina tried to evoke the feel of
the movie El Mariachi in their performance, right down to the details
of Mario’s suit. It worked, and they performed the best Paso Doble of
the night. And most importantly, they played by the rules.

Bruno
said Mario was, “El Superbo — the embodiment of Latin pride.” Carrie
Ann thanked them for following the rules, and then said, “You two are
too hot to handle.” Len said he’d been prepared to spank Mario if they
broke the rules again this week, and was relieved that he didn’t have
to. He had a couple of criticisms about the performance, ” It didn’t
have a lot of posture and had a bit of wildness about it.” When the
crowd booed and his fellow judges objected, Len said, “Watch the video.”
Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…10, Len…9, Bruno…10 = 29/30

Leaderboard:
1 – Mario & Karina
2 – Willa & Max
3 – Joey & Edyta
4 – Monique & Louis, Emmitt & Cheryl, Vivica & Nick
7 – Jerry & Kym
8 – Sara & Tony

My
vote went to Joey & Edyta, for performing the prettiest dance of
the evening. Plus, I love seeing Edyta so happy this season. Her
giddiness is infectious. Too bad her abs aren’t.

Tomorrow night, Nick Lachey and Los Lonely Boys perform, though not at the same time.

My preseason pick to win Dancing with the Stars 3
was axed last week, but that won’t stop the weekly power rankings. As
the eight remaining couples prepare for tonight’s Performance Episode,
who looks to be in the most danger of being sent home tomorrow?

8. Jerry Springer & Kym Johnson
Jerry’s
the celeb most likely to be eliminated tomorrow night, mostly because
he asked his fans to stop voting for him. But Jerry’s rowdy fans may
not listen to their ringmaster.

7. Willa Ford & Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Willa’s
spent more time in the bottom two than any of the other stars left in
the competition. She has to build on her growing fan base by turning on
the charm and showing that she’s got the dancing skills to hang with
the best.

6. Vivica A. Fox & Nick Kosovich
Vivica
has always scored in third place or higher with the judges, so how
could she be in danger? If message boards and YouTube video views are
any indication of how the general voting audience feels, her “diva”
attitude isn’t winning over any new fans. While message boards are sometimes anything but the definitive indicator of public opinion, the people who post at them
may be on to something.

5. Mario Lopez & Karina Smirnoff
Mario
blew everyone away with his stellar performance in week one. But he’s
losing support by trying to be the flashiest dancer, instead of the
best dancer. He needs to at least acknowledge the rules and stop being
so defensive with the judges before his fans ditch him for other, less
(needlessly) rebellious contestants.

4. Sara Evans & Tony Dovolani
The
judges have started to warm up to Sara, and her fans are numerous.
She’s in no danger of losing her voting base, unless she pulls a Dixie
Chicks and criticizes President Bush.

3. Emmitt Smith & Cheryl Burke
Last
week’s low score from the judges was most likely a fluke. Cheryl knows
how to choreograph winning routines, and Emmitt’s got the hard work
mentality that judges (and fans) love.

2. Monique Coleman & Louis van Amstel
Monique’s
last two performances have shown her to be the best dancer among the
female celebrities. Bruno nicknamed her “Little Miss Sunshine,” and her
positive attitude makes people want her to win. I’m finally starting to
believe she can.

1. Joey Lawrence & Edyta Sliwinska
Joey
seems like he’s having fun with this than anyone else. When the judges
scolded him for breaking the rules, he did the right thing: apologizing
and vowing to correct his behavior. Joey’s charming and charismatic,
and he’s definitely got the moves, so his best strategy to win is not
to change a thing — except for the handstands and lifts.

Other DwtS News:
People
magazine has a behind-the-scenes reports about another injured dancer.
While practicing with Mario, Karina said, “We did a twist and my rib
bone came out.” As grisly as that sounds, Karina will be dancing
tonight.

In other interviews, Jerry talks about dancing the Waltz, and Monique gives some details on her grueling practice schedule.

Whatever your feelings on carbon-based economies, coal is still king on The Amazing Race. This week, Duke & Lauren settled for the wrong Detour — making a birdcage instead of coal bricks — and wound up eliminated.

From the Pagoda Pit Stop in Mongolia, teams made their way to a travel
agency to buy tickets to Hanoi, Vietnam. At the travel agency, Almost
everyone arrived at the agency before it opened at 9 a.m. So, the teams
lined up and waited for the agency to start business.

Inside the
travel agency, four workers assisted the teams. Though pageant queens
Dustin & Kandice were the fifth team in line, they snuck past Tom
& Terry to be one of the first groups to book tickets. Boyfriends
Tom & Terry were upset, though nothing much came of the incident,
as all nine couples wound up on the same flights.

