The judges played it safe and kept all of the couples within four points of each other. But the cream has started to rise to the top on Dancing with the Stars, and its becoming easier to tell which couples deserve to stay, and which should go.

Ballroom Round

Helio & Julianne — Tango
Regarding their two dances, Helio said, "The Samba is the home dance of my country, Brazil… The Samba I love. The Tango — that’s a different story." To help motivate her partner, Julianne showed Helio a video of his parents cheering him on from Brazil. They’re as adorable as he is.

Dressed in black velvet, Helio & Julianne danced a Tango to David Bowie’s "Jean Genie." Helio’s at his best when he gets to smile and let loose, and the Tango didn’t seem to be the dance best suited for his personality. It had swagger, and it was fun, but it wasn’t quite on par with some of his previous dances.

Len liked Helio’s passion: "You had drive and you had attack." But he chastised Helio for his arms and footwork. Bruno told the pair, "You two are like thunder and lightning… But, technically, it required more polish." Carrie Ann said, "I liked it. Maybe it’s because I’m a bit younger!"

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…9, Len…8, Bruno…8 = 25/30

Marie & Jonathan — Quickstep
To keep her in the competition, Jonathan wanted Marie to "sell her character, her personality." Marie brought her kids to practice, and they climbed all over Jonathan.

Dancing to "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," Marie was dressed and made up to look like a missing Andrews Sister. She and Jonathan performed their most energetic routine of the season. It ended with Marie slobbering a wet kiss on Len. Len quickly wiped the lipstick off his face, saying he was worried it might upset his wife. "Which one?" Tom asked.

Bruno effused, "When you get it right, you do get it right!" Carrie Ann, who was expecting a more gimmicky performance, said, "Nothing campy about that… I thought it was wonderful!" And Len told Marie, "Entertainment runs through your veins like Chianti does through Bruno."
Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…10, Len…9, Bruno…9 = 28/30

Mel & Maks — Fox Trot
Mel’s Spice Girls responsibilities are starting to dominate her schedule, and she’s been forced to squeeze late night practices in wherever she can find the time. Maks said he was worried that he and Mel may be sent home this week.

The couple danced an elegant Fox Trot that didn’t stand out, but it wasn’t bad, either. They spent more time out of hold than I would’ve expected.

Carrie Ann said, "It felt just a hair out of sync." Len agreed: "You have lovely arms during that solo… but every time I was expecting a heel, I was getting a toe." Bruno said much the same as his cohorts: "You performed it very well, but the footwork needed a little bit of finesse."

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…8, Len…8, Bruno…8 = 24/30

Jane & Tony — Quickstep
Jane was excited to Quickstep to a song by Johnny Cash, with whom she was friends. She wore a pendant that belonged to June Cash, and Tony wore Johnny Cash’s watch.

In slightly countrified outfits, Jane & Tony danced to "Walk the Line." The floats that hung from Jane’s arms made her look as if she’d been TP-ed by a bunch of cheerleaders before the big game. The performance didn’t look any better than anything Jane had done in the first couple weeks of the competition.

Len said, "As always, you’ve got that lovely grace," but he noted two problems: "total lack of body contact…and occasionally poor footwork." Bruno had problems with Jane’s outfit: "Shame about being run through a shredder tonight." Carrie Ann told Jane, "At this point, you have to excite us. You can’t just be good. You have to be outstanding."

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…8, Len…8, Bruno…8 = 24/30

Jennie & Derek — Viennese Waltz
Jennie said she "can’t help but laugh" when Derek explains the romantic nature of some of their dances. "Dancing the Rumba with Derek is a little weird, but he told me he can dance the Rumba with his sister — which is even weirder.

Jennie’s silvery-blue dress was fab. Jennie and Derek danced a beautiful waltz and executed some lovely spins — except for the one where Derek spun into a cameraman.

Bruno told Jennie, "Sometimes you are so fluid, you are like a water nymph in a magic lake." Carrie Ann said, "You’ve been growing, and it’s really exciting to watch you." Len told Derek, "There was not enough Viennese Waltz in hold." Derek replied, "I understand," and headed backstage, where the other contestants were booing the judges.

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…8, Len…8, Bruno…9 = 25/30

Cameron & Edyta — Quickstep
Cameron said this is his most important week ever, after being in the bottom two.

The most memorable part of this performance was the singer’s shrill impression of The Cure’s Robert Smith. Cameron worked hard to sell the dance, but he seemed a bit heavy-footed and imprecise. The couple lost their steps near the end. It was still fun — it’s Edyta — but it was not their best.

Carrie Ann said, "I love the exuberance. It was a little wild." Len channeled Bruno with this bizarre comment: "Superman, you’ve gotta calm down. I’d put a bit of Kryptonite down your trousers. That might calm it down a bit." Bruno agreed, "It was Mr. Flash in a mad dash. It was such a dash, you forgot the steps."

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…8, Len…8, Bruno…8 = 24/30

Latin Round

Helio & Julianne — Samba
The Samba definitely suited Helio more than the Tango. He smiled and writhed his way through a performance that was a big improvement on his first dance of the night. Julianne’s outfit looked like someone had shot a pheasant, tie-dyed it, and taped it to her chest.

Bruno shouted, "That’s what I like to see!" and said of Julianne’s outfit, "Thank God you’re not allergic to feathers." Carrie Ann said, "Way to go!" Len started with a joke, "Just because you come from Brazil doesn’t mean you’re necessarily going to be good at the Samba, in the same way [that] just because you come from Texas doesn’t mean you’re going to be a good president." As the crowd laughed, Bruno interrupted, "Len! They’re going to throw us out of the country!" Len continued, "It was fantastic."

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…9, Len…9, Bruno…9 = 27/30

Marie & Jonathan — Cha Cha Cha
Dancing to "Venus," Marie tried to channel the character of a seductress. She didn’t really pull it off, but then again, she’s been seductive enough to spawn eight kids, so who am I to judge? Even though the routine wasn’t as speedy as their Quickstep, Marie sounded very out of breath, afterward.

Carrie Ann said, "You always tone the performances perfectly. But I do have to say that there wasn’t quite enough content." Len agreed: "There was a little bit too much messin’ about going on." Bruno said, "I liked the character: the flamboyant harlot working the Latin Quarter. But you peaked earlier on."

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…8, Len…8, Bruno…8 = 24/30

Mel & Maks — Paso Doble
Wearing something from Lover’s Lane, Mel & Maks did a Paso that was the complete antithesis of their cute, sparkly Fox Trot. As is always important in the Paso, they really sold the performance. It looked like the first time in bullfighting history that the matador had more to fear from his own cape than he did from the bull.

Len stuttered through some positive comments before ultimately just pointing at Mel & Maks.
Bruno gushed, "That was an adrenaline charged dominatrix. My jaw was on the desk. Top that!" Carrie Ann shouted, "I think you just kicked some serious booty!"

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…10, Len…10, Bruno…10 = 30/30

Jane & Tony — Cha Cha Cha
If it weren’t for Jane’s skimpy outfit, I would’ve had a hard time telling this from her first dance. It was another middle-of-the-road performance from Jane. Not bad. Not spectacular.

Bruno said, "That was a very well executed Cha Cha." Carrie Ann told Jane, "You’re such a dainty and delicate dancer." Len made mention of Guy Fawkes Day in his advice to fellow Brit Jane, "You’ve got to come out and give us a few fireworks, and that’s what’s lacking for me." Tom said, "Coming up, Len will go through more English holidays that mean nothing to us."

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…8, Len…9, Bruno…9 = 26/30

Jennie & Derek — Rumba
Despite her tendency to giggle through their rehearsals, Jennie was able to pull off a romantic Rumba with Derek. The routine was full of content, and they executed it very well. And it was the first time in a few weeks that she didn’t look nervous while dancing.

Carrie Ann said, "You had beautiful lines, Jennie. Way to come back." Len told Jennie, "The only person who’s not convinced you’re a really good dancer is you." Bruno gushed, "Housewives are sexy! It was the best dance you’ve done."

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…9, Len…9, Bruno…10 = 28/30

Cameron & Edyta — Jive
Cameron & Edyta executed a good Jive with a few nice leaps. It was Cameron’s most polished performance yet. But can somebody explain to me what look they were going for with those outfits?

Len told Cameron, "You did that fantastic!" Bruno said the routine had "more kicks than a rodeo!" Carrie Ann told Cameron, "You started out [the season] as the good looking guy who kinda could move, but you’ve become a really fine dancer."

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…9, Len…9, Bruno…9 = 27/30

Leaderboard (out of 60 possible points):
54 — Mel & Maks
53 — Jennie & Derek
52 — Helio & Julianne, Marie & Jonathan
51— Cameron & Edyta
50 — Jane & Tony

This leaderboard could be the template for the rest of the eliminations this season. Barring some radical improvement by one of the middle couples, Mel & Maks should win. Jane & Tony are lagging behind the pack and haven’t shown the kind of improvement that the others have, so it’s time for them to go.