After a
connection in Beijing, teams arrived in Vietnam at 9 p.m. They camped
out in front of the old Hanoi Hilton (the prison, not the hotel) and
waited for it to open at 8 the next morning.

Inside the prison,
teams were instructed to find the flight suit of its most famous former
inmate: Senator John McCain. Brothers Erwin & Godwin stopped to pay
their respects in front of the enshrined flight suit.

The next
clue sent teams to a busy intersection in Hanoi’s Old Quarter.
Father/Daughter team Duke & Lauren had spent their last $11 riding
in a cab the previous night, and they had to walk, while the other
teams paid a $2 taxi fare.

A Roadblock forced one member of each
team to sell $5 worth of flowers from the back of a bike cart. The
first few teams, among them Edwin & Godwin and Tom & Terry,
struggled to pedal the heavy, flower-laden bikes. Eventually, they
noticed the later (and apparently smarter) teams were making easy money
by never riding the bikes in the first place; they set up shop and sold
their flowers right on the sidewalk by where the bikes were parked.

The
good news for Duke & Lauren was that they got to keep the money
they earned selling flowers. That meant they could afford the bus fare
to their next location: the city of Vac.

Peter & Sarah
jumped on the first bus they saw, hoping that it was the right one. It
wasn’t, and they were left to languish at a bus stop as the other teams
boarded the proper buses.

Erwin & Godwin were the first team
to Vac, and they asked around for directions to a Buddhist temple. One
helpful man offered to give them a ride on the back of his motorbike,
but the brothers had to turn him down. For safety reasons, teams were
not allowed to ride or operate motorbikes in Vietnam.

The clue
at the temple was for the episode’s Detour: “Fuel or Fowl.” Teams had
their choice of making 30 coal bricks in Fuel, or one ornate birdhouse
in Fowl. Everyone chose Fuel and walked in the direction of the
brickmaker’s house.

Erwin & Godwin made 30 bricks from the
wet, Playdoh-like coal, but had to redo them all because they were too
short. During the Cho brothers’ second attempt, Tom & Terry showed
up, fresh from a ride on a local guy’s motorbike.

After all of
their practice, Erwin & Godwin had gotten good enough at
brickmaking that none of the local onlookers were watching them —
choosing instead to laugh at Tom & Terry, who had little aptitude
for the task.

The brothers finished the Detour on their second
batch of bricks. Their next clue instructed them to head on foot to the
Pit Stop, which was in a nearby rice paddy. This week’s prize was a
home entertainment system of no particular make, model, or components.

Soon,
all of the other teams — except for Peter & Sarah — arrived in
Vac and wandered the neighborhood looking for the brickmaker’s house.
Duke & Lauren lost track of the group and accidentally stumbled
into the courtyard where the Fowl Detour was set up. They found a shady
spot under a tree and decided to make a wooden birdcage, instead of
trying to find the other teams.

Eventually, Peter & Sarah’s
bus showed up. They, too, chose Fuel and showed up at the Detour right
after the previous bus’s teams found it.

Soon, Tom & Terry
finished their bricks and ran to the Pit Stop. There, Phil told them
that they’d incurred a 30-minute penalty for their illegal motorbike
ride. The couple found a dry patch in the paddy and waited for the
other teams to check in.

Back at the Detour, Kentucky coal miner
Dave was not impressed with Vietnamese coal: “This ain’t real coal.
Ours is hard. Theirs is mud.” He was also distracted by the
significance of being in the country where his father fought a war,
decades ago.

One by one, teams finished
making their bricks and checked in at the Pit Stop. Tyler & James
were awarded second place, followed by Rob & Kimberly, Candice
& Dustin, Peter & Sarah, and Lyn & Karlyn. Dave helped Mary
through the paddy as she labored on her twisted ankle, and they were
able to finish in seventh place.

Finally, the 30-minute penalty ended, and Tom & Terry learned they had fallen from second place to eighth.

Duke
& Lauren eventually finished their birdcage and checked in at the
Pit Stop. As the last team to arrive, Phil told them they’d been
eliminated from the race. Phil asked Duke if he had come to understand
his lesbian daughter a little better, and Duke replied, “Whatever’s
gonna make her happy will make me happy.”

In a post-show
interview, Duke said of the Race, “You almost wanna wish this on every
parent out there, because…” He was too overcome to finish his
thought, so he just kissed Lauren on the cheek.

Next week: Sarah
gets pissed that Peter won’t allow her to quit on any challenges, but
doesn’t apply the same rule to himself. And Rob & Kimberly argue
again, this time at sea.