Regardless of who’s eliminated Tuesday night, the Results Show should be a good one; DanceCenter with Kenny Mayne and Jerry Rice is back!

The writers strike is officially on, and Zap2It has a handy chart detailing how your favorite shows will be affected. Variety notes that most soap operas have enough material to last until 2008, but sitcoms and other shows with staff who have dual roles that include writer could be affected sooner.

Just in case the strike drags on for a while, Variety has details on each network’s contingency plan.

Last night’s debut of The Amazing Race 12 was delayed by a football game that ran late, much to the chagrin of Reality Blurred’s Andy Denhart and countless other DVR users.

In Dancing with the Stars news, Sabrina Bryan officially confirmed her romance with her pro partner, Mark Ballas. And Tom Bergeron gave the scoop on what it was like to work with Drew Lachey as a temporary co-host.

A&E has stopped production on Dog the Bounty Hunter and pulled reruns of the show off the air after a recording of Dog’s racist tirade against his son’s girlfriend made it into the hands of the National Enquirer.

And next week, I’m going to have to watch NBA week on Family Feud in the hopes of seeing the Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard bust out some of his dance moves (Howard shows up about halfway through this clip):

In honor of this week’s premiere episode of The Amazing Race 12, I’m thinking about starting a sister website: MyDonkeyIsBroken.com.

This season’s starting point was the Playboy Mansion, or more accurately the Playboy Mansion’s front lawn. Hef and his girlfriends must have been watching from inside, as teams grabbed their clues and ran to their vehicles, only to wait as grandpa Donald counted his money before allowing his grandson, Nick, to pilot the lead car out of Hef’s driveway.

Teams flew from Los Angeles to Shannon, Ireland. Though the teams were split across two flights, they all arrived within minutes of each other, as the lead flight was delayed for a while at Heathrow.

Brother-sister team Azaria & Hendekea borrowed a cell phone to call ahead for two taxis for themselves and father-daughter duo Ronald & Christina. But after their plane landed, non-dating buddies Ari & Staella stole one of the two cabs. Ari bragged, "Karma’s a bitch, but I’m a bigger bitch."

The first task for the teams was to take a ferry to the island of Inishmore, and then run through the rain to the ruins of what host Phil Keoghan said was "the smallest church in the world." As the teams made their way to the church, Jennifer refused to run, protesting to boyfriend Nathan, "you know I’m not good at long distance sprinting!" The protest sounded hollow from a woman whose intro segment showed her lifting weights and running through the surf.

Jennifer’s complaints sounded even more foolish when grandpa Donald started running up the hill to the church. But then he snagged his shoe on a bush and disappeared almost entirely into a hole along the side of the path.

The teams returned to the mainland the next morning on three ferries, which left at 8:00, 8:30, and 9:30, giving the six teams on the first two ferries a significant lead over the five at the back of the pack.

Dating couple Lorena & Jason, who arrived on the first ferry, lost all of their lead when Jason insisted on driving in the wrong direction, despite Lorena’s objections. Then she started whining that they were having trouble communicating. So, along with Jennifer & Nathan, this season has two dysfunctional dating couples who’ve already had minor meltdowns. Score! (And Jennifer and Nathan weren’t done, yet.)

Teams drove to a farm where they found their first Roadblock. One team member had to pedal a bicycle on a high wire over the North Atlantic. Meanwhile, their partner was suspended on a contraption below (which helped balance the bike above). The challenge was unnerving, but not especially difficult.

In fact, 60-year-old dad Ronald had enough energy to sing atonally as he pedaled over the sea:
Oh, Danny Boy,
I’m in Ireland.
I didn’t expect Danny Boy to be in this shape.
Oh, Danny Boy,
I did it for you!

However, several teams ran into serious problems once they got to the other side. For the final task before this leg’s Pit Stop, teams had to choose a donkey to carry 30 bricks of peat (15 per competitor) back to the main part of the farm. Some donkeys were more helpful than others.

While most of the teams had willing animals, second place team Nathan & Jennifer got their donkey halfway down the hill before it began braying and came to a halt. It stood there for over an hour, as eight other teams passed them.

The donkeys’ fickleness paid off for blonde duo Shana & Jennifer, who’d started the task in last place. Their donkey took off at a run, and they wound up passing five teams and finishing the leg in 6th place.

Though Nathan & Jennifer’s donkey drove them to screaming, swearing, tugging, crying, pushing, and sighing, one other team had an even worse donkey. Whether it was karmic payback for stealing someone else’s cab the previous day, a general lack of beastly persuasion skills, or merely a donkey attitude problem, Ari & Staella wound up with the slowest donkey off the bunch.

They had loaded their peat bricks into his baskets in fifth place, but they finished the leg in last place, eliminating them from the Race.

Finish order:
1 — Azaria & Hendkea
2 — Kynt & Vyxsin
3 — TK & Rachel
4 — Lorena & Jason
5 — Nicholas & Donald
6 — Shana & Jennifer
7 — Ronald & Christina
8 — Kate & Pat
9 — Marianna & Julia
10 — Nathan & Jennifer
11 — Ari & Staella

Next week, family issues arise for Ronald & Christina. And grandpa Donald tries to pole vault across a muddy creek in his underpants — and fails.

While it’s still unofficial, the Writers Guild of America seems likely to strike starting Monday.

The strike won’t affect publicity for Stephen Colbert’s run for the White House. The South Carolina Democratic Party refused to put him on the ballot.

In Dancing with the Stars news, Jennie Garth posted her thoughts about Sabrina Bryan’s elimination at her blog. Meanwhile, as Sabrina and Mark Ballas make the talk show rounds, they aren’t being especially convincing in their denials of a rumored romance between them.

DwtS judge Carrie Ann Inaba is publicly discussing her eagerness to start a family, while not wishing to pressure boyfriend Artem Chigvintsev. I’m pretty sure that printed accounts of your ticking biological clock constitute pressure, Carrie Ann.

Variety has a review of the Dancing with the Stars video game for the Nintendo Wii. I’ll be publishing my own review of the Playstation 2 version, soon. In neither version of the game does the animated Mario Lopez ditch a fundraiser for victims of domestic violence to go party at the Playboy mansion. However, the real life Mario Lopez does.

A new report highlights the continued lack of diversity on primetime television, with Latinos being the best represented minority group.

Here’s a link to the second half of TV Guide’s interview with Jared Padalecki.

And it looks as if the sixteenth season of Survivor will be another all-star edition, with representatives from the casts of seasons 9-15. All-Stars 2 will be filmed in Palau, and realitytvspoiler.com has a potential list of cast members. If the list proves to be accurate, we should be in for an entertaining season.

Memo to future Survivors: When one of your enemies deliberately leaves a piece of junk on the ground at your camp, it’s not an Immunity Idol.

The episode began with the teams lounging at their respective camps. When the rest of the Zhan Hu tribe went down to the lake, James took advantage of being momentarily left alone at to pry a hidden Immunity Idol off of their archway. There were actually two plaques nailed to the archway, and he had to pry both of them off before he could tell which one had "Congratulations" written on the back of it. That plaque was the Idol; the other one was worthless.

James took the real Immunity Idol, wrapped it in his extra pair of pants, and hid the bundle in his bag alongside the Idol he’d gotten from Todd last episode. He left the worthless plaque on the ground next to the archway, presumably to make it look as if the plaque had fallen off by itself.

Later, Jaime and Erik noticed the blank spots on the archway where the plaques had been, and noticed the dummy plaque laying on the ground. They were correct in guessing that James had probably pried both plaques off the archway. However, they were way wrong in assuming that both plaques were Immunity Idols, and that James had accidentally dropped one when he heard the rest of the tribe returning to camp.

Jaime grabbed the dummy idol and hid it in her bag.

When James and Peih-Gee went frog hunting after dark, Jaime checked inside James’ bag to see if the other plaque was in there. She unrolled the bundle of pants, felt both of the real Idols hidden inside the pant legs, but never took them out to look at them. She had no idea that there was anything written on those plaques verifying their Idol status, and she just assumed that there were three Immunity Idols in play.

Early the next morning, James noticed that the blank plaque wasn’t where he’d left it, and he figured Jaime had stashed it away. The mere idea made him gleeful: "The thought of this woman having a blank one — I would not be able to take it. I would pass out in pure joy. Please, let that happen. Please. That would be the best thing ever!" In his interview, James fell over from laughing so hard.

Later that day, the tribes arrived at what they thought would be the scene of a Reward Challenge. Instead, Jeff Probst handed out new, black buffs and the two tribes merged into one.

Jeff told them they’d be partaking in a traditional feast and watching some cultural performances, but he warned that the game never stops. The Survivors noted that warning briefly, but forgot it once the booze started to flow.

Firecrackers were lit, drums were beaten, dancers danced, acrobats balanced, and some cool dudes climbed a tall pole with swords for handholds. And all the while, the contestants drank beer and chowed on sweet and spicy pork.

They returned to their permanent home at Fei Long’s campsite and lazily decided on a new tribe name: Hae Da Fung, meaning "Black Fighting Wind." As they painted their new tribal flag, a guest arrived onshore. It took a while for the tipsy Survivors to realize that the guy who looked exactly like Jeff Probst who was walking up to their camp carrying a large bag was… Jeff Probst!

Jeff informed everyone that it was time for the season’s first individual Immunity Challenge, and it would be one that tested their recall of things they’d just experienced at the merge feast. The Survivors collectively groaned as they realized that’s what Probst had meant when he said the game never ends.

Jeff got through just a handful of questions — How many times were fireworks lit? What color was the giant pole with the swords on it? — before the field was reduced to Frosti and Jaime. Frosti correctly remembered that the dancing girls weren’t wearing anything on their feet, and he became the first to win individual Immunity.

With the challenge over, it was time to figure out who to vote out. Todd and Amanda planned for all of the original Fei Long members to vote for Jaime. They had their work cut out for them trying to convince Courtney not to vote for Jean-Robert — and trying to convince Jean-Robert not to go rogue and vote for Peih-Gee. John Robert said he wanted to get rid of Peih-Gee now, because he liked her, and he was afraid that he would like her too much to vote her out in a few days.

To give them extra incentive to make their plan work, James told Todd and Amanda that he suspected Jaime of thinking her blank plaque was an Immunity Idol. Todd got confirmation of this when Jaime pulled him aside and promised to reveal the names of the two people who possessed Immunity Idols — but only if he kept her around for another few days. Todd kept a straight face while listening to her, but later said, "Wow, does she have to catch up."

Jaime and Erik were actually feeling pretty good, since they thought they had an Immunity Idol on their side. They and Peih-Gee were planning on voting for Jean-Robert, and they filled Frosti in on the plan. For some reason, they also thought that James had switched over to their side.

But incredibly, even though Peih-Gee told Jaime that Courtney had voted for Jean-Robert at the last Tribal Council, they never approached Courtney about joining with them. Idol fever must have addled Jaime’s brain as she bragged, "If Todd sees me play that hidden Immunity Idol tonight, he’s definitely going to be floored when he sees it come out. Everyone’s going to be shocked, even Jeff."

Jaime was absolutely right, but for the wrong reasons. After the votes were cast (but before they were announced), Jaime presented the plaque to Jeff, sending Jean-Robert into a panic. Jeff explained the rules regarding what happens when an Immunity Idol is played, and then stated, "This, however, is not an Immunity Idol," and chucked the plaque into the fire. Jean Robert bowed his head in relief.

Jaime lost to Jean-Robert 7 votes to 3, and she became the first member of the jury.

Next week, Peih-Gee tries to save herself, and Todd loses the support of his followers when he targets James.

Yet more fallout from Sabrina Bryan’s elimination on Tuesday night’s Dancing with the Stars Results Show. Maksim Chmerkovskiy told Extra, "There were couples, celebrities that should have been eliminated tonight. The two in the bottom two were not." Julianne Hough agreed: "Sabrina definitely shouldn’t have gone home tonight."

In her latest blog entry, Marie Osmond doesn’t seem too broken up over Sabrina’s departure. But Jane Seymour complimented Sabrina: "She handled the situation better than anyone I can ever imagine."

Sabrina says she’s coping with her ouster: "I’m keeping my chin up and I’m going to take it like an adult." But Sabrina’s partner, Mark Ballas, is definitely sorry their run is over: "I’m sad I won’t get to see her tomorrow."

This week, TV Guide has a two-part interview with Supernatural’s other hunk, Jared Padalecki. Here’s part one.

Joss Whedon is making his triumphant return to the small screen, penning a new series especially for Eliza Dushku.

The possibility of a writers strike has temporarily shelved plans for a Heroes spinoff series, though Heroes’ declining ratings probably played a part in the decision as well.

And the producer of Gossip Girl explained to Entertainment Weekly how they went about adapting the original novels into a television series — no small feat given that there are 11 books in the series.